Why shouldn't you ask a Korean to get you a tissue?

For Koreans, it is normal to reach across someone's face to get a napkin, but asking them to help you is considered rude.

"Before leaving Korea, I went to dinner with local colleagues, sitting next to a woman who had lived in the US. When I asked her to get me a napkin, she did. But the meaning of this surprised me," said Frank Ahrens, author of a book about Korea.

In Korea, visitors feel free to reach across the face of the person sitting next to them to grab a napkin. Photo: Huffingtonpost.

In America, it is normal and polite to ask for a napkin because you don't want to reach across someone's face while eating. But in Korea, the coworker reminded Frank that it was rude. "It's rude to ask someone to get your napkin because you're interrupting their meal," the woman explained.

This reminded Frank of what he thought was a strange action by his colleagues three years ago, when they casually reached across his face to take his napkin while he was eating.

Many visitors to Korea are also surprised by some of the local culture. For example, when the owner brings out a cup, Westerners often hold a bottle of beer or wine and pour it into their own cup to drink. In contrast, Koreans have to fill their own cup to offer to their seniors. They also do not pour their own cup because it is considered impolite. The correct way is to wait for someone else to pour it for them.

In addition, Koreans also have some taboos that many tourists consider strange, including avoiding the number 4. For them, this is a number that brings bad luck. Many high-rise buildings in Korea do not even have a 4th floor and use the F floor instead.

No one wants you to write their name in red ink either, as it is the color of blood, which is considered a bad omen and a sign of death. Korean folklore also says that if you leave a fan running in a closed room while you sleep, you will die. Most older people believe this.

At night, when tourists go out with Korean friends and whistle, they risk being immediately silenced by their Korean friends, who think this is a way to call for ghosts.

If you love a Korean girl, when you go out to eat together, she may refuse to let you eat chicken wings. Understand that this means she is afraid of losing you. Many people believe that if you feed your boyfriend or husband chicken wings, he will "fly away" because his stomach will be full of wings.

According to VNE