collectivist, heirchical culture is very difficult for people who do not have any insider information regarding how to behave properly in the company. the work style is based almost completely on the Korean military system so it is very demanding for males and the emphasis is on a subordinate to exhibit military style subordinate attitdue. Women in the office serve as either semi-temporary eye candy workers or extremely self-motivated career types and are viewed & treated as such. The company really operates in Silo's so while the corporate culture is consistent, departmental culture is so varied so it's all purely in the luck of the draw and how well your team leader is able to work with non koreans. Strictly speaking, for a conservative Korean company, it's not that bad but if you're a westerner, even with "foreigner benefits" and preferential treatment, it is a very negative experience for most. Furthermore, the salary is good but the way they pay you is terrible. 30% bonuses instead of a fixed salary means splurging and difficulties saving up.
For foreign employees, you are signed on a yearly (2 year max) contract that until you become hired as a full-time "permanent" employee, you are not viewed truly as an insider but as a contract worker. This is not made clear at the start. It is socially negative to be a contract employee in Korea as this makes your work uncertain. Only with full time status, do you actually become a true employee.
