ABSTRACT
This study addresses issues of politeness, impoliteness and power relationships in several different contemporary South Korean workplace settings. Responses to humour, laughing at bosses’ jokes, joining in humour-sharing sessions and saving face are studied in detail, as are managerial rudeness and inappropriate humour, as well as issues around laughing at subordinates, with respect to personal and organisational outcomes. Societal constraints including the impact of cultural norms and traditions upon the use of humour in Korean workplaces are examined. The relationship of workplace to society at large involves discussion of issues including the patriarchy and social hierarchy generally, the use of conventional honorifics, who has permission to initiate (and use) humour and the general attitudes of Korean employees/managers to the use of humour at work.
