Love Korean Style

A common sight in South Korea which always makes me wistfully sigh. This leads me to an interesting fact about Korean dating. What's an important thing a Korean needs to know about a potentional boyfriend/girlfriend? What they do for a living? What do they enjoy doing? What kind of family do they come from?

Blood type! Every Korean knows their blood type and it's an important consideration when dating. Personality traits are matched with blood types. This is a concept that has it's origins in Japan. Rh factor plays no role and the Koreans I spoke to didn't even know their Rh factor.

Here are the characteristics for the blood types:

Type O: Outgoing, very social, energetic, confident, strong-willed, proud, dedicated, extroverted, realist, risk takers, stubborn, self centered, highly motivated, natural leaders and they do not like to take orders. They make friend easily. They have a short attention span. They start projects but have trouble finishing and give up easily. They always say what is on their mind and like to be the center attention.

Type A: Obedient, careful, sympathetic, polite, honest, loyal, self-sacrificing, tend to avoid confrontation and are uncomfortable around people. Shy, withdrawn and they never feel like they fit in. They are very considerate of everything, hesitant to change, can be indecisive. They are very creative and the most artistic.

Type B: Goal oriented, strong willed, cheerful, optimistic, active, sensitive, kind, forgetful, unorganized, energetic. They do not like restrictions nor do they care about social rules or customs. They tend to be workaholics and like to do things at their own pace. They have a strong personality and are adventurous. They also like to get their own way. They also tend to stick to a goal and follows it through to completion.

Type AB: This is considered the worst blood time. They are considered loose cannons. They can have personalities of both Type A and Type B. Social, easy-going, sympathetic, laid-back, unpredictable, flexible, artistic, moody and brooding. They can be both introverted and extroverted. They can be shy and sometimes bold. They are good at spotting problems and skirting them. They get bored easily. They never take things for granted. They make a good critic and analyst. They are good with money. Think with their head and not their heart. They can also be viewed as two-faced.

There was a time when companies divided their employees in work groups based on their blood type. No one would work with the AB group.

I know the character traits of my blood type hit pretty close to home. How about you?