9 Mistakes to Avoid in South Korea for First-Time Visitors

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You've booked your trip to Korea, and now you're wondering how many small mistakes you're about to make without realising it. Welcome to the club. We've all been there.

If it's your first time in South Korea, it's easier than you think to get things slightly wrong and only realise it a second too late.

Korea has a lot of unspoken social rules and everyday habits that don't really exist back home. Things like which hand you pass money with, why sitting in an empty subway seat can still be wrong, and what to do when someone older pours you a drink.

We've been to South Korea four times now. On our first trip, we travelled with a friend from Seoul. She caught us making a few of these cultural mistakes within hours of landing and explained the why behind each one. That first trip completely changed how we approach travelling in Korea.

So we've put the 9 biggest mistakes to avoid in South Korea into this post, plus exactly what to do instead.

A stylised illustration shows the Busan Sky Capsule, the Daereungwon Tomb Complex in Gyeongju, and a traditional Korean temple in Seoul.

Mistake #1: Using only one hand for transactions

In South Korea, passing or receiving anything (including money or small gifts) with one hand can come across as careless or dismissive. Use both hands, or support your passing hand at the elbow.

It’s a subtle gesture of respect, and it’s expected in shops, restaurants, and any formal exchange, especially with elders.

Assorted South Korean banknotes spread across surface, prominently showing 50000 won notes with portrait and colourful security features and patterns. — In South Korea, even something as simple as handing over cash is expected to be done with both hands or with support at the elbow.

Within an hour of landing on our first trip, our friend from South Korea had already corrected us at a convenience store. We'd handed over cash with one hand. The cashier didn't react, but she did, and quietly explained on the walk out.

You don't have to cup both hands every time. Most Koreans pass with one hand and rest the other lightly at the elbow or against the ribs. After a few days, it feels automatic.

✅ Do this instead: Use both hands, or support your passing hand at the elbow.

Mistake #2: Showing your cleavage or shoulders

Korea has an interesting clothing contradiction. Short shorts or skirts are completely fine, but showing cleavage or bare shoulders gets read as too revealing.

Of course, the dress code is unspoken rather than enforced. You won't be turned away, but you'll attract stares.

Three young women wearing casual street style outfits with denim shorts, including t-shirts, trainers, cap, backpack, and light jacket in urban settings. — You’ll see plenty of short skirts and shorts in Seoul, but tops tend to stay more covered.

The skirts and shorts in Seoul are seriously short, much shorter than anything we'd see on a typical day in London. But strapless tops or anything low-cut up top? Almost never.

The rule noticeably loosens in younger areas like Hongdae, where students experiment more with style.

Around temples, older neighbourhoods, or anywhere outside the young-and-trendy pockets, keeping shoulders and cleavage covered is the safer call.

✅ Do this instead: If you want to show some skin, go for legs over chest and shoulders.

Mistake #3: Sticking chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice

Standing chopsticks vertically in rice resemble the incense sticks burned at Korean funerals and ancestral rites. It's considered very bad luck and reads as deeply disrespectful, even at a casual restaurant table.

It goes against basic Korean table manners, even if no one says anything.

Bowl of white rice with chopsticks stuck upright marked with red cross, alongside Korean dishes and teapot, text reads “Never Put Your Chopsticks Upright in a Bowl of Rice”. This is one of the biggest mistakes to avoid when travelling to South Korea.

We'll admit, this one is mostly muscle memory at this point. After years of travel through East Asia, you stop thinking about it. But it's the kind of small thing that's easy to get wrong on day one, especially if you're tired and just want to eat your food.

Worth noting, younger Koreans are noticeably more relaxed about it than older generations. We've seen it happen at tables with locals and no one flinched.

But as our local friend told us, it still genuinely matters around elders or in more traditional settings.

✅ Do this instead: Lay your chopsticks flat across your bowl, or on the chopstick rest if one's provided.

Mistake #4: Sitting in priority seats on the subway

Around 30% of seats on Korean subways are reserved for elderly, disabled, pregnant, or injured passengers. These priority seats are usually at the ends of the carriage, and the bright pink ones are specifically for pregnant women.

The unwritten rule, even if the train is empty, is that you don't sit there.

Interior of Seoul subway carriage with passengers seated, highlighting pink priority seat for pregnant women near door, marked with signage and circled. Sitting in Priority seats as a visitor is one of the most common mistakes tourists make in South Korea. — This is one of the pink seats reserved for pregnant women, while other priority seats are usually at the ends of the carriage and treated just as strictly.

This one really stood out to us. In London, priority seats are taken by anyone the second they're free, and most people only stand up if asked.

In Seoul, we'd watch a packed carriage with two empty priority seats and not a single young person would sit down. Total respect, completely automatic.

What we found fascinating in Busan was that some trains there even have a system where pregnant women carry a small Bluetooth sensor that triggers a pink light when they board, signalling to passengers nearby.

✅ Do this instead: Take a regular seat, or stand.

Mistake #5: Talking loudly on public transport

Korean subways, buses, and KTX trains (Korea’s high-speed trains) are quiet zones. Loud conversations, phone calls, or music without headphones will earn you stares, and sometimes a polite (or not so polite) telling off.

It’s one of those things not to do in South Korea, especially on public transport, where the expectation is to sit silently, not socialise.

A group of people sitting on a bus in Busan. — Even when buses like this (a bus in Busan) are busy, people in Korea tend to keep conversations quiet and avoid phone calls.

We noticed this on day one. A packed Seoul subway carriage at rush hour was almost completely silent… no phone calls, no chatting, just the sound of the train.

Having lived in NYC, where the subway is famously noisy, the contrast was striking.

A row of seats in the KTX high-speed train from Seoul to Busan. — As the KTX filled up during our journey, it still felt surprisingly quiet, with only low conversations and a very relaxed atmosphere.

The tolerance seems to drop even further when the conversation is in a foreign language.

Our friend in Seoul told us that Koreans can get away with slightly louder chats in Korean, but tourists speaking a foreign language at normal volume will draw attention much faster.

✅ Do this instead: Keep voices low on the subway, bus, and KTX. If you need to take a call, wait until you're off.

Mistake #6: Wearing shoes indoors

Wearing shoes indoors is one of the most well-known taboos in South Korea. Shoes come off before entering homes, many traditional restaurants, temples, and some guesthouses.

The cue is usually a step up to a raised floor or a shelf of shoes by the entrance. Walk in with your shoes on and you'll get an immediate, awkward correction.

An entrance of a house with shoes in front of it, indicating that shoes are typically taken off indoors in South Korea.

Here are two practical tips from us. First, wear shoes that slip on and off easily. You'll be doing this a lot. Second, check your socks before you leave the hotel each morning. The hole you've been ignoring will be on full display.

✅ Do this instead: Slip your shoes off at the raised entryway or shoe shelf. If you're not sure whether to take them off, watch what locals do, or just ask.

Mistake #7: Tipping service staff

This is one of the most common Korean cultural taboos: tipping isn't part of Korean culture. There's no expectation in restaurants, taxis, hotels, or salons. The price you see on the menu or the meter is the price you pay.

Trying to tip can actually create an awkward moment, with staff sometimes refusing or chasing after you to return the money.

A group of people sitting at tables in a Korean BBQ restaurant in Busan's Seomyeon area, one of the best areas to stay for first-time visitors. — You won’t need to tip here, as service in Korea is already built into the experience.

Honestly, this was a relief for us. After three years of living in the US, where a tip is expected at almost every interaction (even when the service has been bad), Korea felt refreshingly straightforward.

Our friend in Seoul put it well: offering a tip can come across as suggesting the person needs charity rather than being treated as a skilled professional. Excellent service in Korea comes with the job, not with extra money on top.

The ornate entrance of Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju features traditional Korean architecture with intricate colourful details and stone staircases. — Tours like this in Gyeongju are one of the rare cases in Korea where leaving a tip won’t feel out of place.

The one exception is tours. Guides who work with international visitors (like the guide we had on a day trip to Korea’s ancient capital Gyeongju) understand tipping culture and will accept a tip if you'd like to leave one. It's not expected, but it's not awkward either.

✅ Do this instead: Say thank you, give a small bow, and leave a good review online if the service was excellent.

Mistake #8: Pouring your own drink in social settings

In Korea, you NEVER pour your own glass. It’s a key part of Korean social etiquette around sharing drinks.

You pour for others, and they pour for you. Pouring for yourself is seen as bad luck and slightly antisocial, like you're refusing to engage with the table.

Hands pouring drink from green bottle into small glass beside peanuts, marked with red cross, text reads “Pour for others, but not yourself”.

A few things worth knowing. If you're the youngest at the table, you'll be expected to pour for elders first.

When someone older pours for you, hold the glass with your right hand and rest your left palm underneath. When you drink, turn your head slightly away.

People walking down one of the streets in Myeongdong at night, a vibrant shopping district in Seoul known for its trendy fashion boutiques, street food vendors, and lively atmosphere. — Nights out in areas like Myeongdong often involve shared drinks, where pouring for each other is part of the experience.

You don't actually need to drink much, you just need to accept the pour. When drinking with Koreans, we learned to sip slowly, because once a glass is empty, someone will fill it… again… and again.

✅ Do this instead: Pour for others, accept pours with two hands from elders, and never top up your own glass.

Mistake #9: Assuming everyone speaks English

English isn't as widely spoken in Korea as in many other big tourist destinations.

Plenty of people understand some, especially in Seoul, at major attractions, and at hotels. But many are shy about using it. Don't assume, especially outside the main tourist zones.

Person using smartphone to scan and translate Korean product label in shop aisle, holding green bottle with shelves of goods in background. — Tools like Google Translate or Papago make it much easier to get by in Korea when English isn’t widely used.

Honestly, this is one we approach the same way in every country we visit. You're the guest, so the effort goes one way.

Learn a few basics like ahn-nyung-ha-say-yo (hello), gam-sa-ham-ni-da (thank you), and ju-sae-yo (please), and you'll notice people relax around you almost immediately.

For translation, we've used both Google Translate and Papago. Both work well and are two of the must-have apps for your South Korea trip.

We found Papago more accurate for Korean, but if you don't fancy downloading another app for one trip, Google Translate is a perfectly solid alternative.

✅ Do this instead: Learn a few basic phrases, keep a translation app on your phone, and approach every interaction assuming the other person doesn't speak English.

Ready for your first Korea trip?

That's our list of the biggest things to avoid in South Korea. Most of them aren't a big deal in isolation, but knowing them in advance saves you from the small awkward moments that can pile up on day one.

Koreans notice when you make the effort, and you'll get a warmer reception for it.

If you take one thing from this post, let it be the two-handed giving and receiving. It's the one we use most, in every shop, every café, every interaction. After a few days, you'll stop thinking about it.

Once you're ready to plan the trip itself:

Not sure whether to visit Seoul, Busan, or both? Our Seoul vs Busan breakdown will help you decide.
Hungry already? Here's the Korean food worth seeking out before you go.
Ready to plan Seoul? These are the Seoul experiences we'd put on a close friend's itinerary.