Korean Restaurant Etiquette: 15 Things First-Time Visitors Should Know Your first meal in Korea may come with a few surprises before the food even arrives. There may be no host waiting at the entrance. The menu might be attached to the wall. Water and cutlery may be self-service. A small button on the table may be the normal way to call a server. Then several side dishes arrive even though you never ordered them. None of this is particularly difficult once you know how Korean restaurants work. The problem is that many of the rules are never explained. Here are the things I would want a first-time visitor to know before walking into a local restaurant in Korea. 1. Do You Wait to Be Seated in Korea? It depends on the restaurant. At a busy barbecue restaurant, popular restaurant, or more formal establishment, a staff member will normally show you where to sit. In a small casual restaurant, however, you may be told simply to choose an empty table. Listen for: ...

 How to Read Korean Menus: 35 Essential Food Words Every Traveler Should Know You sit down in a small restaurant in Korea, open the menu, and realize that there are no pictures and almost no English. At first, a Korean menu can look like a wall of unfamiliar words. But there is something useful that many visitors do not realize: Korean dish names are often built from repeated ingredients and cooking words. Once you recognize words such as 돼지 (pork), 김치 (kimchi), 볶음 (stir-fried), and 찌개 (stew), the menu begins to make much more sense. You do not need to read every word. You need to learn how to find the clues. When I eat with foreign colleagues who are visiting Korea, this is what I usually tell them to look for first. The Fastest Way to Understand a Korean Menu Instead of trying to translate the complete name of every dish, break the name into parts. For example: 돼지고기 볶음 돼지고기 = pork 볶음 = stir-fried → stir-fried pork Or: 김치찌개 김치 = kimchi 찌개 =...

Where to Stay in Seoul for First-Time Visitors: Myeongdong, Hongdae, Gangnam or Jongno? After deciding how to get from Incheon Airport to Seoul, another question usually comes next: Where should I actually stay in Seoul? Myeongdong? Hongdae? Gangnam? Somewhere close to the palaces? When foreign colleagues or friends ask me this question, I rarely give everyone the same answer. The reason is simple. Seoul does not really have one perfect downtown area where every visitor should stay. It is a large city made up of neighborhoods with very different characters. A hotel that works perfectly for someone visiting Korea with their parents may be completely wrong for a university student who wants cafés, music and late-night restaurants. So I think there is a better question than: “What is the best area in Seoul?” I would ask: “What kind of Seoul do I want to experience?” For most first-time visitors, I would begin by comparing four areas: My...

Incheon Airport to Seoul: AREX, Bus or Taxi? What I Recommend to First-Time Visitors When foreign colleagues or friends visit Korea for the first time, one of the first questions they often ask me is surprisingly simple: “What is the best way to get from Incheon Airport to Seoul?” My answer is usually: it depends on where you are actually staying. As someone who lives in Korea and uses Incheon International Airport regularly for conferences and overseas travel, I do not think there is one transportation option that is best for everyone. The AREX train is fast and predictable. The airport bus can be much easier when you have luggage. A taxi is expensive, but sometimes it is absolutely worth the extra cost. The important thing is not simply to ask: “What is the fastest way to Seoul?” A better question is: “What is the easiest way from Incheon Airport to my hotel?” That is how I would choose. The Short Version: What Would I Choose? If you do not want...

How to Take a Taxi in Seoul: A First-Time Visitor’s Guide You have been walking around Seoul all day. Your feet hurt. It is getting late. The subway station is fifteen minutes away, and suddenly a taxi passing on the street looks very attractive. Then the questions begin. Can I just wave at it? Will the driver understand English? Can I use my foreign credit card? How much should the ride cost? And what if I get overcharged? For most visitors, taking a taxi in Seoul is much easier than they expect. You do not need to speak fluent Korean, and taxi apps designed for international travelers have made the process much simpler. Here is what you actually need to know before your first taxi ride in Seoul. Are Taxis Expensive in Seoul? Compared with the subway or bus, taxis are obviously more expensive. But for short journeys, several people traveling together, heavy luggage, bad weather, or late-night travel, a taxi can be surprisingly practical. As ...

How to Ride a Bus in Seoul: A First-Time Visitor’s Guide The subway is usually the first public transportation system visitors learn in Seoul. Then comes the bus. And suddenly, everything can feel a little more difficult. There is no subway gate telling you where to go. The bus arrives, people start getting on, and you have only a few seconds to decide whether this is actually your bus. And somewhere in the back of your mind is one surprisingly stressful question: “How do I tell the driver where I want to get off?” The answer is good news. You usually do not need to tell the driver anything. Once you understand a few simple rules, riding a Seoul bus is much easier than it looks. Find your bus → Get on through the front door → Tap your card → Watch for your stop → Press the stop button → Tap again → Get off Let’s take your first Seoul bus ride step by step. Is Riding a Bus in Seoul Difficult? A little harder than taking the subway at first, but not ...