The subtleties of cultural mannerisms, the complexities of cultural behaviors, and the appropriate social norms of a people must be understood and acknowledged by visitors to a country.  Conversely, it is equally paramount to successful working partnerships and to successful social relationships, for the people of a host country to put forth a solid effort to understand the intricacies of the culture of the individuals they invite to work and live in their country.

Know the Culture You're In
A Canadian businesswoman in Korea is walking down the street in Gang-nam, on her way to a meeting with her company co-workers.  In the warmth of the afternoon sunshine, she walks along, lost in casual thoughts about nothing in particular.  Suddenly, as she steps off the curb near a side-street, a driver in a banal blue Bongo comes blazing toward her out of nowhere.  Instinctively she jumps back, but not far enough to avoid what she imagines to be an inevitable collision.  The driver’s break pedal obeys his split-second reflexes, and the pickup truck slams to a halt before any harm is done.
Despite his haste, the driver feels quite terrible.  His tight schedule and demanding superiors disallow him any time to dilly-dally, but by no means does he intend anyone harm.  He realizes the shock he has caused the businesswoman who wavers near his bumper, and he offers his apology by smiling and waving.  She is shaken and simply scowls back at him.
The business woman proceeds on her way, but quite angrily.  She is appalled that, after such a narrow miss, the truck driver felt no remorse, and furthermore, had the gall to mock her with a smile and a wave.
What happened here?  Where was the cultural misunderstanding?
The businesswoman from Canada did not realize that the man's smile was an expression of his lament.  And the driver knew that, combined with his polite wave, his smile could never be misunderstood as anything other than a regretful apology.  Could it?

When Roaming
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do," is the anthem of individuals with open minds who travel to other countries and prefer to embrace the customs, eating habits, and norms of the host country.  This attitude of willingness and acceptance enriches a visitor's experience while traveling in countries that have vastly different ways of doing things.

People in host countries should be equally accepting of the people who visit and the people who they have invited in to work. "When in Rome" if spoken by the people in the host country, sometimes encapsulates close-mindedness.   The nuance behind the statement when spoken by the people of the host country implies that, "Visitors must conform to my country's way of doing things, and I, as the host, will not change my cultural attitudes for visitors."

The saloon doors of cultural acceptance swing both ways.  People in host countries must go further than claiming they understand and accept the culture of visitors.  They must be accepting of the behaviors of visitors, even when the behaviors clash with their own social norms.
 
Know the Culture of
Those Whom You've Invited
"The culture shock wasn't so bad," he thinks to himself.  The stout businessman from New York has been pretty comfortable on his extended business trip in Korea.  He chuckles and is cognizant of letting out a little sigh of relief as he remembers back two weeks ago to New York, sitting on the leather coach in his office, drying his sweaty palms, and swallowing the lump in his throat that somehow transformed into butterflies in his stomach.  "Korea's not nearly as I had expected," he concludes to himself while scratching his comb-over. "The people are kind, and certainly they're not strangers to long hours of work.  My Korean colleagues and manager have bent over backwards to welcome and accommodate me ? I even sang karaoke for the first time last night! (After an ounce of courage.)" he snickers.
Emboldened by his new comfort in the Korean company, the businessman approaches the office of the Senior Vice-President in his department.  The Vice-President cordially invites him to come in and shakes his hand.  The issue to be discussed is the businessman feels that the decision the Vice-President reached at the meeting yesterday, the decision to modify the budget proposal, is an inappropriate one.  The businessman proceeds to carefully and clearly inform the VP that he made the wrong decision.  With the intent to ensure the project's success, the businessman outlines for the VP a new budget proposal, and outlines several reasons why his own budget proposal is much stronger than the VP's decision yesterday.  After spelling it out to the VP in no uncertain terms, the businessman is sure he will be commended for taking the initiative and coming up with great solutions.

Let's rewind time a few minutes and see it through the VP's eyes.
"Oh look, here comes the Western businessman from New York who has been helping us with the project," the Vice-President delights upon seeing the man approach his office. "I used to be nervous with speaking English but not anymore," he is happy about this impromptu meeting.  The businessman starts the conversation very nicely, but soon begins accusing the VP of weak decision making. "Moreover," the VP fumes, "he sits on my desk, while thoroughly detailing why his idea is better than my idea. This is incredibly rude and inappropriate." The Vice-President does not brood on his initial reaction, rather, he checks himself and considers things from and open-minded point-of-view. "If that businessman from New York were one of my Korean staff members, he'd be way out of line.  Fortunately for him, I understand that in American culture businesspeople speak far more directly to superiors, and often openly disagree with their managers too."
What can we learn from this situation?  The Vice-President of the department is better than a good manager ? he is a great manager.  He does not get upset; rather, he takes the businessman's innocent ignorance with a grain of salt, and knows the intention was innocuous.  He doesn't harbor any resentment or hold any grudge at all.  He is a great manager because he is sensitive to the behaviors of other cultures and he responds with acceptance.

Culturally aware Korean managers who have Western employees understand that business culture in North-America differs from that in Korea.  Attitudes in North-America more freely permit a worker to disagree with and to be mildly disobedient toward management, a stark contrast to typical Korean business convention.  The North-American attitude abounds because many companies encourage their employees to challenge ideas, think innovatively, and solve problems independently.  These happen more readily in the absence of an anchor of permission from management hierarchy.

East Meets West in Business
Despite the precariousness of painting everyone with the same cultural brush, here are some generalized cultural differences between Western business and Korean business.  Remember, dear reader, these instances are general and may not apply to everybody. 

The following samples of behaviors by North-American businesspeople are perhaps funny but also should be a helpful eye-opener to those who are unaware.

To cross your arms while talking to a Korean may often convey disapproval to what they are saying.  Likewise, while talking to a superior in business, North-Americans should be careful not to sit cross-legged in front of Koreans ?  it is disrespectful.  Nor should North-Americans say "uh huh" while their superior is talking to them.  "Uh huh" is simply an innocent sound to indicate a North-American is actively listening, but to a Korean in business it is often the sound made by a superior to a subordinate.

Those from the West should be sure to take time to examine and read a business card when it is handed to them by a Korean businessperson.  If the business card is just stuffed quickly into a pocket, this action is construed as indifference.

In the book, "Ugly Koreans, Ugly Americans" by Dr. Byoung-Chul Min, a specialist in cultural differences and cultural understanding between Korea and the United States, he writes about cultural behaviors of Koreans and Americans.  He states that one such cultural difference in business is that Koreans tend to make announcements and invitations at the last minute.  Since Korean work schedules are more flexible and they more readily accommodate the schedule of the most senior person involved, it is much less of a hassle for Koreans than it is for Americans.

Dr. Byoung-Chul Min sites another cultural difference, Korean businesspeople don't say, "No" directly.  He writes that Koreans in business do not like to say, "No, I cannot do that."  This may perhaps be frustrating to Americans who, upon not hearing a verbal, "No," assume that the answer is, "Yes," only to discover later, much to their chagrin, that the answer was indeed, "No." 
1,2 Step 
It is a wonderful first step for a people traveling abroad, or people in host countries, to acknowledge that they understand and appreciate other cultures. Be sure to expand this progressive notion one step further. When experiencing behavior that is outside your social norms or possibly offensive it is a natural reaction to criticize it. Instead, be certain to accept and embrace these differences with positivity.  Understanding breeds friendship.
Merry Christmas