Always Be Kind
In America, we’re accustomed to expressing our opinions. After all, the First Amendment’s purpose is to promote freedom of speech. In countries like South Korea, defamation (also known as “rumormongering”), the spreading of a rumor to injure someone’s reputation or cause them pain, is still a serious criminal offense.
South Koreans are extremely sensitive about their reputation, which is crucial to their social standing. Your reputation solely assesses your position in society. In South Korea, harming someone’s reputation is the same as undermining their place in society. Defamation will almost always be resolved through litigation in South Korea.