Are They Flirting? The Key Difference In Flirting In South Korea And The U.S.

Mastering the art of flirting or learning to recognize the signs that someone is flirting with you is almost like learning a language. Numerous shows, movies, and other forms of media have tried to depict the endless amount of techniques people try. Ranging from subtle ways of flirting…

To the very direct.

A recent YouTube video explored how flirting can even vary between different cultures. For instance, the main difference between Korean and Western flirting seems to be how direct the person is.

According to the people in the video, Shannon, Seung Woo, and Seol Hwaa, Korean flirting emphasizes the subtle gestures one can do for another. One clip they reacted to showed a man flirting with a woman through his concern about her drinking.

Out of concern, he touches her cheek as if to check how flushed she is, which everyone agreed was an impactful flirting moment.

He also only poured her a half shot of soju, rather than the full shot he poured everyone else, which Shannon and Seol Hwaa didn’t even notice, proving just how subtle the gesture was.

And Shannon, who isn’t Korean, needed clarification about how the gesture would be considered flirting. While Seung Woo felt it showed the man’s interest…

Shannon felt that if she were in that scenario, she would be confused and not understand the intentions.

The three also watched a clip of soloist Bibi giving an example of a flirting technique where she compliments a man’s appearance “As if you dislike it.”

But none of the people in the video could understand the technique since it felt so subtle.

In contrast, the clips from America that they reacted to showed a much more direct flirting style. For instance, Kendall Jenner directly asked Harry Styles, “Which songs on [his] last album were about [her]?”

As Shannon pointed out, not only is the comment direct but “It’s playful,“ and the goal of a comment like that is to “make him a little bit nervous.”

But Seung Woo and Seol Hwaa felt that the comment was less flirty and more a direct question.

They also reacted to Joey’s iconic line from the sitcom Friends, “How you doin’?”

And Shannon explained that the way the question distinguishes itself from being a simple greeting to something flirtier is all in the tone. In order to be clear you’re flirting, you have to make your tone obvious.

Ultimately, everyone’s flirting technique depends on not only cultural differences, but also on how bold you are and how comfortable you feel trying different approaches.

You can watch the video here.

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