South Korea etiquette and culture: dos, don'ts and local customs

Etiquette does not change with your passport or the season, but what you wear, what you eat and what you pay do. Use the table to set expectations before you read the detail below.

Shoes come off at the door in Korean homes, most hanok guesthouses, many traditional restaurants with floor seating, and some clinics and saunas. The signal is a raised step or a shoe rack at the entrance; if you see slippers lined up, change into them. Wear socks you are happy to be seen in.

Use two hands, or one hand with the other touching your forearm, when you hand over a card, cash, a gift or a drink. This is the single gesture visitors notice most. A slight bow on greeting and on leaving is standard; a nod and a smile is enough. When you receive something, a brief two-handed hold shows the same respect.

At the table, wait for the oldest person to lift their chopsticks before you start. Do not stand chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice — it echoes funeral rites. Metal chopsticks and a spoon are normal; the spoon is for rice and soup. Sharing dishes is common, so take from the shared plate with the serving spoon rather than your own.

With alcohol, pour for the people around you and let them refill your glass; pouring your own is unusual. When drinking in front of someone older, turn your head slightly away. If you do not drink, holding a glass and touching it to your lips is accepted; nobody will press you hard, though a first round is often offered.

On the subway and in cafés, keep calls short and volume low. Priority seats at the ends of carriages are left for older people and pregnant travellers even when the train is full. Do not eat strongly smelling food on the subway. Public bins are scarce; carry your rubbish.

Age and seniority shape the language and the seating order, but visitors are not expected to get the hierarchy right. If you are unsure who is oldest, a small bow to everyone covers it. Younger Koreans in Seoul, Busan and university towns are relaxed about most of these rules among themselves; the formal version matters more in offices, family gatherings and rural areas.

Do not worry about bowing depth, honorific speech or which side of the table to sit on. Locals read foreign visitors as foreign and correct gently, if at all. The genuine mistakes that cause offence are few: refusing food or drink too bluntly, arguing about who pays in a way that embarrasses your host, or treating a temple as a photo set.

Photography is the common tripwire. Many temples ban photos inside halls, and some restrict filming of worshippers. Look for signs and ask. In markets and on the street, people generally ignore cameras; in a jjimjilbang or sauna, do not take a phone into the bathing area at all.

Tattoos are still uncommon enough to draw looks in some baths and pools, and some facilities ask for cover. This is changing and varies by venue; check before you book a spa day. LGBTQ+ travellers find Seoul, Busan and Jeju relatively open, while smaller cities are more conservative; public displays of affection are modest across the country.