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Korean etiquette mostly comes down to age. The oldest person at the table eats first, the youngest pours, and the pink seat on the subway is for pregnant women. We’d say a bow back and two hands will carry you most of the way. The laws are less forgiving: a vape in the wrong spot can cost 100,000 won, a drone in the wrong sky can mean prison, and a medicine that needs advance approval can cause trouble at customs. Here’s what we found on Korean table manners, Korean drinking etiquette, what to wear in Korea and the rules that catch tourists in 2026.
Korean etiquette at a glance
- Greeting
- a short bow, essentially a nod, and a soft handshake with both hands. Give and receive with two hands.
- Table
- the oldest person starts. Spoon for rice and soup. Never leave chopsticks standing in rice.
- Drinks
- pour for others, receive with two hands, and let someone else fill your glass. The legal age is 19, counted by birth year.
- Shoes
- off at homes, temples and guesthouses.
- Palaces
- free entry in hanbok for now. New fee guidelines are due on 1 January 2027.
- Smoking
- banned indoors and in many parks and plazas. Vapes have counted as tobacco since 24 April 2026. Fines go up to 100,000 won.
- Drugs
- zero tolerance. Some prescription medicines need advance approval.
- Drones and photos
- no unapproved drones in central Seoul or near bases, and no photos of military installations.
Korean etiquette basics: the bow, two hands and who goes first
Visit Seoul, the city’s tourism organization, sums up the greeting in one line: a short bow and a soft handshake using both hands. The deeper 45-degree bow that Tatler Asia describes is for meeting someone senior. A visitor can simply bow back.
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Giving and receiving | Use both hands for cash, cards, cups and gifts, or your right hand with your left touching the right wrist. |
| Age and rank | Respect goes to people of higher age, rank or status: parents, teachers, older siblings and older co-workers. We’d read that as: they eat first, get poured for first, and get the seat. |
| Names | A professional title plus the family name, such as “Professor Kim”. |
| Thank you | Say jal meokgesseumnida (잘 먹겠습니다) before eating and jal meogeosseumnida (잘 먹었습니다) after. |
| Tipping | Don’t. Menu prices include tax and service. Our guide to tipping in South Korea has the exceptions. |
Korean table manners and dining etiquette: spoon, chopsticks and who pays
Korean dining etiquette rests on one idea: the food is shared, and the oldest person begins.
| At the table | What to do |
|---|---|
| Who starts | Wait for the oldest person to eat first. They often invite the others to begin. |
| Spoon and chopsticks | Spoon for rice and soup, chopsticks for everything else. Never leave either standing upright in the rice, which looks like incense at a funeral. |
| The rice bowl | Leave it on the table. Lifting it to your mouth is normal in Japan and isn’t done in Korea. |
| Shared dishes | Side dishes and stews are for the whole table, and reaching across to serve yourself isn’t rude. Keep your fingers off the food unless you’re wrapping lettuce. |
| Calling staff and paying | Press the button on the table, or say jeogiyo (저기요). The check usually sits on your table, and you pay at the front cashier on the way out. |
| Who pays | Normally the person who invited you or the most senior person, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily. Younger Koreans split more: 90% of 18 to 29-year-olds often split bills with friends, against 34% of people over 60. If you’re hosted, we’d offer to get the next coffee. |
Korean drinking etiquette: pouring, two hands and the empty glass
| Moment | What to do |
|---|---|
| Pouring | Younger drinkers pour for elders first, with both hands: right hand on the bottle, left hand supporting it. |
| Receiving | Hold your glass with both hands while it’s filled. |
| Your own glass | Don’t fill it yourself. If you want more, fill someone else’s glass and wait for them to return the favor. An empty glass is the cue. |
| In front of elders | Younger people traditionally turn their head slightly away as they drink. |
| Toasts | Keep your glass lower than an elder’s when you clink. If you don’t drink, accept a full glass and take at least a sip for the first toast. |
| Legal age | 19 under the Youth Protection Act, with anyone turning 19 during the calendar year counted as an adult. In 2026, that means born in 2007 or earlier. Korea dropped “Korean age” for legal purposes on 28 June 2023, but this rule kept the year-based count. |
Shoes, subway seats and escalators
| Where | Rule |
|---|---|
| Homes, temples, guesthouses | Shoes come off at the door. Restaurants with floor seating work the same way, and we’d wear socks without holes. |
| Priority seats | About 30% of subway seats, for the elderly, disabled people, people with infants, children and patients. |
| Pink seats | For pregnant women, including early pregnancy when it doesn’t show. Seoul Metro says it has no legal basis to enforce exclusive use, so it’s a courtesy. We’d leave them free. |
| Boarding | Let people off first, and wear a big backpack in front. |
| Escalators | Most people stand on the right and leave the left for walkers. The Interior Ministry’s 2026 to 2030 campaign asks commuters to stand on both sides, hold the handrail and not walk or run. |
Fares and cards are in our T-money card guide.
What to wear in Korea: seasons, palaces and temples
What to wear in Korea depends on the month more than on any dress code. The figures are the Korea Meteorological Administration’s 1991 to 2020 normals for Seoul, and our best time to visit South Korea guide has every month.
| Season | Seoul normals | What we’d wear |
|---|---|---|
| Winter, December to February | Highs of about 2 to 5 °C, with nights well below freezing | A proper winter coat, thermal layers, hat and gloves |
| Spring, March to May | 11.0 °C in March, 23.6 °C in May, and yellow dust days | Layers, and KF94 masks for the dust |
| Summer, June to August | Highs of 27.6 to 30.0 °C, and 414 mm of rain in July | Quick-dry clothes, a compact umbrella, shoes that grip when wet |
| Autumn, September to November | 26.2 °C in September, 11.9 °C in November | Light layers early on, a jacket by November |
Palaces are where your clothes can save money. Wear hanbok and entry to Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, Jongmyo Shrine and the royal tombs is free, foreign visitors included. The Cultural Heritage Administration’s test is structural: a jeogori, the jacket with an overlapping collar, plus a skirt or pants, traditional or modern, on anyone. One-piece fusion dresses and drama-style outer coats worn alone don’t count.
Don’t count on it lasting. New fee guidelines are due on 1 January 2027, and a public forum reported by the Korea Herald in September 2026 floated replacing free hanbok entry with a 50% discount. Check the rule before you pay for a rental.
At temples, Visit Seoul’s rule is shoes off at the door. We found no official dress code for ordinary temple visits, so we’d cover shoulders and knees as a courtesy. For the DMZ, the Korea Tourism Organization warns that tours may restrict your attire and where you can take photos.
Trash, recycling and the missing bins
Korea charges for general trash by volume. Households use standard bags made to government specifications, from 3 to 100 liters, sold at convenience and grocery stores, and sort food waste and recyclables separately. You’ll meet this if you rent an apartment.
On the street, bins are scarce. Seoul had 4,956 public bins in 2023, down from 7,607 in 1995, and planned to add about 1,000 a year, so we’d carry our trash back to the hotel. The Korea Herald reported in September 2025 that penalties on foreigners rose from 452 in 2021 to 2,109 in 2024, with littering accounting for 75% of them. A dropped cigarette butt costs 50,000 won.
South Korea etiquette is forgiving, the law isn’t: drugs and medicines
| Rule | Verdict | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Illegal drugs | Banned | The UK Foreign Office (updated 14 May 2026) warns of long jail sentences and heavy fines, even for small amounts of marijuana, and says British nationals have been detained solely on drug tests. Canada adds that smoking cannabis in private can mean pretrial detention and deportation. |
| Cannabis products and CBD | Banned | Korean government guidance says bringing in marijuana is prohibited, including products with CBD or THC. |
| Poppy seeds | Banned | The US State Department says poppy seeds and foods containing them, bagel seasoning included, are illegal and can bring criminal charges. |
| Narcotic and psychotropic medicines | Permit first | You need approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety before you arrive, the Korea Herald reported on 18 August 2026. That includes some ADHD medicines containing amphetamine salts. The ministry’s guidance allows up to 90 days’ supply, asks for applications at least 10 business days ahead, and wants the medicine in your carry-on. Mailing it in is prohibited. |
Vapes, drones and the other rules that catch tourists out
| Rule | Verdict | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Smoking and vapes | Limited | Banned indoors in restaurants, cafés, PC bangs, hotels and public transport. Streets are fine unless signed, but subway entrances, bus stops, parks and plazas are usually no-smoking, including Gwanghwamun Plaza and Cheonggyecheon Plaza. Since 24 April 2026, liquid e-cigarettes with synthetic nicotine count as tobacco. The fine is up to 100,000 won. |
| Drinking in public | Mostly allowed | Not banned nationwide, but since 2021 local governments can designate alcohol-free zones. In January 2024, Gwangjin District in Seoul fined 100,000 won in a children’s park, and Jungnang District 50,000 won at Myeonmok Station Square. Seoul plans to make all 8.12 km of Cheonggyecheon no-smoking and no-drinking by the end of 2026. Look for signs. |
| Crossing the road | Fined | Jaywalking costs 20,000 won, or 30,000 won under a footbridge. Jeju police’s August 2025 guide for foreign visitors lists jaywalking, littering and smoking in banned areas: first offenders get warnings, repeat offenders face fines up to 200,000 won. |
| Drones | Restricted | Central Seoul, the Presidential Office area, and areas near military facilities and the border are no-fly zones. Since 17 September 2026, unapproved flights in them carry up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won. We’d leave the drone at home. |
| Military sites and the DMZ | No photos | Canada says photography of military installations and government buildings is illegal. Two Taiwanese visitors received 18-month sentences, suspended for three years, for entering Osan Air Base without permission and photographing aircraft in May 2025. Seven Chinese and Taiwanese nationals were caught filming military sites in 2025. At the DMZ you need your passport beyond the civilian control line. |
| ID | Carry it | Carrying some form of ID is a legal requirement, though people are rarely asked to show it, says the UK Foreign Office. |
What changed in 2026
Vapes became tobacco on 24 April. The drone penalties went up on 17 September. Seoul wants Cheonggyecheon smoke-free and alcohol-free by the end of the year, and new palace fee guidelines are due on 1 January 2027. If your trip falls after any of those dates, check again.
What we would actually do
We’d bow back, use two hands, wait for the oldest person to eat and let someone else pour our soju. We’d pack for the month rather than the culture, and bring socks for floor seating. The vape and the drone would stay home. We’d check any prescription with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety weeks before flying, and keep the camera away from anything with a fence and a soldier.
Before you fly, our K-ETA guide explains who needs one, and money in Korea covers cards, ATMs and the tax refund.
Going on to Japan? Our guides to shrine etiquette in Japan and eating while walking in Japan cover the same kind of unwritten rules.
Looking for the rest? Every Korea guide we’ve published, from the K-ETA to the T-money card, is sorted by topic in our South Korea travel guide.
Sleeping in a hanok, where shoes come off at the door? Our Seoul to Jeonju guide covers a night in Jeonju Hanok Village and a hanjeongsik meal.
Sources
- Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization), the basics of Korean etiquette: greetings, two hands, shoes, dining.
- Visit Seoul, public transportation etiquette: priority and pink seats, boarding, bags (edited July 2026).
- Tatler Asia, South Korean etiquette: the bow, titles and drinking (January 2025).
- The Korea Times, tips on the Korean custom of bowing (2008).
- The Soul of Seoul, Korean table manners: spoon, bowl, shared dishes (updated April 2026).
- Koreabridge, 90 Day Korean, table manners and pouring drinks.
- US Navy, CFA Chinhae, Korean dining: call buttons, the front cashier, shared dishes.
- Korea JoongAng Daily, who pays the bill, July 2024.
- The Korea Herald, drinking etiquette at company dinners, December 2023.
- The Korea Society, a Korean meal: refilling glasses and serving elders.
- Seoul Tourism Guide, an independent site: hand position when pouring, floor seating (updated September 2026).
- The Korea Times, the end of Korean age and the Youth Protection Act exception, June 2023.
- The Korea Herald, pink seats on the Seoul subway, August 2024.
- Korea JoongAng Daily, the escalator campaign, April 2026.
- The Korea Times, escalator etiquette and the three safety rules, September 2026.
- Korea Meteorological Administration, climate normals for Seoul, 1991 to 2020.
- Asia Business Daily, criteria for free palace entry in hanbok, May 2026.
- The Korea Times, hanbok and free palace entry for tourists, June 2024.
- The Korea Herald, palace fees and the 2027 fee guidelines, September 2026.
- VISITKOREA, DMZ 101: passport, tours, attire and photo restrictions.
- Seoul Solution, the volume-based waste fee system and standard bags.
- Korea JoongAng Daily, Seoul’s public trash bins, October 2023.
- Asia News Network (The Korea Herald), penalties on foreigners, September 2025.
- UK Foreign Office, South Korea travel advice: drugs, ID, alcohol (updated 14 May 2026).
- Government of Canada, South Korea travel advice: drugs, medication, photography.
- US State Department, South Korea country information: drugs and poppy seeds.
- The Korea Herald, can I bring my medication into Korea? August 2026.
- Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (embassy site), guideline on permits to bring in narcotics for self-treatment.
- Stars and Stripes Korea, smoking rules for visitors, June 2026.
- Korea JoongAng Daily, vapes treated as tobacco from 24 April 2026.
- Busan Metropolitan City, synthetic-nicotine e-cigarette enforcement, June 2026.
- Korea JoongAng Daily, local public-drinking bans, January 2024.
- The Korea Herald, Cheonggyecheon no-smoking, no-drinking plan, August 2026.
- Kyeonggi Ilbo, jaywalking fines under the Road Traffic Act enforcement rules (in Korean), October 2024.
- Time Out, Jeju police guide for foreign visitors, August 2025.
- Financial News, revised Aviation Safety Act and drone penalties, September 2026.
- Asia Business Daily, drone penalties from 17 September 2026.
- The Korea Times, foreigners caught filming military sites, October 2025.
- The Korea Times, Taiwanese sentenced over Osan Air Base photos, August 2025.
Data checked: 2026-10-06
