Originally Posted by MMM (Post 603178)

If this thread heats up I will be closing it, so let's see if a civil discussion can take place.

Language-wise Korean (S. Korea) and Japan are very similar, but the social structure on the surface may seem similar, but there are fundamental differences.

We often hear about how Japanese value harmony within a group, and that is true, but competition is also valued. Average test scores between different homerooms are ranked, pushing students to work harder to not be the lowest class.

In Korea that harmony is valued, but in a different way. It isn't about harmony as much as everyone being the same.

I heard a first-hand story from an English teacher in a Korean high school. Cheating was not discouraged on tests as it "spread the knowledge" among students. The hope was for everyone to get the same score. During one test the teacher left the room, and many of the students began cheating. At the end of the day one of the smarter students went to the teacher and told him who had been cheating. The next day the teacher told the class that the girl was a rat, and she shouldn't be trusted. No one in her class ever spoke to her again, and she ended up changing schools.

This is just an example, and I have never been to Korea but have taught Japanese to dozens of Korean kids. The main problem I had to deal with was cheating. Part of the reason was I had mixed age kids in the classroom, so younger kids had to bow down to whatever the older kids said. Often that meant sharing work and showing tests.

I remember one time another teacher caught two Korean boys smoking. The boys were separated and the younger boy could not admit the older boy was smoking, even if it meant he would get in more trouble for lying. The words wouldn't come out of his mouth, as the repercussions from the Korean community for being a rat were worse than anything the teachers could dish out as punishment.

I did teach in an Japanese high school, and did deal with cheating a couple times, but it was never students sharing their work, but individuals making cheat sheets for themselves.

Originally Posted by xYinniex (Post 604652)

I've only ever been to Korea, I havent visited Japan yet, But Korea isn't big on learning english, learning chinese-yes.

Foodwise, the soups are very similar, But apart from that Koreans tend to pickle food and eat less meat.

Originally Posted by jasonbvr (Post 610642)

On the theme of Koreans are more patriotic than Japanese, I would consider:

First, all Korean boys (maybe girls too) are required to serve in the armed forces when they come of age. This sort of indoctrination forms a very strong nationalistic attitude before they go off to universities. Having a constant enemy to the north, the DPRK, plays a huge role in the South Korean psyche of strong nationalism.

Second, Japanese can't honestly be overtly nationalistic anymore. Even within their own country when for example someone suggest making sure all students stand and sing the national anthem people start raving about Japan returning to imperialistic times. And the fact that Japanese kids don't know their national anthem has nothing to do with patriotism. The song is a) confusing and b) boring (Not my words, straight from a sixty plus year old Japanese man).

Anyways, I would definitely support the statement about it being more a differences in personalities.

Originally Posted by jasonbvr (Post 610660)

Maybe nationalistic is not the correct word for it. I think extremely ethnocentric would better description.

Originally Posted by MMM (Post 610694)

You are saying Japanese people are extremely ethnocentric?

That's worse than nationalistic and less true, in my experience.