Learn Body Language - If I was a female traveler going to Korea, what non verbal communication skills would I need to know?

If I was a female traveler going to Korea, what non verbal communication skills would I need to know?

Non Verbal Communication skills include- 1. physical appearance (Are they expected to look a certain way?) 2. eye behavior (is eye contact with everyone allowed?) 3. gestures and movements 4. olfactics (smell) 5. environment 6. time (are women expected to be punctual?) 7. silence (are they expected to be silent in the presence of certain people/ in certain situations?) 8. vocalics 9. proxemics (how close do they stand?) 10. Touch -- this is for a communication class essay and any input would help tremendously! thanks!

Public Comments

If you are a traveller, then you can be different, but you'd stand out from the crowd, therefore to minimise the difference, Korean women dress like Barbie, for instance sweaters with flowers, mini skirts, full length boots, jewelry. Eye contact is allowed between peers or lower status, but to show respect, one should lower ones gaze when talking to a superior. Gestures should be kept to a minimum. Smell should also be kept to a minimum, I think most women use a shower fresh spray, but not expensive French perfume. #5? Time, everyone is expected to be punctual, but if theres a traffic jam, whatever, then its courteous to call on your cell phone and say your're running late because of the crowds in the subway, your're currently at Jamsil station, but can get there in 20 minutes. I think delays can be common in Seoul and up to 30 minutes, if you're trying to be on time. I think women are supposed to be silent on occasion such as with the big boss, unless asked a question directly. Voice: they speak in a monotone most of the time. Koreans do stand closer to each other than westerners. The population density dictates that, also the Seoul subway and the small size of traditional houses, and modern apartments. Women do hold hands to show friendship and also out of necessity. IF they hold hands on the subway, they can't be easily separated in rush hour. Because they all look exactly the same, it would be a hard task to find each other. Other than holding hands they don't touch each other(except boys hug each other often to show friendship).
Wow! Lots of questions ;) 1. Koreans are not big fans of cleavage. Short skirts, yes. They prefer a "neat, clean and feminine" look. 2. In Korea, people generally make contact with only people they know (friends, family, coworkers). Unlike the U.S., there is no friendly chatting on the subway. In public, people usually focus on the task at hand (shopping, sitting on the bus). Of course, if you are with a friend, it's okay to talk, otherwise just read a book or listen to an MP3 player. 3. There are not a lot of "handsigns" in Korean. People (very) occasionally flip "the bird", but I haven't seen anything else. 4. People don't use a lot of perfume or scented body products. The environmental smells depend on the economic status of the area you are in (i.e. poor areas can smell like raw sewage, wealthy areas smell like the restauraunts in the area, stores, etc.) 5. Once again, the environment is affected by the economic status of the area. I was surprised by the amount of trash on the streets (this is caused by a lack of public trash bins). Seoul is a huge metropolis, but there are lots of places for nature lovers, too. 6. Everyone is expected to be punctual regardless of gender. 7. Everyone is silent unless spoken to by their superiors (the C.E.O at your company for example). It takes time for a foreigner to learn how to speak to different people in your personal hierarchy. 8. I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with this term. 9. Korea (esp. Seoul) is a small country with a lot of people. There is not a concept of "personal space". Public space is everyone's space and there are a lot of people to fill it. Being bumped or shoved is not followed with an "I'm sorry." People just take it as a common occurance and don't think anything about it. 10. It is okay to touch other people's babies, but one should never touch a teenage or adult Korean unless you are very intimate (i.e. best friends or partners). Koreans think public displays of affection between partners are gauche, but it is common to see two men or two women holding hands. I hope this was helpful ;)
wow good question and good answer is good to know everything about that... before to travel to Korea