East and West

East Meets West

         Western and Eastern cultures have long had to try to coexist with each other. Now that globalization is the buzzword of the day, it is more important than ever to be able to understand foreign cultures. It often seems that Asian cultures are about as foreign to us as any could possibly be. How true is that? Are the Eastern and Western worlds really that separate? The answer to that is a definite yes...and no. While every culture is undeniably different, even ones as similar on the surface as Canada and the United States, there are still many similarities among all cultures. Since understanding is the key, I intend to examine the differences between Canada and South Korea in terms of physical reality, historical relationships, and social nature, and how these impact to create two very different, but not incompatible cultures. Please note that for space reasons, I will often refer to South Korea simply as Korea in this essay.

         When looking at cultural differences, physical differences among the countries are often ignored. This is really a shame, because so much valuable information about a culture can be learned just by looking at where the nation is, and how it is made up. Physically, Canada and Korea are very different. Canada is a vast nation, with all different types of terrain. Korea is a very small nation, located on a peninsula, and is primarily mountainous. If you were to move Korea into Canada, it would fill up less than one percent of Canada's land mass. On the opposite extreme, Korea is a very densely populated nation, while Canada's population is more spread out. Korea has a population of roughly 1.5 times that of Canada (46 million vs. 31 million as of 2000), while Canada is about 100 times the area (9,970,610 square km vs. 99,461 square km).

         Despite the enormous size differences, the two countries do have some similarities in their population spread and the use of land. Both countries have large portions of land that are either unpopulated or very sparsely populated. In Canada, the far Northern regions do not support a lot of people. In Korea, the mountains, which are everywhere, limit the distance people can spread out. Both countries have many national parks and other areas to protect scenes of natural beauty and wonder. In total, Canada has 244,540 square km of national parks, plus there are also provincial parks, and 'special places' throughout the nation. Korea has approximately 6500 square kilometers of national parks in addition to provincial parks. Both nations have areas of high population concentration, and other areas of very low population density. And in both countries, a small number of cities contain the vast majority of the people.

         The structure of the cities, however, is very different indeed. The largest Canadian city, Toronto, has a population of just over 4.5 million. Korea's largest city, Seoul has a population of nearly 10 million. Canada has four cities, including Toronto, with populations over one million, while Korea has seven. Canada has about 30 cities with populations of over 100,000, while Korea has about 40. Both countries also have numerous small towns and villages scattered about their areas. Nowhere can the differences in population densities between the two countries be better seen than in the residential regions of the cities. In Canada, houses tend to dominate the urban landscape. There are apartment buildings as well, but most of these are three or four story buildings at most. High rises tend to be office buildings, even in the largest of Canadian cities. In Korea, on the other hand, apartments form the overwhelming majority of accommodations. Apartment buildings range from small, seven or eight floors only, to enormous, twenty, to thirty story buildings not being terribly uncommon in the largest urban centers. The construction of these buildings is very different too. Canadian houses are normally of modern construction, with new houses popping up often. Korean houses are generally of a traditional construction, some with newer modern conveniences like electricity and plumbing. Apartment buildings are also built differently in the two countries. Canadian buildings are typically lower to the ground, but with several apartments on each floor, generally no fewer than six. Korean buildings are much taller, but often have only two apartments per floor. The result is a series of sprawling apartment complexes that look like sets of dominoes. Some newer apartment buildings are adopting more western styles of construction, with wider bases and multiple units on each floor.

         In addition to physical features of a country, the nation’s history and political nature may give many interesting clues to its culture. One striking difference between Korean and Canada historically has been the presence of threats. Canada and the United States are relatively famous for having the world's longest undefended border. Since separation from the British Empire, Canada has not really been threatened by any other nation. We have been allied with our neighbors for quite some time. Not so for Korea. The Korean peninsula has spent a great deal of their history as an occupied nation, either by China, or by Japan, even, according to some opinions, by the United States and Russia. To the Korean mind, the last period of occupation ended with World War II, so Korea has only really been independent for about sixty years. Further, they have not been free of a nearby hostile force since that time. Since the 1950's, South Korea has been at risk from its Northern counterpart.

         One point of similarity in the history of these nations is the presence of the United States which has exerted a strong influence on both. Look at television and movies in both countries and you will see a great number of Hollywood movies and programs. Walk down the street of any major city and you will see signs, in English in both countries, for many US companies. Of course, the influence of the US on both countries has lead to a certain degree of resentment among the native populations, but the respective governments are still strong allies of the US, and much of the population still appreciates what the US does, even when there are disagreements.

         Another difference in the two countries is that Canada has historically been a multicultural society with a certain degree of acceptance of societal differences. After the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, the French and English colonists were forced to cooperate to survive the harsh Canadian winter. Unfortunately this was often to the detriment of the native inhabitants. Korea, on the other hand, has long been a homogeneous nation. It was not a colony, although it was occupied often. It had no different indigenous cultures. It has always been a single people, and as such is a bit less tolerant of differences.

         One of the most significant determiners of culture is generally the social make up of the nation. Canada is clearly a heterogeneous nation. Walk down the street of any Canadian city and even most of the smaller towns and you will see people of all different cultures and ethnicities. Korea, as mentioned previously, is homogeneous. It is estimated that less than one percent of the Korean population is not of Korean ancestry. Chinese immigrants are the most commonly seen foreigners. Of course, westerners are the most visible. A Korean visiting Canada could walk down the street practically unnoticed. A Canadian walking down the street of a Korean city will be greeted by stares, pointing fingers, and calls of, "Way gook saram!" ("A foreign person!")

         Both countries started off as monarchies, although the monarchy of Canada was actually located in Europe. Both are now functionally democracies. Both are industrialized, capitalist economic systems that compete in the global marketplace. Canada tends to be focused on the individual, while Korea is more group centered. Family is important in both countries, but Canada focuses on the nuclear family, while Korea is more concerned with the extended family, with three or four generations often living together. In Korea, however, the wishes of the family often override the wishes of the individual. Decisions like where to live, what to study in University, or who to marry usually require the approval of the whole family. In Canada, these are personal decisions, and while family approval is often important, it is not a necessity. In a similar way, an employee in a corporation is expected to ignore his, and his is very accurate here, personal goals and needs for the good of the company. The group is, normally, more important than the individual in Korea. In Canada, individual choice is paramount. People are free to decide what they will do for a living, within restrictions of competence. People can associate with whom they choose, and they work definite hours and have their own personal lives. Of course, in the current economic climate, Canadian corporate culture is starting to shift to be more like Korea's. In this way, Eastern culture may be influencing the West.

         Of course, with such variance in history, physical makeup, and society, culture is bound to be different. One of the fundamental differences, alluded to above, is that individual choice is of critical importance in Canada, while what is best for the group is vital in Korea. When you live in a densely packed place, you have to be very considerate of your neighbors. There are a lot of them and they are all very close to you. With such a small amount of livable, hence arable, land, you have to work as a group to get enough food for everyone to survive. Hence individual needs must, by necessity, be of less importance than the needs of the group.

         In Korea, one of the central determinants of cultural behavior is the concept of face, or chemyon in Korean. While both cultures have the idea of face it is of far more importance in Korea and a great deal of their culture is devoted to the avoidance of embarrassing others and causing them to lose face. This causes fundamental differences, even in the simplest facets of everyday life.

         Take something as basic as an invitation to a party. In Canada, the party is planned out well in advance. To give an invitation less than a week before the event would be unusual. It is polite to give lots of warning of the event so people can arrange their schedules to fit it in. If someone doesn't want to go, that is their choice, but it is rude to give such little warning that someone would be unable to adjust their schedule so that they could come if they so desired. In Korea, plans normally seem very spur of the moment. As a visitor to the country you may be asked out to dinner parties or other events the day of, or even the hour of their occurrence. This seems very inconsiderate to Canadians, but it is very polite in Korean culture. If someone were to refuse an invitation it would embarrass the host. It would also be an embarrassment to the invitee, since he would potentially be asked to choose between two different plans and have to reject one. By giving very little warning, there is no embarrassment, since it would be impossible to change one’s schedule that quickly.

         This aspect of face dominates much of Korean culture, and explains many of the contrasts between Korean and Western culture. Business behavior revolves around both parties being able to save face as much as possible. Hence small talk and skirting around issues are both common techniques in business relationships. This can cause a lot of consternation with foreign business people, who may come to Korea to negotiate with only a very limited amount of time, and feel that their time gets wasted by trivialities.

         One of the chief areas of cultural disagreement is when a worker takes a job with an employer of a different culture. Many complaints about Korean business methods result more from misunderstandings of culture than from any other source, in my experience. For example, the issue of contracts is a common complaint. For Westerners, a contract is binding and absolute. Both parties must adhere to the contract to the letter. To a Korean, a contract is a set of guidelines. If the boss is unable to meet certain terms, then he should be free to ignore them for a time. To complain is to cause the boss a loss of face, and is to be avoided. By the same token, once the boss is better able to meet the terms of a contract, he is expected to repay his employees for helping him to avoid losing face, perhaps in the form of bonus pay, extra time off, or something like that. Employees in Korea are also expected to be part of the work group. Often after work, coworkers go out for dinner and drinks, resulting in a lack of sleep for many employees. In contrast, foreign workers are expected to put their work lives and personal lives in separate categories. They work the contracted number of hours, and take full advantage of the contracted perks. A boss is supposed to treat everyone as an equal. Many managers are on a first name basis with their workers. This is unthinkable to a Korean worker, who must treat the boss with great respect and consideration. The familiar atmosphere in many Canadian work places would make an employee trained in Korea very uncomfortable. The key point in both cultures is helping the individual feel comfortable, but they have very different methods of doing so.

         As you can see, cultural variation can arise from a number of sources. No matter how different two countries are, however, there are always similarities between them that can be a basis of understanding. Looking at physical, historical, and social factors can lead to a better understanding of culture.