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Korean Family Customs - Main
Page
Korea's Main Page
The Confucian social order is based upon the five human relationships (oryun) and it is this concept that has long dictated Korean behavior to a large extent. The importance of the Confucian social order in Korea can be observed especially on New Year's Day when, after the usual memorial services for ancestors, family members bow to grandparents, parents, older brothers, relatives, and so on in accordance with age. Young people may even seek out the village elders to pay their due respect by bowing to them, even though they are not related.
At meetings, social gatherings, or drinking parties, social order becomes an immediate question: who should greet whom first, who should sit where, who should sit down first, who should pour wine for whom first. Among close friends, those born earlier are treated as elder brothers and sisters. Among acquaintances, one is expected to use honorifics to those 10 years older than oneself. However, if the difference is less than 10 years, people address one another as equals.
Information provided by the Korean Embassy