December 21st: Formalities and honorifics, from Korean Made Easy

(This is an excerpt from my newest book, Korean Made Easy. More on that in a minute.)

About formalities and honorifics

Koreans have long followed a fairly strict social hierarchy. While not a religion, the Confucianism mindset still pervades the country today. When you see a young person giving their seat on the subway to an older person, you’re seeing one modern-day example of Confucianism. Even today, you’ll see an old person getting almost anything they want because of their age – and...