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Success eZine – Summer 2008
Korea Business Success eZine – Summer 2008
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Welcome to the Summer 2008 issue of the Korea Business Success eZine of Korean
Consulting & Translation
Service, Inc. We hope you find this information helpful to your business in
Korea and with Koreans everywhere.
Table of Contents
- A Question Commonly Asked by Koreans
- Update on American Beef Imports
- Feature Article: Parking a Car in Korea
- An Opportunity
- Information on the Korean Taxation System
- Some Useful Korean Websites
- An Online Interactive Map of Seoul
- Village People Living in Seoul
1. A Question
Commonly Asked by Koreans
Learning to speak English is a source of great stress to many Koreans
because English proficiency is increasingly being used as a criterion
when applying for a job or admission to college. Native English-speakers
are often asked what the best way to learn English is, so it would
be helpful to prepare an answer to this question so you can answer
effectively whenever you are asked.
For some reason, many Koreans seem to suppose that native-speakers
of English are experts on learning English as a foreign language. Here
are some things you might like to include in your answer to help make
you sound like an expert on the subject.
- The key to learning any foreign language is to practice the four
skills - reading, writing, speaking and listening. Koreans need to
focus more on speaking and listening since they spend so many years
in school focused on writing and reading English.
- Learning grammar and vocabulary is good but practice is important,
too. Look for new opportunities to practice.
- Don't worry that you can't understand everything you read or hear;
aim for about 70% understanding and change the material to suit your
level if what you are studying is too hard or too easy.
- Repetition can be useful but stop if it becomes boring and choose
something else.
- Conversation with a native-speaker is a great way to practice speaking
and listening. Consider enrolling in a conversation class at an English
hakwon (institute). If the conversation class is too difficult, then
just enroll in a non-conversational class that is right for your
level. Focusing too much on "free-talking" and not enough
on structured learning can leave you repeating old mistakes and not
expanding your skills to new areas.
- Finding reading material of the right level that is appealing to
adults can be difficult but publishers such as Shi-sa, Longman, and
Oxford University Press publish versions of popular novels with simplified
vocabulary and grammar especially for adult learners of English.
- Don't give up because you think you are not improving. The reality
is that improvement will be gradual and difficult for you to see
in the short-term.
2. Update on
American Beef Imports
An article about the likely resumption of US beef imports appeared
in the last edition of this eZine. Since that time, the South Korean
government has concluded negotiations and agreed to nearly unrestricted
imports of US beef. The government is still pushing ahead and recently
strengthened country of origin labeling rules for beef in an attempt
to win public support for the resumption. However, there is widespread
public opposition and ongoing demonstrations.
It would be best to avoid discussion of this subject because it is
a very sensitive issue for some Koreans. If you do end up talking with
a Korean about it, simply listen with the intent to understand their
position but don't try to change it. You will be amazed at the passion
many Koreans feel about this topic.
3. Feature Article:
Parking a Car in Korea
Parking spaces are very much at a premium in Korea, so much so that
it is not uncommon to get parked-in. If you do find yourself parked-in,
you should check the windshield to see if the driver of the other car
has posted his telephone number there for you to call him to move his
car. If you are driving in Korea, it would be advisable to have the
phone number of an English-speaking Korean associate handy who can
make the call for you because the driver who has parked you in probably
won't be able to speak English.
Another common courtesy for Koreans when parking people in is for the
driver of the car that is blocking to deliberately leave the hand brake
off and the car in neutral with the wheels aligned straight forward
so that anyone parked in can get out by gently pushing the car to roll
it out of the way. Someone else would like to use your parking space
after you leave so there is no need to roll the car back to where it
was. However, just make sure that you don't roll it too far from where
it was and that the car is not rolling and not likely to roll away
when you leave.
If you are parked-in and unable to resolve the problem in either of
the two ways above then the driver of the car might have double parked
for a short time to go into a nearby business. You could go into the
business and try to explain your situation in an attempt to locate
the driver or call a Korean associate and ask him to do it for you
over the phone. The Korean language phrases required to clearly explain
the situation are beyond the scope of this eZine but the simple phrase "Chah
moht nah-gah-yoh", meaning I can't get my car out, although not
perfectly clear, may get your message across. Making the gesture for
driving and pointing to the location of your car while saying the phrase
would certainly help to convey the meaning even more effectively.
There is no point in getting angry about being parked in, because it
is a common occurrence in Korea given the number of cars and shortage
of parking spaces.
4. An Opportunity
Many Koreans are keen to meet and talk with native English-speakers
in order to improve their English proficiency. This represents a great
opportunity to gain insights into various aspects of Korean business
and culture, provided you are able to find people with reasonable proficiency
in English and a good knowledge of your industry.
Many working adults in Korea are quite busy, so forming a group of
two or three Koreans would make it more likely that you would be able
to meet week to week.
Typically you would meet in a public place and share a meal or coffee
while talking.
5. Information
on the Korean Taxation System
For information in English on national taxes in Korea visit www.nts.go.kr/eng/, call
the helpline at (02) 397-1440 or (02) 2076-5711, or visit one of the
English-language service desks in selected NTS offices across the country.
Additionally, a booklet has been produced in English outlining the
key things foreigners need to know about paying tax in Korea. The booklet
can be picked up from the tax office and foreign embassies in Korea,
as well as downloaded from the NTS website.
Seoul is a special administrative region. It is not a province (state)
and neither is it part of any of the provinces in South Korea - it
is administered independently. Seoul, the provinces, and other special
administrative regions all collect taxes like states in other countries
do. Refer to http://english.seoul.go.kr/ for information on taxes levied
by the Seoul government.
6. Some Useful
Korean Websites
www.korea.net has compiled a list of useful English language
websites in Korea covering a number of different areas.
Six websites likely to be of interest to business-people from their
list appear below.
Long-term economic indicators - http://ecos.bok.or.kr
Daily economic indicators - www.mke.go.kr
Labor market participation rates - http://molab.go.kr
Census data - www.nso.go.kr
Demographic data - http://mw.go.kr
Government finance data - www.mpb.go.kr
7. An Online
Interactive Map of Seoul
Click here for an excellent interactive map of Seoul.
8. Village People
Living in Seoul
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has designated certain regions of
the city with high numbers of foreign residents as "Seoul Global
Villages". There is a region designated as a village for English-
speakers, as well as ones for Japanese, Chinese and French people.
Within these global villages, certain government services will be provided
using the particular language of that global village, as well as Korean,
to make life easier for foreigners living there. In addition, health
clinics and day care centers catering to speakers of those languages
are planned.
There are a number of drop-in centers called "Global Village
Centers" to assist foreigners with the problems of living in Korea.
They also offer a range of Korean cultural activities along with free
Korean lessons. The Global Village Center for English-speakers is located
at Yeoksam, to which directions can be found here.
In addition to the language-specific drop-in centers, there is another
center to assist foreigners living and working in Korea located near
City Hall, to which directions can be found here.
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