10 Things to Know Before Visiting Korea
These are the things locals wish every visitor knew — the small cultural and practical rules that make your trip smoother (and cheaper).
1. There is no tipping. Really.
No tips at restaurants, taxis, cafes or hair salons — the price is the price. Trying to tip usually causes polite confusion, and staff may chase you down to return "forgotten" money. Service charges at hotels are already included in the bill.
2. Taxis are cheap — use the Kakao T app
Korean taxis cost a fraction of Western prices, and Kakao T (Korea's Uber equivalent, English supported) removes the language barrier: destination typed in the app, fare paid by card automatically. Regular street taxis are fine too — just have your destination written in Korean to show the driver.
3. Convenience stores are a food culture of their own
GS25, CU and 7-Eleven are everywhere and genuinely good: fresh lunchboxes (dosirak), triangle kimbap, instant ramyeon with hot-water stations and seating. A full convenience-store meal costs ₩5,000–8,000. They also sell T-money cards, KF94 masks, umbrellas and phone chargers — they're your 24-hour fixer.
4. Locals check fine dust like the weather
On high fine-dust days (especially spring), you'll see people in KF94 masks — it's an air-quality habit, not illness. Check our real-time air quality each morning like locals do; on "Unhealthy" days, plan indoor activities (Korea's malls, museums and cafes are excellent for this).
5. Summer is a monsoon; check UV in between
Late June to July is jangma (monsoon season) — bursts of heavy rain, then intense sun and humidity. A compact umbrella lives in every local's bag. Between rains the UV index hits "Very High" — see today's forecast on our weather & UV page.
6. Shoes off indoors
Homes, traditional restaurants with floor seating, guesthouses and temple halls: shoes come off at the entrance. If you see a step up and a shoe rack, that's your cue. Slip-on shoes make life easier.
7. The drinking age works by birth year
You can legally drink and smoke in Korea from January 1st of the year you turn 19 (international age) — not your birthday. Curious how old you are in Korean counting? Try the Korean age calculator.
8. Water, trash and toilets
- Tap water is safe, but most locals drink filtered or bottled water (₩1,000 at any store)
- Public trash cans are rare — carry a small bag; convenience stores usually have bins
- Subway station toilets are clean and free (a genuinely underrated national asset)
9. Useful numbers to save
- 1330 — 24-hour tourist hotline with live English interpreters (works for taxi-driver translation too!)
- 112 — police · 119 — fire & ambulance (both have interpreter support)
- Lost something? Korea's lost-and-found return rate is famously high — call 1330 first
10. Time your trip around the big holidays
During Seollal and Chuseok the whole country is on the move: transport sells out and many small restaurants close for 1–3 days. Palaces, however, are often free on those days. Check exact dates on the Korean public holidays calendar.