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