Tipping and Etiquette in Korea: What Visitors Should Know

Tipping: don’t

Tipping isn’t part of Korean custom and staff don’t expect it.

• Restaurants and cafés: pay the price on the menu. Water and side dishes are free, and refills of side dishes are usually free too.
• Upscale hotels and restaurants may add a 10% service charge. It will be on the bill.
• Taxis: no tip. Letting the driver keep small change is a nice gesture but optional.

If you leave money on the table, staff may well run after you to return it.

In restaurants

• Calling staff: many tables have a call button. Otherwise, catch someone’s eye and say “jeogiyo” (“excuse me”).
• Self-service: some restaurants have you fetch your own water and side-dish refills, and others take orders at a kiosk.
• Cutlery: spoons and chopsticks are often in a drawer under the table.
• Sharing: side dishes and stews are shared from the middle of the table. Don’t pick through them for the best bits.
• Chopsticks: don’t stand them upright in your rice, which is associated with rituals for the dead. Rice is often eaten with a spoon.
• Waiting: in a group with older people, wait for the eldest to start.

Drinking

• Don’t pour your own drink. Pour for others, and they’ll pour for you.
• With older people, pour and receive with two hands. Younger people often turn their head slightly away when drinking.
• Nobody minds if you don’t drink alcohol. Hold up a glass of water or a soft drink for toasts.

Shoes

Take your shoes off:

• In homes, where slippers are usually provided
• In Buddhist temple buildings
• In restaurants with low, floor-level tables
• In traditional guesthouses

The clue: a raised floor, a step up, or a shoe rack at the entrance. Wear socks without holes!

Greetings and manners

• Bowing: a slight bow is the normal greeting, and also when saying goodbye. Bow a little deeper to older people.
• Two hands: give and receive things, especially money and cards, with both hands, or with your right hand supported by your left.
• Pointing: avoid pointing at people with one finger.

On the subway and in public

• Keep your voice and phone volume down on public transport.
• Leave priority seats free: the seats at the ends of each car, and the pink seats for pregnant women. See how to use the Seoul subway.
• Big public displays of affection are frowned upon.

Visiting temples

• Talk quietly, and walk behind people who are praying or meditating.
• Use the side doors of the main hall, not the central door.
• When you take your shoes off, leave them facing outward.
• Alcohol, meat and smoking aren’t allowed in temple grounds.

Smoking

• Smoking is banned at bus stops, city plazas and many outdoor public places, as well as inside restaurants, bars and cafés. Fines can be up to ₩100,000.
• Since August 2024 smoking is also banned within 30 m of nurseries and kindergartens.
• Use the designated smoking areas around the city and at transport hubs.
• The legal smoking age is 19.

Trash and recycling

• Korea separates general waste, recyclables and food waste, and some districts fine people who don’t.
• Public bins are fairly rare. Carry a small bag for your trash, or use the bins in convenience stores and stations.
• In an apartment rental, follow your host’s instructions for bins and collection days.

Photos

Ask before photographing people up close, especially in markets and traditional villages. In Bukchon Hanok Village, don’t photograph inside people’s homes.

Ready to go? See our Korea travel checklist and money in Korea.