For every country and culture, there is a distinction and specialty that makes them stand out from other countries or cultures.

Nigeria and South Korea are two great Nations and can be considered friends following the establishment of the Korean Cultural Center (KCCN) in Abuja, Nigeria in May 2010.

We bring to you some of the similarities between Nigeria and South Korea.

Hospitality

Koreans are hospitable and generally very kind. They are popular for offering random people free food and will go to any lengths to make sure they are satisfied. Koreans look out for people to make sure they are not in harm’s way. This also goes for Nigerians. Although there are different ethnic groups in Nigeria, hospitality is common to almost all ethnic groups. For instance, once a Nigerian sees a foreigner and they have confirmed the latter means no harm, they will be received with open arms in Nigeria. Nigerians will even go as far as calling a stranger ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ all because they come from the same ethnic group or town.

Respect

In Nigeria, the way you accord respect to people will determine the light in which people will see you. Though the ways of according to respect differ for each ethnic group, what remains is that elders are elders while the younger ones should know their place and accord the elderly ones due respect. Likewise in Korea, if you talk down on someone, the first question you might be asked is ” Why are you being rude?” “Why are you speaking informally?” Or “How old are you?”. It is safe to say South Korea and Nigeria share the same belief in the culture of respect.

Food Culture

Of course, food is essential everywhere, but some countries place greater importance on it than some countries. And in this category, we can give an award to South Korea and Nigeria. It is evident in Korean media that their love for different delicacies that involve numerous recipes seems to be unmatched. Nigeria might just want to compete because all ethnic groups in Nigeria have special delicacies that are peculiar to them. This is why you will come across numerous food blogs in Nigeria.

Festivals

Like in the case of food culture, Nigerians are known for different displays of festivals from each ethnic group and even religion that comes down to the Sango festival, Ogun Festival, New yam festival, depending on the culture . South Koreans have also upheld different festivals from as far back as the Joseon dynasty like Chuseok, Jinju Lantern festival, Seollal and more.

Importance of Education

Our article “Facts about Korea’s Educational System”, lists the importance of education in Korea and to Korean parents. One of the duties of children in Korea is for them to be serious with their education and make their parents proud of them. Also in Nigeria, the belief about child farming has long been eradicated and all Nigerian children are expected to be educated and also make their African parents proud.

Entertainment Industry

Both Nigeria’s and South Korea’s entertainment industries are on fire. No doubt most of us became K-fans through content like K-dramas, K-pop, etc. Similarly, a lot of foreigners who were introduced to Nigerian culture through the Nigerian entertainment industry, especially music, had no choice but to fall in love with Nigeria.

Value for Family, Filial duty, And Ancestors

For every Nigerian and South Korean, family comes first. They respect their families and give great honor to their parents. Also, they respect their ancestors because they believe the ancestors contributed greatly to the current life of ease they can live.

Nigerians and South Koreans are different people from different continents, these similarities point to only one fact and that is ” we are all human beings who can coexist” regardless of our language, culture, geographical location, and more.

We hope the friendship and unity between Koreans and Nigerians keep growing and Hallyu will never die.