Korean Myth #1: Saying "Hi" to Strangers Is For Crazy People

Welcome to a mini-series, "Korean Myth". Here I will address things I heard about Korea before moving here.

Korean Myth #1: Saying "Hi" to Strangers Is For Crazy People
"Peter, don't say 'Hi' to people on the street in Korea. Don't even make eye-contact. Only crazy people do that there." In Chicago, you say "Good morning" or "Hi" or simply nod in acknowledgment to people. What's the harm in being friendly, right? Open doors for people, do simple little courtesies for others. What's the harm? But in Korea, I was told, you ignore people. Do NOT say 'hi' to people, I was told. In Korea, only crazy people do that.

Verdict: True
Yes, generally speaking, you don't say "Hi" to people. And I have in fact seen several mentally unstable people talk to strangers.

BUT
I'd like to point out a few caveats:
1. I don't know if this is a Korea thing or a big city thing. My few trips to downtown Chicago have been similar. Big city = A lot of people. People are busy, moving from one thing to the next.
2. Relationships in Korea are more structured than in America. There are many rules on how you greet others, depending on context (that's for a future post). The default tone of relationships is formal and polite, but those kinds of greetings are simply not possible in a crowded subway with hundreds of people around you.
3. When I first arrived in Korea and I had gotten some of my money exchanged, I was a bit disorganized. I had dollars and won in my pockets, and I was still getting the denominations figured out. I pulled out my wallet and a sizeable chunk of cash fell out but I didn't notice it. A woman kindly told me and I hurriedly picked it up, thanking her. Just because people don't say "hi" to each other doesn't mean they're not nice. =)