# What is actually rude in South Korea, and which customs do visitors get wrong most often?

> Korean etiquette that matters: two hands for pouring, the eldest eats first, no tipping, and why you never blow your nose at the table.

- Source: https://clevertourists.com/resources/what-is-considered-rude-in-south-korea
- Authors: Evan & Clara, Clever Tourists (first-hand, from years of travel across 20 countries)
- Published: 2025-11-27

Korean etiquette is structured around age and hierarchy in a way that is visible at every table. The rules are not mysterious once you see the pattern: **you show respect downward in age by receiving, and upward by giving with two hands.** Get that one idea and most of the table behaviour follows.

## Two hands, and which direction the respect flows

**Pour for others, never for yourself.** If someone's glass is empty, fill it. If yours is empty, they will fill it. Pouring your own drink in company is a small social failure.

**Hold the bottle with two hands** when pouring for someone older, and **receive your glass with two hands** when someone pours for you. One hand supporting the other wrist is the acceptable shortcut.

**Turn slightly away when drinking in front of a senior.** Younger people do this at a formal table; it is not required with peers.

The general rule: give with two hands, receive with two hands, and let the older person lead.

## At the table

**Wait for the eldest to start eating.** On a table with an obvious senior, do not pick up your chopsticks first.

**Do not blow your nose at the table.** This is one of the few table behaviours that visibly bothers people. Step away.

**Chopsticks are not stabbed into rice** — the same funeral association as in Japan, and just as strong.

**Sharing is the default.** Dishes go in the middle and everyone reaches in. Ordering only for yourself at a shared table is unusual, and Korean barbecue is cooked and portioned by the table, sometimes with staff cutting it for you.

**Soju is poured and shot in one go** at a shared table, but nobody is counting. Refusing the first glass outright is the only real mistake.

## Money, and the no-tipping rule

**Do not tip.** Korea is one of the most card-friendly countries in the world and has no tipping culture at all — not restaurants, not taxis, not hotels.

**Pay with a card.** It is accepted almost everywhere including tiny shops and market stalls, and pulling out cash can be slower.

**Splitting a bill** is normal and often done by one person paying for the group then being repaid — the repayment is taken seriously, so accept it if offered.

## Public behaviour and the things nobody tells you

**Do not sit on the priority seats** on the subway. They are used, respected and often left empty at peak times.

**Don't take photos of strangers** — Korea has strong privacy norms and revenge-porn laws, and photographing people on the street or on transport can get you challenged.

**Public affection** between couples is more restrained than in Europe, though hand-holding is unremarkable.

**Elders get the good seat**, including on public transport, and younger people give theirs up without being asked.

## If you are visiting a temple

Korean temples are less rule-heavy than Japanese shrines but the clothing expectations are real, particularly at templestays.

Our [temple and shrine dress code guide](https://clevertourists.com/resources/temple-shrine-dress-code-japan-and-south-korea) covers what to wear; the individual temple pages go into the local detail.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do you tip in South Korea?

No. There is no tipping culture anywhere — restaurants, taxis and hotels included. Cards are accepted almost everywhere.

### Why do Koreans pour drinks with two hands?

It signals respect, particularly toward someone older. Pour for others with two hands, receive with two hands, and let the older person lead.

### Is it rude to blow your nose at the table in Korea?

Yes, it is one of the behaviours that visibly bothers people at a shared table. Step away from the table.

### Should you wait for the eldest to eat first?

On a table with an obvious senior, yes. Do not pick up your chopsticks before they do.