Korean Job Discussion Forums

[murmanjake]

How do you deal with interminable handshakes from Korean men?

I always attempt to release before the other guy wants to and he just ends up holding onto my limp hand. The I try to give a parting squeeze, which is returned, but with more of an increase in pressure that doesn't go away. I try shaking a bit, but then things get weird. Eventually the handshake ends, but never when I am expecting it to, and always far into the territory of "holding hands" so far as I see things.

Not to mention, arm-in-arm embraces, hands on shoulders and upper arms, and other forms of prolonged physical contact that don't necessarily make me uncomfortable so much as they confuse me as how to properly reciprocate. Any advice?

[edwardcatflap]

I thought this was a thread about going to someone's goodbye drinks session or party, thinking of something to say to them as you shake their hand and say goodbye and then seeing them two or three times again before they catch their plane and having to think of something else to say to them before they actually leave. That's happened to me far more times than interminable handshakes from Korean men. In my experience they are floppy, wet fish you grab for a couple of seconds. Full stop.

[Globutron]

My korean friend tends to grab my hand and pull me along in the direction he plans to walk, even though I'm perfectly capable of just following him at the desired pace.

My other Korean friend let me sleep around his family's home, in his room, and he just whipped his clothes off naked right in front of me to get ready for bed, casual conversation. Of course I realise this isn't strange to Korea, with jimjilbangs and all, but to me, a repressed British guy, it's a bit of a shock to the system.

[Livewire]

Weird I've always found Koreans to be LESS into long goodbyes and overly dramatic verbalising of the cues of friendships, they just tend to go 'okay see you' as you just assume you are going to see each other again anyway, unlike most Westerners, especially those from the us who seem to need big verbal signs of friendship, declararions, slaps on the back etc. I find Koreans say a lot less, except in the initial phase where they are just eager to klnow if you ARE really going to be friends etc. But once you get to know them, there is no need for over dramatic verbal shows of effection, as they seem to be of the 'actions speak louder' type of folk in this regard.