{"id":50390,"date":"2021-11-03T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-03T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/?p=50390"},"modified":"2025-04-17T16:18:16","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T07:18:16","slug":"rules-of-etiquette-in-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/blog\/rules-of-etiquette-in-korea\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 rules of etiquette in Korea"},"content":{"rendered":"

When travelling to another country, one is confronted with different customs and traditions, and Korea is no different. Like all Asian cultures, Korea has a set of rules to follow, imposed by society on certain occasions. Le<\/span>t’s take a look at the top 10 <\/span>rules of etiquette<\/b> in Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n

10 rules of etiquette in Korea that you want to follow<\/h2>\n

\"Shoes<\/p>\n

1. Taking off your shoes<\/h3>\n

One of the main rules of etiquette in Korea is to take off your shoes before entering someone’s house. You don’t wear shoes in the house<\/strong>, because it’s not hygienic after walking down the street, and Koreans, like many other Asian people,\u00a0 sleep, study, eat, and spend most of their time on the floor.<\/span><\/p>\n

It may even be the case that in some traditional, wooden-floored restaurants, you are required to remove your shoes, so don’t be too surprised!<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Bowing<\/h3>\n

Just like in Japan, in Korea people bow as a sign of respect<\/strong>, especially between people they don’t know or work colleagues. It is not uncommon to see students bowing when they meet their sunbae<\/em> (older student), just as it is common for the ajumma<\/em> at the restaurant (middle-aged lady) to bow when greeting you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the rules of etiquette in Korea, there are various types<\/strong> of bows. The more informal ones consist of simply bowing your head, while the more formal ones involve deep bows in which the degree changes depending on the person you are greeting. It’s literally, 15\u00b0, 30\u00b0, 45\u00b0, as if you were standing there with a protractor calculating them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Korean<\/p>\n

3. Drinking in company<\/h3>\n

As you may have seen in some of the K-dramas,<\/em><\/a> drinking culture is very important in Korea. Drinking in company is a sign of unity, respect for the elderly or higher-ups, and is also a way to relieve tension after work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the <\/span>rules of etiquette in Korea when drinking<\/b><\/a>\u00a0there are:<\/span><\/p>\n