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Korean Family Customs - Main Page
The adage that a man must first seek his own development and manage his family properly before he can seek to govern others reflects the principle tenet behind the ideal of the Confucian social order.
Under this system, man has traditionally been given the responsibility of representing, supporting and protecting his family. If he cannot wield this power and exercise his leadership role wisely, he loses face as the head of the family. Order at home is maintained through the principle of hierarchy in which children must obey parents, the wife the husband, the servants the master. Reverence and respect for one's elders is a long-held social tradition in Korea.
Traditionally, the concept of filial piety was even reflected in Korean speech. The Korean language is endowed with a complicated and elaborate honorific system. Depending upon who the speaker is talking to, different word and verb usages are applied, which accurately reflect his or her social standing with regard to the listener.
The individual Korean house, new or old, is built to protect its inhabitants from outside elements. Generally speaking, it is somewhat low, with relatively small rooms and not many doors or windows. Some of the rooms have ondol floors whic hare heated from under the floor. This system of heating is so ingrained in Korean life that even the most fashionable, Western-style houses built in recent years are, with few exceptions, provided with a few rooms that are heated through the floor. Likewise, many Koreans still prefer to sit and sleep on cushions and thick mats on the floor.
In a tradition Korean home, there is little furniture and seating is on the floor. Bedrooms and dining rooms were not distinguished; a living room also functioned as a sleeping and eating room. The room (anbang) used by the women of the house was located at the back of the house and was used as a place for family gatherings. Not surprisingly, this room was also equipped with wardrobes, bedding and other domestic paraphernalia. The master of the house, by contrast, inhabited the front part (sarangbang) of the house which was also used as a reception room for guests. If he was an educated man, his rooms were equipped with a desk, shelves, books and a few cushions. Normally, he retired to his wife's room for the night.
The traditional Korean dress, called hanbok, is more comfortable and suitable to the traditional ondol lifestyle. Still today, many Koreans, particularly men, put on these traditional clothes when returning home in the evening from work. Western style dress is usually reserved as outdoor wear. However, on special holidays like Ch'usok and New Year's Day, the entire family dress up in their finest hanbok.
Mealtimes at home bring the entire family together. The main dish is rice to which chapkok or grains such as barley, millet and/or a variety of beans are often added. Soup is always served and kimchi, a spicy, fermented cabbage, is invariably a side dish. Soy sauce, dried pepper, red pepper paste and toenjang, or bean paste, are used for seasoning.
Koreans like traditional rice-based wine and enjoy drinks before meals. Entertaining guests with traditional wine is customary. Although the repeated request to fill up an empty or half-empty glass might be viewed as an annoyance by as Westerner, Koreans who are not asked to fill their cup frequently would think it very rude on the part of the host. Reciprocity in sharing wine in a congenial atmosphere is important to Koreans. During these gatherings, the hierarchy of social relations between members of the part is still maintained. Younger members of inferiors are not allowed to drink or smoke in front of their superiors.
Information provided by the Korean Embassy