What It’s Really Like to Work in a Korean Office as a Foreigner
Yes! You’ve heard of it: seniority-based hierarchy. Your boss is always right. And if you challenge that rule, you’ll learn the consequences quickly—just as I did.
Working in a global company, I assumed things would be different. More open-minded, less rigid, and free from the army-style culture of “I say jump, you say how high.” I thought this culture only applied to traditional Korean companies. But I was wrong.
Typical branch offices of global companies in Korea have about 20–30 employees and are often led by middle-aged Korean men who have completed mandatory military service. Their leadership is heavily influenced by their experience, strictly top-down, with no questions allowed, and any disobedience inevitably followed by consequences.
It took me nearly two years to fully grasp and accept this office culture. My seniors and bosses weren’t intentionally trying to give me difficult time. They were simply repeating what they had learned from their own seniors and bosses. This way of working has been passed down for generations.
Defiance won’t make you look bold or revolutionary. It will only label you as a rebel who “doesn’t fit in Korean workplace culture,” and the consequences can be seriously damaging to your career.
And don’t rely too much on internal compliance team or confidential ethics hotline. I’ve seen brave young employees try to challenge entrenched management circles, only to find themselves quietly pushed out—compensated, but still gone.
It will be tough at the beginning. But eventually, you, too, will gain a junior or subordinate under your care who follows your direction without question—and that’s when you’ll feel that you are now part of the vicious cycle.
But here is the good news: Korean work culture is changing quickly with the influx of the MZ generation. They bring in more open-minded, free-spirited and efficiency focused mindset to the office. With Generation Z now joining the workforce, I expect this shift to only accelerate.
In the meantime, If you’re just starting out and struggling, I can only offer three words of comfort:
“Time will pass.”
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