Offering gifts or offering bribes? Code of ethics in South Korea

Journal of Third World Studies, Spring 2001 by Chang, Chan Sup, Chang, Nahn Joo, Freese, Barbara T

In South Korea, the situation is unique. The scope for sending condolences is extremely broad. In addition to close relatives, Koreans must also send condolence to grieving members of their organization, classmates, friends, and, of course, government officials. In each case they must send a flower and/or cash or check as a token of condolence. In Korean society, a norm has been set for an adequate amount of money for condolence. If Koreans comply with this norm, their condolence is ethical. However, a gray area may develop between gifts and bribes if a person or company sends an excessive amount of money as a token of condolence. Sending gifts or sending bribes in this case? Some Koreans use these occasions to take advantage for themselves and their business by sending a huge amount of money. When this occurs, the behavior is definitely that of sending bribes.

Koreans also give gifts to attract the attention of someone who could be very influential for their business. For example, they may visit a notable in government or in other areas to explain their business situation and to attract his attention. Sometimes they may meet with an influential person to file a petition for their business. In these visits, they do not forget to bring a gift, usually cash. They give this gift in appreciation for a dignitary who shares time with them. This gift may constitute ethical behavior. In many cases, however, this behavior of giving cash to attract attention may extend into the gray area between gifts and bribes. It is not a rare occasion that Korean business persons (and persons in other occupations) meet government officials to give a gift to attract attention from them or to file a petition for their business.Gifts or bribes? In this case of attracting attention, it is hard to separate gifts from bribes, because the gifts are given in the gray area that overlaps into bribes.

Gift-giving also occurs in the area of reciprocity (meaning that gifts are given with the anticipation that the receiver will give a gift in return at some future time). For instance, one gives a gift of ten dollars cash or check to a high school graduate and anticipates that some day that child's parents will return a similar gift on an appropriate occasion. Similar behaviors occur in the case of weddings. In these cases, congratulations and reciprocity take place simultaneously when giving a gift. Gifts or bribes? In this case of reciprocity, the concept of bribes usually is not involved.

Quid pro quo is a very serious issue in the question of gifts in South Korea. In this situation of quid pro quo, the areas of gifts and bribes almost completely overlap, and it is hard to distinguish gifts from bribes. For instance, a business person gave an excessive amount of money as a wedding gift to the son of one of the most influential government officials. His money was literally a wedding gift. However, shortly after the wedding, the business person informed this government dignitary indirectly that he needed a government permit to expand his business. Gifts or bribes? Formally, the money was a wedding gift, but, informally, it may be interpreted as a bribe for his business.