Korean bow is a traditional way of offering greeting our people have kept in their daily life.
Chairman Kim Jong Il said.
“Making a bow is our nation’s traditional way of offering a greeting. Since ancient times, our people have made a courteous bow when they meet.”
Korean bow is a form of greeting by bending waist or head to express respect and courtesy when meeting and parting.
The traditional way of the Korean bow has sitting bow and standing bow.
The sitting bow takes place in rooms, which is divided into big, normal and half bow depending on the degree of bending waist.
The big bow is deeply bending waist with hands on the floor to the extent of head touching hands. This takes place to express respect to the elderly like grandfather and grandmother and in the ceremonies like wedding and 60th birthday.
The normal bow is bending waist with hands on the floor. This takes place to parents, teachers and other elderly.
The half bow is sitting and lightly bending head. This takes place to reply the greeting of the juniors.
The standing bow takes place out of the house and it is divided into big, normal and half bow.
The big bow is to deeply bend waist and the normal bow is to half bend waist and the half bow is to bend head.
The standing bow has no distinction between male and female and the more bending waist, the more respecting it expresses.
This bowing method was created and has developed according to our nation’s life emotion and feeling.
The advantages of the Korean bow is gentle, kind and tender way of greeting that suits to the national life feeling of our people who like graciousness and softness.
The Korean bow can express courtesy well according to the objects.
In general, greeting is offered by the people who find first but in principle, the juniors greet first and the way of greeting is different between to the elderly and to the age mates.
The greeting to the seniors by the Korean bow should always be politely bending waist to express respect and the seniors should reply by bending head a little.
The age mates bend waist or head to greet and reply, asking their conditions each other.
The Korean bow has different methods between male and female and it well expresses the trait of our polite people.
In this method, male gently bend waist and female softly bend waist a little more than male to express noble and beautiful trait of the Korean women.
When meeting crowds or elderly, one should express respect in a humble way.
Another advantage of the Korean bow is that it has different and diversified ways of greeting.
In general, greeting is expressed by gesture or speaking.
The Korean bow has different methods according to the time and place, namely in rooms and outside, morning and evening and when happy and sad.
In the room, they can bow standing but normally bow sitting, exchanging greetings by speaking.
When greeting in the morning, they ask the last night condition and in the evening they speak to take care.
When happy or sad things occur, they offer greeting according to the specific environment and condition, that is, congratulations or condolence with different face expression.
The other advantage of the Korean bow has clearer expression of courtesy than foreign ways of greeting and is very beautiful and hygienic.
There are numerous ways of greeting in the world but the Korean bow clearly express courtesy in a kind, tender and soft way depending on time and object.
The Korean bow is wonderful way of greeting that can express respect and politeness sincerely and fully.
With this wonderful way of greeting like the Korean bow, our people give full display to their high moral trait as the polite nation.
