Etiquette

Etiquette

Tipping & money

Don't tip, anywhere

Restaurants, taxis, hotels, salons: service is in the price.
Leave coins on the table and staff will often chase you down to return them.

The only soft exceptions

A coffee-shop tip jar or a private tour guide will accept one.
Still optional, never expected.
No guilt either way.

Carry a little cash, pay by card

Card works almost everywhere.
Keep ~₩30,000 cash for traditional markets, street food and tiny eateries.

Hand over cash and cards with two hands

Two hands (or right hand with your left touching your forearm) when paying or receiving, especially with older staff.
A small thing locals notice.

Eating & drinking

Let the oldest person start

Wait for the senior at the table to lift their spoon or chopsticks before you dig in.

Don't stand chopsticks upright in rice

Upright chopsticks mirror a funeral rite.
Rest them on the holder or across your bowl instead.

Don't lift your rice or soup bowl

Unlike Japan, bowls stay on the table.
Lean in to the spoon.
Korean meals are spoon-led, not bowl-led.

Pour for others, never yourself

Fill a neighbour’s glass, hold the bottle with two hands for elders, and let someone fill yours.
Slurping noodles is completely fine.

Banchan (side dishes) are free

The little plates come with the meal and are refillable, just ask.
Finishing them all is not expected.

Out in public

Leave the priority seats empty

The pink / marked seats at car ends stay free for elderly, pregnant and disabled riders even when the car is packed and they look empty.

Queue to the sides of the doors

Stand left and right of the doors, let people off first, then board.
Locals line up on the platform markings automatically.

Don't eat or take loud calls on the subway

Most riders are silent.
Keep calls short and quiet, and save the snack for the platform.

Sort your trash

Bins split into general / food waste / recycling.
Convenience stores and parks have separate slots.
A quick glance saves a frown.

Temples & tradition

Shoes off where the floor steps up

Temples, hanok houses, some restaurants and every home: the raised floor is the line.
Shoes stay below, you step up bare or in socks.

Cover shoulders and knees inside halls

Dress modestly in temple halls, keep your voice low, and check before photographing monks, statues or anyone at prayer.

Hanbok gets you into palaces free

Renting a hanbok waives the palace entry fee, but stay off the flowerbeds and roped-off areas while you shoot.

Don't get played

Skip the "airport taxi" touts

Ignore anyone calling you to an unmarked car at arrivals.
Use Kakao T or the official taxi line: identical metered fare, with a record of the trip.

Airport to Seoul, the right way
Wave off the "free" bracelet or charity sheet

A handed-over lucky charm, a sign-this-for-the-deaf clipboard, or a "free" temple bracelet all end in a cash demand.
Smile, keep walking.

Photo-menu touts = overpaying

Tourist-strip spots with a laminated photo menu and someone waving you in are where the markup lives.
DealSeoul lists fair-price, foreigner-friendly tables instead.

Where locals actually eat
Market "brand" bags and cosmetics are fakes

Open-air stalls selling luxury logos for ₩20,000 are counterfeit, and customs back home can seize them.
Buy real K-beauty from the actual shops.

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Updated June 2026. Tipping aside, nobody expects you to be perfect. These just smooth the edges.