Do you tip in South Korea?

Nobody is waiting for it

Seoul's own visitor guide puts it flatly: tipping is not a Korean custom and will not be expected by service personnel. Restaurants, salons, hotels — none of them are working on the assumption that something extra is coming.

That does not make it an insult. The city's etiquette guide notes that some people will take a tip and some will refuse one, and its advice is simply to go with the flow. So the worst case if you do offer is a brief, polite exchange — not offence.

The charge that does exist

Many major hotels and upmarket restaurants add a 10 percent service charge to the bill, on top of the 10 percent VAT. Where that happens it is printed, and it is doing the job a tip would do elsewhere.

So a service charge on the bill is the end of the matter. There is nothing further to add once a line labelled service is already there.

Taxis, where it gets specific

Seoul requires taxis to charge by the meter and nothing else — charging off-meter is treated as an unfair fare and carries an administrative penalty. There is no tip line because the meter is the whole fare.

The city's guide adds one nuance worth knowing: drivers do not expect a tip, but they do appreciate being left the change. That is the closest thing to tipping you will meet here, and it is rounding rather than a percentage.

Good to know

• Hotels and upmarket restaurants may add a 10% service charge — that replaces a tip
• Taxis must charge by the meter; leaving the change is the usual gesture

Sources: Visit Seoul — Money · Visit Seoul — Etiquette · Seoul Metropolitan Government — Taxi · Updated Jul 2026