Always Be Kind
We’re used to speaking our minds in America. After all, the very First Amendment is freedom of speech. Although defamation, or spreading a rumor to hurt someone’s reputation or cause them hardship, can still be a serious criminal offense in America, it is also taken very seriously in countries like South Korea.
South Koreans take their reputation very seriously as it holds their place in society. Your ranking from a social standpoint is based solely on your reputation. To defame someone in South Korea means you are sabotaging their place in society. In South Korea, defamation will always be taken to court.