Hey, Mr.Park

Hi, guys!

Look at this picture. Do people in this picture have something in common?
If you succeed in answering my question, I'll give you a small chocolate.

The answer is 'the elderly.'

We all have the elderly in our countries. Before discussing this theme, we should know who the elderly are. However, the problem is that the definition of the elderly can be changed according to a person's perception. So to make my comparison clear, I'll define the elderly as people who are over the age of 60.

So...let's start compare 2 countries : Korea and America.

1) How the young greet the elderly?

The picture on left is in Korea, and the one on right is in America.

Did you catch the difference?

In Korea, like most Asian countries, the young bow to the elderly and speak

"안녕하세요." It literally means 'hello', but it is very formal.

When I was a child, teachers educated me about the correct way to give a bow, like the above picture. They told me that "If you meet an old person whom you know or familiar with, you should stop and bow to him or her politely."

In other words, giving a bow is a very important factor in building relationships with 

the elderly.

How about in America? They seem to be more generous about greeting old people.

They just say "hi", give a hug, or shake hands. Hence, in Koreans's view,

Americans look less formal compared to Koreans.

                             2) Ways of speaking

Look at this chart. I know that you guys are not native Koreans, so you probably have a problem reading it. However, you can easily notice that the right is much longer.

As you already know, there are formal and informal vocabularies in English.

Nevertheless, there is no clear distinction between formal and informal language compared to Korean. I'll show you three examples.

When we say "hi', we can speak this word to anyone regardless of age. However, I can say "hi" to my friend, but I can't to the elderly. Koreans distinguish between speaking to the elderly and the young. In other words, we have 2 ways of speaking according to age.

                                3) Saying an elderly person's name

I have an American friend in America. He is much older than me. He has not only two sons and one daughter but also grandchildren. So, I was a little confused about how to say his name at first. I thought, "Do I have to put Mr. in front of his name when I speak to him? If not, how can I say his name?" I was cautious. However, he told me, "Just say my first name or call me friend."

I've never imagined that I address an elderly person's name by his first name. In Korea, even if I and an elderly person are really close, it is rude to say his name without being formal. It isn't acceptable. There are several ways to address the elderly in Korea. I'll explain the 2 ways.

Even though we treat the elderly in different cultures, they all deserve being
treated with respect. I hope that the young can understand the elderly more. Also, I hope you guys had fun in my presentation. Thanks!