Twelve Small Things That Surprise First Timers In Korea

The things that surprise tourists in Korea are rarely the big ones. It’s the heated floor under your hotel bed, the dog in a stroller, the shop still shuttered at 10am, the bin you can’t find and the app that wants a Korean phone number. None of it is hard once you know. Here are twelve, each with a one line fix, alongside my guide to the unwritten rules of Korea.

Picture your first morning: you’re up at 7am with jet lag, ready to shop, and Myeongdong is half asleep. That’s surprise number three. Let’s go through them in order.

Sunbae Says: Most of these surprises have the same fix: watch what locals do for a minute, then copy them.

The Twelve Surprises

1. Indoor Shoes At Gyms

Many Korean gyms and sports halls expect you to change into clean indoor shoes, and some won’t let street shoes past the entrance. It keeps floors clean in a country where floors matter.

The fix: if you plan to work out, pack a pair of trainers you only wear inside.

2. Online Shopping Wants A Korean Phone Number

Many Korean shopping and booking sites run identity verification, 본인인증 (bonin injeung), that expects a Korean mobile number. BusinessKorea reported in 2024 that this made delivery apps nearly impossible for tourists. It’s changing (see number ten), and plenty of older online advice about it is now out of date, which is why I keep a list of Korea myths checked.

The fix: shop in person, or use apps with a foreigner or global version. My five apps before you land covers what to set up at home.

3. Shops Open Late And Close Late

Korea is a late morning country for shopping. Lotte Department Store’s Myeongdong main store opens 10:30am to 8:30pm, with Exit 7 of Euljiro 1-ga Station (Line 2, green) leading straight into its basement. Many small shops are similar, while restaurants and bars run late into the night.

The fix: do palaces, markets and walks in the morning, and save shopping for the afternoon and evening.

4. Less English Than You Expect

Korea ranked 48th in the EF English Proficiency Index 2025 with a score of 522, in the moderate band. Seoul scored 550. Reading is the strongest skill (540) and speaking the weakest (489), which matches what you’ll see: people often understand your written question better than your spoken one.

The fix: install Papago, type your question and show the screen, and learn 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida, thank you).

5. Dogs In Strollers

You will see small dogs riding in prams along the Han River and in malls. On Gmarket, pet strollers outsold baby strollers for the first time in the first three quarters of 2023, 57% to 43%, The Korea Times reported, against a backdrop of the world’s lowest fertility rate and more than 6 million pet owning households.

The fix: ask before you pet a dog, just as you would at home.

6. Convenience Store Culture

Convenience stores are a pantry, a café and a picnic spot in one. There were 53,266 of them at the end of 2024, the first ever drop since the industry arrived in 1988, according to Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy figures reported by Seoul Economic Daily. Japan, with twice the population, has about 57,000. Locals eat instant noodles at the window counter, and the microwave and hot water are there to use.

The fix: use them for breakfast when cafés aren’t open yet, and carry cash for T-money top ups at the counter. My money guide explains why.

7. Where Are All The Bins?

You’ll finish a coffee and carry the cup for ten minutes. Seoul had 7,607 street bins in 1995, when pay by volume rubbish bags arrived, then cut them to 3,707 by 2007 because people dumped household waste in them, Seoul Shinmun reported (in Korean). The city has been adding them back, to about 7,000 by the end of 2025, mostly at subway entrances, bus stops and busy shopping streets, and deliberately not in residential lanes.

The fix: carry a small bag for your rubbish, and use bins at convenience stores and stations. The full sorting rules are in my toilets, trash and recycling guide.

8. Free Water, Free Refills

Water is almost always free and often self service, from a dispenser or a jug on the table. Side dishes (banchan) are usually refilled at no charge, too.

The fix: look for the water station before you wait for a server, and ask for more banchan politely. More in how to order in Korea.

9. Heated Floors

Korean homes are heated through the floor, a system called ondol, which the Cultural Heritage Administration moved to make a national intangible heritage item in 2018. Korea.net explains the logic: because the floor was warm, people sat on it, and where people sit on the floor, they eat and sleep there too. In a guesthouse from November, that floor can be very warm.

The fix: turn the thermostat down before bed and keep water nearby; the air gets dry.

10. Delivery Reaches Everywhere

Food arrives at parks, riverbanks and hotel lobbies. The big change for visitors: in 2026 Baemin added ordering without a Korean phone number and paying with overseas cards, Chinese mobile wallets and Apple Pay with a foreign card, Money Today reported (in Korean), and ran an August campaign with Seoul at the Han River delivery zones.

The fix: order to a clear landmark, like your hotel front desk, and keep your phone on for the rider’s call.

[SUNBAE FIELD TEST: order a Baemin delivery to a Seoul hotel with a foreign card and no Korean phone number, in English; report whether sign up worked, which payment worked, any step that needed Korean, and delivery time]

11. Quiet Trains

Subway cars and trains can be very quiet, even when full. Phone calls happen, but short and low, and many locals step into the space between carriages for longer calls on intercity trains.

The fix: use earphones, keep calls brief, and talk to your travel partner at half volume.

12. Shoes Off At Homes And Some Restaurants

Visit Seoul’s etiquette guide says to take your shoes off at the door of any residence, temple or guesthouse. Many traditional restaurants have floor seating on a raised platform, and shoes come off there too.

The fix: wear shoes you can slip off fast and socks without holes. My what to wear guide has the autumn and winter version.

[AFFILIATE: eSIM for Korea with data for delivery and map apps]

Bonus: Paying Is The Surprise Nobody Warns You About

In 2025, 440 of 1,744 tourist inconvenience reports, about one in four, were about payment, from foreign cards being rejected to cash only buses, Digital Daily reported (in Korean). Taxis made up a third of those. Here’s how I’d handle transit:

Option	Best For	Cost	Time	My Take
Tourist transit pass, bought by foreign card	Visitors riding a lot for 1 to 7 days	5,000 to 20,000 won	2 minutes at a new machine	My pick for most first timers. No cash needed.
T-money card topped up with cash	Longer stays, trips outside Seoul	Card plus top ups	1 minute, if you have cash	Still works everywhere, but top ups need won.
Single journey tickets by foreign card	One or two rides	Per ride	Slower each time	Fine for a single day, tedious after that.

Since 17 March 2026, the new ticket machines on Seoul Metro Lines 1 to 8 accept foreign cards for single tickets and the 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 day passes, but not for T-money top ups, Money Today reported (in Korean). Seoul Station, Hongdae and Myeongdong Station (Line 4, sky blue) were the busiest for foreign card sales. My tourist transit card guide does the maths.

Heads Up: Seoul city buses don’t take your foreign tap to pay card yet. That’s coming in 2027 for Visa, Mastercard, JCB and UnionPay, with testing through the end of 2026, The Korea Herald reported. Until then, board with a transit card or pass, not your bank card.

What Locals Know

The bin shortage is a policy, not neglect. Bins vanished after 1995 because residents stuffed household rubbish into them to dodge buying official bags. That’s why new bins go near stations and shops, not in the lanes where people live.

Korea knows the payment problem is embarrassing. Korean media now run regular stories on tourist payment complaints, and a Kyung Hee University professor quoted by Digital Daily pointed to Japan’s mix of cash, coins, cards and QR codes as the model. The 2027 bus change is part of the response.

Visitors still rate the people highly. When Busan interviewed foreign tourists in 2026, they praised the kindness of residents while complaining about bins and card payment, Korean outlet News1 reported. The systems surprise you. The people usually don’t, a point I make in why Koreans seem rude (and aren’t).

Heads Up: Don’t leave your cup on a wall or a subway bench because you can’t find a bin. Locals notice, and littering can bring a fine. Carry it to the next convenience store or station.

What’s Changing In 2026

The phone number wall is cracking. Baemin’s foreigner route is the biggest change for visitors so far, and foreign cards now work at subway ticket machines. My read: expect more apps to add a foreigner route, but don’t count on it; install and test at home before you fly.

More of you are coming. Korea drew a record 15.05 million foreign visitors in the first eight months of 2026, up 21.6%, according to Korea JoongAng Daily. Tourist areas keep adding English menus and kiosks, while neighbourhood places change slowly.

Pick Your Version

If It’s Your First Time. I’d pick three of these to remember: shoes off, late shop openings and carrying your rubbish. The rest you’ll notice and laugh at. Start with the first timer hub.

If You’re Bringing Kids. Heated floors are a gift with children, who will happily sprawl on them. Warn them about the dogs in strollers before they run over, and pack a rubbish bag for snack wrappers. More ideas in Seoul with kids in winter.

If You’re Travelling Solo. The convenience store is your best friend: breakfast, late snacks, a seat by the window. I’d plan one convenience store picnic by the Han River.

Sunbae’s Picks

My favourite surprise: the heated floor on a cold December night. Nothing says welcome like it.

The one I’d prepare for: the Korean phone number problem. Sort your apps at home.

I’d skip buying a pet stroller souvenir, tempting as the displays are.

My people tip: the older women running the shops and markets may be the most direct people you meet. Read the ajumma survival guide before you go.

Worth It / Skip It

Worth It: a guesthouse or hanok stay with an ondol room, for the floor alone.

[AFFILIATE: Agoda guesthouse or hanok stay with ondol rooms]

Skip It: shopping before 10:30am. Do palaces or a market breakfast instead.

Word Of The Stop

실내화 (silnaehwa): indoor shoes. You’ll see the word at gyms, schools and some offices.

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Map And Directions

Frequently Asked Questions

Is English Widely Spoken In Korea?

In tourist areas and big hotels, yes. Elsewhere it’s limited: Korea ranked 48th in EF’s 2025 English index, in the moderate band. Typing your question into a translation app fills the gap.

Why Are There No Trash Cans In Seoul?

There are some, about 7,000 by the end of 2025, but far fewer than visitors expect. Many were removed after 1995 to stop household waste being dumped in them. Look near subway entrances, bus stops and convenience stores.

Can Tourists Use Delivery Apps In Korea?

Increasingly, yes. In 2026 Baemin added ordering without a Korean phone number and payment with foreign cards, but test before you rely on it.

Why Are Shops Closed In The Morning In Seoul?

Many open in the late morning, like Lotte’s Myeongdong store at 10:30am, and stay open into the evening. Plan sightseeing for mornings and shopping for later.

Next Stop

• The Unwritten Rules Of Korea: A Sunbae’s Guide: every rule behind these surprises, in one place.
• Reddit Says Vs What I’ve Seen In 24 Years: Seven Korea Myths Checked: the advice online that’s out of date.
• The 5 Apps You Need Before You Land In Korea: the fix for surprises two, four and ten.

Resources

• 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: 1330 in Korea or +82-2-1330 from abroad, for interpreting and payment disputes.
• Visit Seoul: official city tourism site with etiquette notes and attraction hours.
• Naver Map or KakaoMap: directions, exits and nearby convenience stores.
• Papago: type or photograph your question and show the screen.
• Baemin: food delivery, now with a foreigner route; test at home first.
• New ticket machines on Seoul Metro Lines 1 to 8: buy tourist passes and single tickets by foreign card.

How I Checked This

On 5 Oct 2026 I rechecked the English index on EF’s Korea page, store hours on Lotte Department Store’s official site, stroller figures in The Korea Times, the convenience store count in Seoul Economic Daily, bin numbers in Seoul Shinmun, ondol on Korea.net, the Baemin and ticket machine changes in Money Today, the 2027 bus plan in The Korea Herald, payment complaints in Digital Daily and the Busan interviews in News1. Gym shoes, quiet trains and free water are my own observations and vary by place; the Baemin foreigner route still needs a first hand test.

Sources

• LOTTE Department Store: Myeongdong Main store info
• EF English Proficiency Index 2025: South Korea
• The Korea Times: Sales of pet strollers surpass baby strollers on Gmarket (26 Dec 2023)
• Seoul Economic Daily: Convenience store count falls for first time (Feb 2026)
• Seoul Shinmun: More street bins, cleaner Seoul streets (20 Nov 2025, Korean)
• Korea.net: Ondol becomes national intangible heritage item (2018)
• Money Today: Baemin without a Korean phone number (29 Jul 2026, Korean)
• BusinessKorea: Foreign tourists struggle with Korea’s digital barriers (9 Aug 2024)
• Visit Seoul: Etiquette
• Digital Daily: One in four tourist complaints is about payment (15 Sep 2026, Korean)
• Money Today: Foreign cards at Seoul subway ticket machines (22 Apr 2026, Korean)
• The Korea Herald: Seoul buses to accept foreign contactless cards from 2027 (18 Sep 2026)
• News1: Busan’s foreign visitors praise kindness, flag bins and payment (Sep 2026, Korean)
• Korea JoongAng Daily: Record 15 million foreign visitors in first eight months of 2026 (28 Sep 2026)

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Written by your sunbae. 24 years living in Seoul, former Korean TV and radio presenter, university professor, and two decades behind the decks in the city’s clubs. Every fact here is checked against official sources and, wherever possible, on the ground.

Beep Check: verified 5 Oct 2026. Rules, prices and dates change; confirm with the official source before you travel.