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들어가세요(Go inside)
What do you say when politely ending a phone call? "Goodbye"? "See you soon"?
In Korean, there is no specific expression to signal the end of a phone call. This might be why non-native speakers find it rude or annoying when a phone call abruptly ends.
While there is no specific analysis of Korean phone etiquette, one answer might lie in the differences between high- and low-context cultures. In high-context cultures, communication relies heavily on nonverbal cues. Much of the information shared is understood through tone of voice, facial expressions, body language, context, and the interpersonal relationship between speakers. In contrast, low-context cultures rely on explicit verbal communication and clear, direct and unambiguous language.
In Korea, a high-context culture, a phone conversation is usually over when one speaker says "yes" or "okay" in an exaggerated, drawn-out manner. The prolonged emphasis on the ending vowel sound of "네" is accepted as a signal to hang up.
Some Koreans might say "들어가세요" (go inside) to end a call. This likely originated when private phones were rare, and calls were made on public phones outside the home. Thus, "Go inside" became a natural way to end a conversation.
<Vocab Spotlight>
specific: 명확한
abruptly: 갑자기
etiquette: 에티켓
unambiguous: 모호하지 않은 (※ ambiguous: 모호한)
exaggerated: 과장된
drawn-out: 오래 끄는
prolonged: 장기간
emphasis: 강조