showing affection to friends in korean culture

[culturequestion]

What is the general view on showing affection to friends in korea?
i had a korean friend caress my face and sit very close to me/lean on me and found this a little odd.

Would these just be signs of friendship? I am American and trying to understand.

[holdfast]

between friends of the same gender, physical affection is very common. you will often find people walking down the street holding hands or with their arms linked, etc. touching someone (even on the face) isn't a big deal either, as long as it is the same gender. however, physical affection of any kind with the opposite gender is kind of taboo - even for people who are dating or married. you will rarely see people kissing or anything like that in public in korea.

us westerners really like our personal space, so it can seem a little strange at first, but it is very normal in korea. i personally am completely used to it now, and often find myself arm in arm walking down the street with a friend. i guess my personal space bubble has gone away heh.. ^^

[culturequestion]

What if the Korean person is "straight" and the other friend of the same sex is openly "gay" and said Korean person is aware of this?

Would the touching of face still occur?

[Chris1]

Obviously, it's difficult to say 55-60 million people are the same in one way or another, but, as Emily said, it's culturally common.

[holdfast]

it would probably still occur, in my opinion. in korea, there are not many openly gay people, so this person probably wouldn't know that touching could send mixed signals. but, that is just my opinion.