Tuesday, July 06, 2004

Korean Dominate Age Groups

South Korea's dominant age groups have great impact on Korean business culture, so it is valuable to know the differences in recent Korean generations. In South Korea, a generational group is more defined by its shared experiences than by a specific number of years.

For instance, older Koreans who lived through the Korean War and its aftermath are more conservative, strongly allied with the U.S., and uncompromising towards North Korea.

In contrast, a group called Generation 386 (comparable in some aspects to American baby-boomers) grew up in a period of great student unrest and has a tendency to be more socially-conscious and liberal than their forbearers. 386, no longer a chronologically accurate term, stands for Koreans in their 30s, born in the 60s, and educated in the 80s. An example of their growing influence is the April 2004 parliamentary election, which saw the decline of the older conservative Grand National Party and the emergence of the reformist URI party composed of many 386ers.

A third generation of South Koreans are called 2030ers. The 1997 economic meltdown in Asia strongly impacted South Korean culture and the 2030ers This younger generation of Koreans affected by the aftershock of the meltdown is less concerned about ideology and more pragmatic. Their primary concern is finding a job. They are also a strong %93gotta have it%94 consumer class and individualistic-due to the impact of globalization, the Internet, television, and the high percentage as students attending U.S. schools and universities.

To conclude, when interacting with Koreans acknowledging generational issues will increase your effectiveness, reduce misunderstandings, maximize results, and better bridge cultures.

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