During my travels in Seoul, there were some things that I noticed about it that were different from what I was used to experiencing in Canada.
Please note that I was only in Seoul for 10 days, so the observations I will be talking about are solely based on those 10 days. I personally do not think that 10 days is anywhere near enough time to make any conclusions about a culture, and that is not what I will be doing. Instead, I will be presenting what I experienced and witnessed during my 10-day trip.
1. Smoking
Smoking appeared to be more appropriate for males to do than females.
In Canada, I see both men and women smoking in public. However, in Seoul, it seemed as though it was acceptable for men to smoke, but not women – as I would see men smoking out in public, but women would smoke in hidden areas (e.g., alley ways).
2. Sharing Food
In Canada, when you go to a restaurant, you will typically get a meal for yourself. If it is a meal that can be shared, it will be split before anyone actually uses their utensils.
In Seoul, sharing food is very common, so don’t be surprised if you order food and everyone puts their spoons and chopsticks into it. I personally really liked this (although some may disagree because “omg germs”) since eating food becomes a more social thing and you’re able to try bits and pieces of everything instead of just having to stick to one meal.
So, to summarize: When in Canada, if you go to a restaurant, each person orders what they prefer. When in Korea, if you go to a restaurant, multiple dishes are shared by the entire table.

Also, just a side note: you typically cannot go to a BBQ restaurant in Korea if you are alone (unless maybe if you are willing to order enough meat for 2-3 people?).
3. Taking off shoes
In my household, I’m used to taking off my shoes whenever I come in. However, Korea takes taking off shoes to another level (which I actually love!).
Some restaurants I visited required people to take off their shoes before going in. There was a clothing store I went to that required me to take my shoes off before entering the change room.
You will know if you have to take your shoes off when:
- There are a bunch of shoes lined up outside
- There is some sort of leveled step between the room and the floor
- Someone tells you (if you look like a foreigner, this will probably be the case).
4. Helpful people everywhere
People may not come up to you if they see you are confused and need help, but if you ask them for help, they will try their best to be helpful.
Many-a-times I was lost and tried to get help with my broken Korean and never once was someone rude to me. On the contrary, I was helped and some would even go out of their way and walk with me to my destination. This really took me by surprise. Especially one time when I was on the bus and wanted to go to Seoul station to get on the subway to head off to the airport. A younger couple helped me by getting off the stop with me and walking me to the station!
5. Being quiet
If you are on the subway or the bus, you need to use your ‘quiet voice’. If you’re Canadian, your ‘quiet voice’ may not even be quiet enough.
This is one thing that I really liked about the subways and busses. It was actually quite pleasant to be in a quieter atmosphere. Now that I think about it, I feel like the whole of Seoul was quieter in terms of how loud people spoke compared to where I live in Canada. Granted, Korean grandmas and grandpas seemed to be the exception to this rule, because they tended to speak as loudly as they wanted.
6. Cute things everywhere
In Canada, I’m sometimes told:
“Why do you want stickers? They’re for kids”
“Why do you want that stuffed animal? Aren’t you supposed to be a grown up?”
“Don’t buy that ribbon for your hair, it’s too child-like”
Well, you know what? Growing up doesn’t mean you have to stop liking the things that you do. And Korea appears to have that same mindset. You can find cute things literally everywhere! They have Teddy Bear Cafés, stickers being sold everywhere, cute stuffed animals, and just so much more!


7. Well-dressed
Living in Canada, you may see people running to the grocery store in sweat pants or (on the rare occasion) pyjamas.
I’m highly doubtful that you will see that in Korea – because are people ever well-dressed there! Their style, their makeup, their hair – all of it is meticulously done! It even makes you motivated to put more effort into your appearance. I, for one, found myself more excited to learn about makeup while I was there.
8. Ideal beauty
There appears to be an “ideal” for beauty in Korea. For example, to be considered ‘ideal’, girls should have a V-shaped face, an S-line, white skin, and should be skinny. I am sure that not everyone thinks this way in Korea, as it would be inappropriate to generalize this to every individual. However, this is the impression that I got from a lot of people during my visit. Plastic surgery is a much bigger phenomenon in Korea as it is in Canada, and there are products that include chemicals to whiten your face.

Also, interestingly, when a makeup style comes in, so many girls wear the same thing! While I was there, a copper eyeshadow colour was “in” and I would estimate that every 5/7 girls would have it on. (Granted, it was a very beautiful colour!)
9. Coffee Shop Culture
This is something I could get used to.
There are cute (pinterest-worthy) coffee shops everywhere!
Where I live in Canada, there is mostly big-chain coffee shops, such as Tim Hortons or Starbucks. In Seoul, I found that there are many personally owned coffee shops. You can even find themed coffee shops – I went to a Teddy Bear themed one (…I totally forgot to take pictures though… sorry!) !

10. Tipping and “Service”
A) Tipping – THERE IS NO TIPPING, REJOICE! HALLELUJAH!
In Canada, when you go to a restaurant and you get a $15 meal, you know that you will not actually be paying $15 because there will be taxes and tipping involved. As a student who lacks the appropriate funds to eat out more than a once or twice a month, I am not a fan of this. In Korea, whatever price your meal is set at (say, ₩4,000), is whatever you will be paying at the end. There is no tipping, and I assume there is either no tax or the tax is already included within the price.
B) Service (“seobiseu”) – aka. getting free stuff
Depending on what business you are at (makeup store, restaurant, grocery store), you may get some free things!
I first came across ‘service’ when I was sitting at a coffee shop on my first day in Seoul. I was calmly sitting down sipping some of my latte, when a barista came up to me with ice cream in a plate, set it down, said “service,” and walked away. Having already heard of this concept before my arrival in Korea, I was aware of what this meant, but I was surprised nonetheless! But, just imagine for a moment my sheer excitement of getting free ice cream. My day had been made!
Food is not the only thing that will be given as “service”. For example, if you are shopping at a makeup store, they may throw some samples or a product in your bag if you buy things. I have also heard that if you are at a Noraebang (Karaoke), you may get “service” by getting additional minutes added (for free) to your time.
It is always such a joy and an amazing opportunity to experience another country’s culture, even if it is for a brief moment, as such was the case with Korea.
I cannot wait until the day that I have the opportunity to go back and get to experience more of what this beautiful country has to offer.
xx

Interested in reading more about my Korea adventures? Check them out here.
Really interesting! The culture in Seoul seems so different and fascinating. I was even shocked by the difference between the UK and America 🙂
It really was quite interesting there! 😄 What were some things you noticed that made the UK different from the US?
Come back when it’s warm~~ And I think you’ve hit it on the nose with this list 😉
My friend and I are already planning a Japan/Korea trip for spring of 2020 😂 so if you’re still there, guuurl imma hit you up for more adventures!
2020 😂 who knows where I’ll be, but I’ll be an absolute Korea pro by then if I’m still there haha. I gotchu
Hahahaha sounds good! Can you also learn how to sneak into kpop concerts by 2020 so you can sneak me into one? Because that would be swell 😂😂😂
Lol I’ll get on that right away 😛
I love all the cute stuff and their beautiful cafes too! It just makes the whole experience so much more interesting. At least we have hipster cafes in Canada? 😛
So true! 😂
That smoking thing is true for almost all the Asian countries.
That’s very interesting! Thank you for letting me know
Your observations are so right! You’ve seen my “First Days in Korea” posts, where I’ve commented on many of the same things. I loved reading this.
Your observations made me smile. 🙂
You’re so sweet! During your time in Korea, have you seen anything that’s really different than where you’re from?
Yes, definitely! But, as expats, I’ve learned it’s more important to focus on similarities than differences. It helps understand people better. We’re still living in Korea (2 years now) and looks like we might stay for longer. 🙂
I love your train of thought! One thing I’ve also realized is that although there are definitely differences between countries, extreme comparisons between them is never a good thing to do (e.g. by saying “my country is better”), because each place is beautiful on its own and has its own great aspects.
And how exciting that you’ll be staying longer!! All the best to you guys!! 💕
I’ve been in Korea for about a month and the fashion thing is so true! I work at a school and the teachers are always somehow so well dressed while looking super casual. The cafe culture is true too! I’m from Hamilton Ontario aka the hometown of Tim Horton’s restaurants so while we have other cafes, Tim’s typically dominates. Its nice to have smaller cafes win out in Korea 🙂 Another thing that got me was the taxes! In Canada you have to calculate the taxes on stuff to try to figure out how much it actually is while in Korea the posted price is what you pay. Super helpful and convenient but the first time I saw it I was so surprised!
It was quite similar for me in BC where I’m from – although there were some locally owned coffee shops, majority were Timmies (or Starbucks), so when I was in Korea I got so excited about the variety of cafés! And not to mention that so many of the coffee shops were so aesthetically beautiful!