In South Korean culture, when meeting someone for the first time, you often greet each other formally, especially when it’s someone who is either older than you or in a position of power, such as a CEO or chairman.SM Entertainment’s, Lee SooMan, the founder and the head of the agency, once met an idol who actually greeted him informally for the very first time in his life, and probably the last idol to ever do so as well.When most people have the opportunity to meet Lee SooMan, the conversation would probably go a little something like this:“Ahnnyeong-haseyo Lee sajangnim.“Which roughly translates to “Hello (formal), chairman Lee.“They’d also probably talk about what an honor it is to be able to greet him and etc. However, for one particular former SM idol, such wasn’t the case.In case you still haven’t been able to guess who it was, it was none other than former SM idol Henry Lau. Now being Canadian, it probably is beginning to make sense now.When he greeted Lee SooMan for the first time, he stated:“Hello Mr.Lee” while extending his hand out for a handshake, which obviously isn’t done in South Korea unless the person older or in a higher position first extends the gesture.Basically, what Henry said was pretty much the equivalent to:“Lee ahjussi! Hello!” Which for most South Koreans, is quite hilarious. Yet, it is understandable since Henry is a foreigner and was also most likely unfamiliar with South Korean customs when he first arrived in the country.So how did Lee SooMan react to Henry’s greeting? Hilariously, he was slightly taken aback for a brief moment but brushed it off really cooly by saying:“Well, yeah, we’re all friends anyway.“Friends!
