Word: naemul
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Naemul, or "gratitude fees," are as institutionalized in Korean business practices as negotiation and dealmaking. At the end of any business meeting, the solicitor (for example, a subcontractor) quietly and unceremoniously hands an envelope full of cash to the solicitee (for example, the contractor...
...Confucian world of Korean business, the practice of naemul signifies respect and deference. Most businessmen see nothing unethical about this custom. They point out that Koreans have practiced naemul ever since their country was freed from Japanese colonial rule in 1945 and have still enjoyed a rather spectacular rise from agrarian backwater to industrial power...
...Indeed, naemul has been around for as long as Korean business has. The practice, relatively simple on its face, has some elaborate rules. For instance, the envelope must always be sealed. The giver must always bow his head and present the envelope with both hands. And perhaps most importantly, the receiver must never ever look inside the envelope while still in the giver's presence...
...amount of money in the envelope is of only secondary importance. It is the act itself that is significant. In a society that values respect for elders and superiors above almost anything else, naemul has come to grease the wheels of almost every economic transfer. Those who are unaware of the procedure or, worse, choose to ignore it might as well not even bother playing the game in the first place...