Gifts You Should NEVER Give in Korea (Superstitions) – Seoulistic

Gifts You Should NEVER Give in Korea (Superstitions)

Just like in your culture, Korea has its own superstitions. And these superstitions refer specifically to gifts! Make sure you don’t give the following:

Knives, Scissors (or anything else sharp)

You’re watching the home shopping network and see a set of Ginsu Knives on sale, and you think it’ll make the perfect gift for your Taekwondo teacher. But no matter how awesome it looks slicing paper on the infomercial, this is one gift you shouldn’t give to Koreans. That’s because giving this gift represents the cutting of your relationship. Traditionally, many Koreans refused to give knives, scissors or anything else used for cutting because they didn’t want to severe any relationships. Instead, if you are ultra convinced that your friend will have such a great time using those knives to carve metal cans and furniture, what you can do is exchange a little bit of money. If you give a small amount of money to the gift giver, it will turn the gift into a purchase, and no relationships will be cut. Only random objects around the house :).

 

Shoes

Our video on Korean dating superstitions has a perfect example of a gift you should never give. If your Korean girlfriend is a marathon runner, and you think she’ll cross the finish line a few minutes faster with a new pair of Nikes, go right ahead and give her that gift. But she might do a bit more running than just a marathon. In Korea, there’s a superstition that says if you give a loved one (guy or girl) a pair of shoes, that he or she will run away from you. If you’re a girl, this might be a good superstition anyway. Guys are terrible at guessing what women like to wear!

 

(Source)

Handkerchief

Handkerchiefs are great gifts that everyone can use for multiple purposes. They clean up cold winter snot, wipe up tteokbokki stains on your shirt and can be put into suit pockets to make anyone look like a million bucks. But this lesser known Korean superstition focuses on the fact that handkerchiefs are often used for cleaning up sad and sorrowful tears or sickly snot and coughs. Although it’s a superstition, many Koreans still abide by it because they don’t want any sadness or sickness for their boyfriend or girlfriend. So when you’re hanging out with your sick boyfriend, don’t give him your handkerchief. Just hand him those extra McDonalds napkins in your purse ;).

Cards in Red

Thoughtful people like to go a step further and write a little card while giving a gift. It’s a nice little space where you can write down that hilarious memory of your friend eating live octopus while a watching a super funny Korean karaoke video and then laughing so hard a tentacle shot right out of his mouth. Ahh… memories :). But when you pick up that pen, be sure you pay attention to the color. Red writing, especially when writing names, represents death in Korea. There’s an old and long history of names written in in blood resulting in someone’s death. And that old superstition still lives true today. Even though it’s specifically for names, an entire card in red might make a Korean cringe a little. So just pick up another one!

Where are you from? And what gifts should we not give in your country? Write a comment!

Also, you might find this other Korean superstition post pretty fun 🙂
Unusual Korean Superstitions that Kill, Blind and Haunt!

Keith
Keith
Keith Kim is a Korean-American who has been living in Korea for almost a decade. Being in a unique position as both a Korean and a non-Korean, he's put all his experience and knowledge for surviving in Korea in Survival Korean . Read it to learn how you can survive in Korea. Follow him on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

40 Comments

  1. Sally says:

    Hello there! This post could not be written much better! Looking at this article reminds me
    of my previous roommate! He continually kept preaching about this.
    I am going to forward this article to him. Pretty sure he will have a
    very good read. Thank you for sharing!http://www.zuosou.com/bbs/home.php?mod=space&uid=167986&&do=profile

  2. 이영은 says:

    Hi I would like to ask if what does it means if a korean guy gives you a traditional korean pouch.. does it have a meaning for him? just wondering coz i heard usually everytime korean people give presents it has a meaning… hope you can help me. thanks!

  3. Raja says:

    I would like to give the gift to korean guy. I want, He have to stop the smoking.

  4. Wood home furniture possesses one thing really all natural regarding it.
    There is this sense of heat, of nature and also of beauty that can be be found in wood furniture.

    Wood is actually birthed coming from the planet. It feeds the fire, degenerates in to drafts and ashes away.

    It is very near the human life on earth. Might be that is why it sounds so much along with our team.
    May be actually that is actually why you still obtain that
    warm feeling when you touch a wealthy mahogany
    desk.

  5. This site is my aspiration, very wonderful design and Perfect written content.

  6. Hawk says:

    I learned a lot on your site. The most enjoyable part was the sharing of so many. This is what brings people together. There is no judgment but just sharing old and new ideas. It helps me develop a better sense of loving my neighbor. I am a Christian, God Bless all of you. Thank you, Hawk

  7. Shocked says:

    As a Korean person, I cannot disagree more. This information is completely outdated (granted from 2016, but stilll, even back then, this wouldn’t have made sense to ACTUAL Koreans); and I bet many Koreans would be puzzled if they heard this about “us” coming from a foreigner’s mouth trying to define what we don’t like as gifts XD

  8. Tif says:

    I don’t know anything about this writing style or method. Regrettably, I’ve never been a terrific writer, so I constantly seek help. Choosing a high-quality service to https://www.nursingpaper.com/ is critical for this. I found the provider, and both the price and the quality astonished me. This, in my opinion, is the best way to complete all tasks on time while retaining a cheerful mood.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *