There is a type of politeness I have observed in Seoul, South Korea that I have not seen anywhere else I have lived or anywhere else I have visited.

I suppose you could consider this a cultural difference.

What I saw was this…

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(We were on a subway in Korea.)

A guy was trying to fix his shoes.

Another guy who he didn't know got up and helped him fix it.

To help make this make sense, although this isn't exactly what happened, imagine this....

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Imagine that you are trying to tie your shoelace, but you are having trouble.

And then (unexpectedly from behind) someone grabs you shoelaces and ties it for you, without asking.

It is a nice thing to do.

But in North America, it is an unexpected thing for someone to do.

And would, for many North Americans, be seen as a violation of personal space.

(Ex: why are you touching me?)

In Korea it seems to be the polite and appropriate thing to do.

⸺ by Charles Iliya Krempeaux

⸺ published 2018-09-02T10:20:30+09:00