In October, a business gala reception was held in one of the 10 largest cities of the United States. Forgive me for not providing further details about the event or the city where it took place. In this column, everything — from the attendees and their names and genders to other details that might help identify the person I am referring to — will remain anonymous to protect their identities. The only exception is the gender of my friend, who shared the story with me. A Korean head of mission attended the reception. My friend, who was also invited as a VIP guest, said she approached the Korean diplomat to share something she considered important. According to her, the diplomat repeatedly clapped with both hands raised above the head. “It was an invitation-only event, and all the attendees were VIPs affiliated with the host organization. The Korean diplomat’s way of clapping bothered me throughout the event. I thought the behavior was awkward and highly undiplomatic,” she said. She added that the diplomat also seemed to be unfamiliar with table etiquette, randomly using forks whi