Nunchi In South Korea

Being able to read and act based on social cues is important in many cultures, but in South Korea, “nunchi” is especially valued. There is no exact translation of this word in English, but in his research paper, Jae Hong Heo interprets nunchi as a way of understanding the situation or feelings of others around you and acting accordingly. My paper will discuss why nunchi is unique to South Korea and how the awareness of nunchi affects social relations on professional and casual levels. The main purpose of my research is to identify how nunchi serves as grounding in interpersonal relations and why it plays such a large role in Korean culture compared to other cultures. As a result, my main research question is how nunchi affects and reflects …show more content…
In fact, to be referred to as someone without nunchi is a much bigger insult in Korea than it is in other countries. Nunchi itself is regarded very importantly in South Korea. Van Rjin reports that nunchi plays a major role in Korea compared to many other countries. One interpretation of why it plays such a major role is that it might come from Korea’s historical roots. Lyudmila Mikheesku proposes that nunchi might have become important after the era of Japanese invasion in 1592, when the Joseon (the dynasty ruling Korea at the time) spies were sent to Japan to draw conclusions about the nation’s state by reading the atmosphere of the country and the actions of the leader. Since then, the ability to read how others around you has filtered down to general society, and has been applied to everyday life. Mikheesku adds that now, the leader is your boss at work, and you are the Joseon envoys who use nunchi to please him and avoid …show more content…
Survival of the fittest, defined as “19th-century concept of human society, inspired by the principle of natural selection, postulating that those who are eliminated in the struggle for existence are the unfit” (Merriam-Webster), might be the driving force of the prevalent use of nunchi. In order to reach the goals they want, for example, a job promotion or a seat at the popular clique’s table at lunch, people employ nunchi as an extra appeal to whoever they have to interact with to obtain those goals. Nunchi seems to be Korea’s main method of grounding, or the process “to come to the mutual belief that they understand one another sufficiently well for the purpose at hand” (Brennan), as it is used to nonverbally communicate ideas and express feelings that the parties involved are expected to understand, and lacking the ability to use it results in falling behind competition. For this reason, the employment of nunchi can be seen in both casual and professional