I hope you are well (AKA Korean business email 101)

It’s been a hot minute since I wrote my last newsletter. And I’m back!

First of all, I am genuinely surprised that there were SO MANY people who actually reached out to me and see how I was doing. So for those of you who’ve shown your concern - thank you! I really appreciate all of you big time :’))))))))))))))) It took me a while but I’m better than before and back with another newsletter for you! I’m going to explain about how to write a good business email in Korean (aka Korean business email 101).

This is one of the highly requested topics as the nuance between Korean and English email is very different. I mean, with any language there is difference in style, right? But I said it once, I’ll say it again: Koreans are not very used to accepting differences. I’m not saying it in a condescending sense, but that just is a reality. Therefore, if your email does not meet so-called “standard”, then you’re most likely not going to be taken seriously.

The title of this article is business email 101, so I aim to cover very basic information about it. In this article, you can expect to learn:

• differences in nuance between Korean email and English email
• some essential phrases you can use in Korean email (and definitions in English)
• hierarchies
• do’s and don’ts for business Korean email

Nuances between Korean email and English email

Below is how English email is generally structured, have a look at the scenario below that I made up to show. I’m emailing to my partner, Bobby, to have a follow up about the invoice that I sent him last weekend (he doesn’t exist but let’s say he does)

Hi Bobby,

I hope you are well. (Optional, but commonly used)

I wanted to follow up with the invoice I sent you last week. Could I get more insights on when it will be confirmed? (Message)

Please let me know if you have any concerns or questions (Ending)

Thanks!

Best Regards,

Joanne

In general - English emails tend to be very straight to the point but polite. Obviously the wording might not be exactly the same, but in terms of tone and manner I’d think it’d be similar to what I wrote. English speaking folks (I guess me too to a certain extent, even though technically I am Korean) really love efficiency in communication, so sweet and short is the best way to go.

Let’s say you have to request the same information, but this time to Mr. Kim. He is a manager of your partner company.

How should you write the same request that is appropriate for Mr. Kim?

Below is the tone of email I receive the most. The message is exactly the same as above except the greeting part.

????? ??,

? ??? ????.

?? ?? ?? ??? ?? ?? ?? ??? ????. ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ?? ? ?????

??? ?? ????? ??? ??? ?????.

?????.

??? ??,

??

The above is basically a direct translation of what I wrote in English. But the above email is not suitable in Korean business culture. Why?

1. In Korean email, after greeting someone you have to let you know who you are. We don’t say “I hope you are well” right after our greeting.
2. On the second part, when you try to get to the purpose of your email, “~??? ????” is not very common. Instead, people say, “~???? ???????” Also, in Korean, “follow up” is generally translated as “???”
3. The second sentence of the second part, “??? ?? ? ????” is not the best wording to translate “get more insights”. In this case, simply use these instead: “?? ?????? - can you check”, “? ? ???? - can I know”.
4. To close an email, you just say “Thank you” and mention your name. You don’t need “best regards”.

Now that you know the rule, let’s fix the email above so that it sounds more natural.

????? (?) ???,

(??)? ?????.

???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ???????.

?? ???? ???? ???? ? ??? ? ? ?????

???? ?? ???? ??? ?? ??????.

?????.

?? ??

Some essential phrases to use in Korean email

Below are a couple of phrases that you can use right away.

Greeting:

??????[?? ??]?: Hello, Mr./Ms. [Title] (Most formal)

????? [??]?: Hello, Mr./Ms. [Name] (Formal)

[???] [??]???: This is [Name] from [Company Name] (Introducing yourself)

Body:

[??]? ?? ??????: I am contacting you regarding [Subject].

[??/??]? ???? ??????. : I am sending this email with the attached [document/file].

[??/??]? ??? ????.: I would like to make a [request/suggestion].

[??] ? ?? ?? ????.: I have a question about…

??? ??? ???????.: I would appreciate it if you could confirm this.

Closing:

?????. Thank you.

?? ?? ????.: Have a good day.

?? ??? ???? ???? ?????.: Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Hierarchies

Someone requested me to address hierarchies in Korean business culture, so here goes:

?? Associate/Staff

?? Team Member

?? Senior Associate

?? Associate/Assistant Manager (may vary by company)

?? Manager

?? Department Head

?? Deputy Department Head/Senior Manager

?? Team Leader

?? Executive Director

?? Executive Vice President/Managing Director/COO

?? Executive Vice President/CFO/COO

??? Vice President

?? President/CEO

?? Chairman/CEO

**Some companies officially do not have hierarchies. For example, Samsung officially calls everyone ‘??’. A lot of startups call everyone ‘(??)?’.

Do’s and Don’ts in Korean Email

DO:

• Address people properly:?Hierarchy is crucial in Korean culture. Addressing someone by a lower position can be offensive.
• Introduce yourself:?Include your company information and name, especially in the first email. Consider repeating this information in subsequent emails unless you know the recipient well.
• Match the recipient's tone:?Korean emails vary in tone depending on recipient's age, company size, and culture. Mirror their formality (e.g., "~???" ending). Generally, larger companies require a more formal tone.

DON’T:

• Be overly direct:?Phrases like "~???" for questions and "~???? ???????" or "??????" for requests soften your approach.
• Use "??" for "you":?This is considered spammy and disrespectful. Korean business culture generally avoids significant deviations from standard communication practices.
• Skip introductions:?Briefly explain your purpose in the email, even if it's short. Omitting context can come across as rude or dismissive.

This concludes the end of my third newsletter! Whew! This one was surprisingly a hard one to write but I did it!

I hope you enjoyed this article, let me know if you have any other questions! The only thing is I might be slightly slow in response!