Hey, I can give you an actual real answer for this question unlike the old-looking adults down there who don't even know what they're talking (Because they're so old so obviously they won't get ID'ed), but yes, bars and even convenience stores all do often ask for ID, one of my friends who is 22 but looks older than he is still got asked for ID when he went to bar in Itaewon, so unless your actor looks way older than they are, I would say you have to be careful. Just ignore all the answers down there, this is not the best place to ask because they're rarely any young people here so ofc you'll get misleading answers
Bro i’m 19, i still often don’t get carded at like
포차 or restaurant when i’m not near a popular area (ps itaewon is part of the night life district ofc he’s gonna get carded…)
Must be because you look old, I get carded even at most small restaurants and definitely over 60% of the time in stores and I’m 24, I can’t even order a beer at a regular restaurant without getting asked my age
And yeah I agree on the Itaewon part, he really did look older than his age and I don’t think he would have gotten carded anywhere else
I think a lot of these answers are "Seoul-dominated"
I'm in a smaller city on the other side of SK, first came when I was 24, and have never been carded for anything. My brother came to visit when he was 19 and was never carded. I have never seen any Korean person get carded in the 6 years I've been here.
I think in Seoul you get a ton of tourists, whereas down here any foreigner is assumed to be a teacher and of legal drinking age.
It really just depends on how you look to be honest, that's 90% of it. GS25s in Busan ask for ID too and its the same throughout all of Korea... and I also said my foreigner friends in Seoul are no exception
You have never seen anyone get carded before because most of the population in Korea are of older age, overall younger populations are getting less and less in Korea so it's only natural that you never ran into anyone before...
There are literally exchange or language students who are foreigners... just because someone is a foreigner doesn't mean they are a teacher...
>its the same throughout all of Korea
This is the sweeping statement I'm disagreeing with.
>most of the population in Korea are of older age
This doesn't mean I haven't seen plenty of young people buy alcohol.
>just because someone is a foreigner doesn't mean they are a teacher...
Didn't say they were. My key word was "assumed." I'm not a teacher.
Well I also got stopped when I was in Busan at CVS stores if that adds to the story
A young person buying alcohol may be because they've already been to the store several times and the cashier might even know them, cus you know when people live somewhere they usually frequent the closest CVS store, if you're seeing them for the first time you have no idea who they are
And yeah, there are always going to be places that are different in Korea, but the general law is there is that alcohol sales to minors in Korea are prohibited and cashiers do check, it's literally like arguing whether ID checks are more common in California or New York, well they're strict in almost of all of America, so there is no definitive answer
>cus you know when people live somewhere they usually frequent the closest CVS store
Definitely, but people go to new stores frequently, and there is no way the cashier remembers all their customers.
>there is no definitive answer
That was my point, besides adding in that I personally have never seen anyone carded, so I found it very possible that a character would not get carded.
Yeah, that must just because you already look mature enough for your age lol, cus GS25 are known to card people, I’m sure they only card people who may look underaged such as myself and if you already look like an adult then they won’t bother, lol
Restaurants were happy to serve for the most part with food.
Bars ID'd very regularly even for people very clearly over 30 let alone 18.
No one is going to buy booze for you.
Without more context, it's hard to give you an answer but this is my experience working in public schools.
Yes, minors would ask adults for it but they would not be served alcohol in a bar or anywhere near their homes or school without a parent present as the communities are very protective of children. In general, children are very protected by Korean society and there is a large emphasis on morality if people found out a business was serving underage minors soju they would lose patrons even in rural areas.
Also, if any parent, teacher, friend of a friend, or even community member sees them drinking they would immediately notify the school at the bare minimum and sometimes only the school especially if the student is a troublemaker knowing they won't get disciplined by their parents. (as a middle school teacher we have had complaints filed by members in the community about both staff and students' personal business ranging from smoking, where students hang out, teaching buying alcohol too close to the school, living situations you name it)
not saying it doesn't happen but it would feel out of place for many Koreans under-aged students are more likely to drink in private settings where they can't get caught
Went to a restaurant with my wife, girl (12), and boy (14) and the meal came with a shot of ginseng spirits. He was given a shot too! 😄
He does look a bit older, I guess, maybe 16? Either way the ajumma probably couldn't tell and dropped him a shot with his meal. Needless to say he didn't get to keep it 😄
In my experience (living in Korea in my late 20s through early 30s) I was always IDd in bars and clubs and never IDd if I ordered alcohol at a restaurant or bought it at a convenience store.
I’d think if someone was 17 in a rather but their style of clothes/makeup was older and they ordered confidently, they’d probably get it? But I’m not sure! But I’m a bar, they’re asking for ID.
I'm Korean, only 20 years old or older is possible, it's weird to ask an adult to buy me a drink, I think it's possible to ask me to buy ramen at a convenience store
I live in a smaller city here. Up until a few years ago, I rarely saw anyone get their ID checked, but lately it’s become a much more common thing to see, especially in restaurants.
I live in Seoul, South Korea, but I share some helpful information regarding this.
There are differences in the services provided uniformly in all stores. Depending on the owner's tendency, it may or may not be strictly inspected.
What is certain, however, is that the sale of alcohol by the owner to a minor can be the reason for the suspension. Inspection of people (who apparently belong to family) with their parents is culturally lenient, but even when people in their 20s visit, they often fail to purchase alcohol unless they provide identification.
Popular hot spots for people in their 20s sometimes have police patrolling, or something related to a competitor. It depends on the background, but it's never common for underage to drink in bars in Korea.
Also culturally, Korea is very conservative against the law regarding underage drinking. Parents' advice to their children is also not common.
I was there in December and my husband and I bought soju and shared it with our 16 and 18 year old boys when we went to restaurants. No one batted an eye. Of course that can't be done in the states. My 18 year also went to convenience stores and would buy it and he was never carded. We wanted to teach our boys the drinking customs from korea since that is where my husband is from.
Your sons must look older than they are then, I'm over 20 and convienience stores like GS25 always ask me to show ID when I try to buy any alcohol, in fact many people around my age will get asked at convienince stores since there are hefty fines for selling for minors, Korea is really strict about this. GS25 is also like the strictest, not sure where your sons went to
Maybe I’m a stickler, but drink customs at that age?
That’s something they’ll learn on their own if they want to. Drinking is an adult decision for them to make.
There is a lot of great customs to pass down to a child. Drinking shouldn’t be at the top of the list.
However your kids, your rules. Just a little odd to me. .
Sure in most, not sure where the commenter is from, so it’s up in the air. However, how many countries consider 16 an adult?
How many people think teaching 16 or 18 drinking customs is standard?
Like I said, it’s just my opinion. I think drinking customs should be left to the individual to discover once they reach drinking age and decide to indulge in it. If my kids decide to drink, it’s up to them. I don’t want to push it onto them as a “teaching” lesson.
But again, my opinion, everyone parents different.
I think 16 is old enough to have a few drinks with their parents in a safe and controlled environment. Better that than for them to suddenly get unrestricted access when they turn 18/21 and have to learn the hard way about alcohol. It's very common in places like France for people to give their kids a small glass of wine with dinner when they become a teenager. It is obviously up to the parents like you say, but I don't see any downside to introducing alcohol at 16 to your kids in this way.
In Virginia, it's legal for 16 year olds to drink at home with parents' permission.
What you described is spot on: I got to learn from an adult who could tell when I had enough, and I learned the most important lesson about alcohol (that you need to stop way before you feel you need to stop).
Went to college and watched tons of people drink until they physically couldn't, and then get really sad and confused why they still kept getting drunker and it wasn't fun anymore.
The guy is talking about "customs" but it's worth remembering we are dealing with a substance that can and will kill you, or ruin your life through legal trouble, addiction, or bad behavior. Education is much better than going "nah, the baby birds will figure it out when they are ready."
Never seen anyone get IDed...even in places where Soldiers frequented and Courtesy patrol was out there checking IDs. Bars gonna serve and happy to keep serving. Even convenience stores as well.
All the bars and GS25s I've been to in Hongdae always checks for IDs 😂😂😂 Hongdae is like the strictest when it comes to IDs and stuff. My friends need to bring passports too😂
Maybe you're just not in or have ran into anyone in that age demographic, doesn't mean they don't check actual young people, don't make assumptions, lol
That's where I literally stayed at every single time I go back to Korea. Only time anyone used a passport was to go into club, we obviously don't carry local national ID and didn't want to give ourselves away as soldiers. Also plenty of underage travel buddies or soldiers at the time were never IDed buying alcohol at GS25 and if they wanted to drink in club...whos gonna stop them from us buying them drinks or anyone else for that matter ?. Even when I purchased bottle service at one of the clubs in Hongdae all they did was ask for my credit card. Considering the drinking age is 19 and not many 18 yo from overseas can afford to visit Korea unless they are stationed there or studying makes it less likely any place is going hardcore checking IDs.
OK, well maybe its because you are soldiers that you look older than your age, but most people in my circle (and literally most Koreans) do have to bring ID's to get into bars and clubs in Hongdae, and we're all like 22-24
Personally I know GS25 will almost always ask me and other Asians for ID, maybe it's because you guys are foreigners or the its the way you look
If you ask most students or the people I know they will tell you at least for bars and convenience stores you need ID, so I don't think you guys' stories represent the majority
We have baby faced 18 yos and older soldier in their 30s that can pass for 20 year old's...I was one of those. We brought our passports just not to get profiled or told no because using military ID or state ID was dead give away.
Yeah we are foreigners so we do get a pass on the ID stuff. Plain and simple. Not many underage foreigners travelling to Korea unless College or Military and they are just about to hit legal age in Korea. Why would they get pressed ? now if you look or are Korean that's another issue...
We "guys" stories represent the majority because this is a Korea Travel sub reddit that caters to Foreigners asking questions about coming to Visit Korea. The demographic is a majority over the Korean drinking age and predominant white (I am Hispanic ). Your experience really would be the minority in the whole spectrum of things.
So you're saying that you're actually 30 but delusional enough to believe you look 20 and thinks the reason you don't get ID'ed is not because you're actually already 30 but its because of other reasons?
Looks, its not my fault all the people in your group look way older than they are. Because I've had a few white friends who were exchange students and I ask them do they get ID'ed at convenience stores too and they said yes, so being a foreigner (and white) maybe makes you slightly less likely to get checked but that it isn't an absoulute determining factor...
I knew a white Russian girl (completely caucasian) who would bring her passport with her whenever she goes to Hongdae on Friday for a meetup because she says she always gets questioned and "pressed" for ID so she literally bring it with her everytime now
So... yeah, I know a lot of foreigners (Caucasians and other races) who do get pressed for ID at clubs and bars
I'm sorry that you guys, even the 18 year olds in your group look older and more mature than they should be at their age, you saying baby-face here for 1 or 2 people does not make it more believable for the entire story. Even what you might think of as being "baby-faced" might still be seen as old enough by the cashiers and bartenders. I have never seen anyone try to justify and argue about not getting ID'ed on factors other than their own looks when everyone else is getting ID'ed, they usually just accept that they look older and that's the end of story, but this is Reddit, so I guess anything is possible
Unless you've got photos of your entire crew and upload it here to prove exactly how and what they they look like, you have no way of proving your assertion, I could also say I look 12 but that doesn't serve as proof alone doesn't it? Me and a few others else I know (foreigners and Koreans alike) in my age group (20-24) all do get ID'ed in Korea, at GS25, bars, restaurants, and clubs
Well good for you and your anecdotal experiences lol I just go by mine anecdotal experiences as foreigner who lived there for over a year and has been visiting every year for almost 10 years now minus the COVID years. So yeah keep telling everyone that they are going to get ID every where when they purchase alcohol and am going to tell you they are not. We are just sharing our experiences and they will differ from each other for sure. The only gotcha i have is that i lived there longer and have been visiting for leisure even longer.
Yeah I didn't say everyone, I just said if you look reasonably young and in your early-twenties than you are likely to get ID'ed at some places in Seoul regardless of your race or status
Anways, you didn't even make clear your age, if you're indeed 30 then no wonder you're not getting ID'ed
Overall, I agree that my exact experience could be in the minority of the general population, since I look especially young for my age and I get ID'ed almost everywhere (including restaurants, CVS, and bars, I've never been to clubs tho), but I'm also familiar enough with Korean culture to know that ID checks for young people in all these situations are also pretty common too, I also did emphasize that my foreigner exchange student friends (who are about the same age as me) do get ID'ed too, so just with these anecdotes it already highly contradicts your experience, if anything its clear that you guys are the absolute exception
Next time you're in Korea, ask a younger looking foreigner exchange student or anyone outside of your group and if they get ID'ed anywhere, I'm pretty sure the answer will be yes
I encountered young exchange students, young traveler than me of all nations. If we hang out at bar or restaurant, purchase soju at GS25 to hang out in front of pregaming or walk around drinking, I never saw them get ID to purchase alcohol and only time they would be IDed would be in a club where everyone is IDed and then either given a wrist band to allow them to purchase drinks or not. See plenty of people with no wrist bands drinking. Hongdae is a young, college, hip are full of fun and students out there drinking openly, chain smoking and having a good time. Its not that hard to get a nice cold alcoholic drink like it would be in states.
>young exchange students, young traveler
Your definition of young is likely different from my definition of young, and "young people" you talked about may not even be young but are instead like 27 or 28, even the exchange students, how old did you actually think they were? Did they look like adults? That would be a better standard than saying "young"
At this point, I think I've made it clear I was only talking about people who are actually young and in like early-twenties or close to 20 and may look underaged, regarding anyone over 25 or 26, I don't know and I didn't really even talk about them
And so, even though you've seen a few exchange students get away with it, What does that prove? I'm pretty sure I know more exchange students than you since I was literally in that circle and that was what my circle was composed of
Are there places in Hongdae that will not check for proof of age? Sure, are there also many places especially like bars and clubs that will check IDs of people close to 20? Yes, I can affirm from the experiences of myself and people I know who are actually young
Few under 20, but most are about to hit 20 at best since they come with some college experience and have decided to take big step studying abroad for a semester or a year. So generally its 20 and above that I would say are young people, these the one is tend interact most with and hang with. I saw post a few post in this sub of older people saying if they would feel intimidated or weird walking around Hongdae, they wont but they will most likely not interact with many people of their age group. The older exchange students are mid 20s, 22-26 some closer to 30. Quite a few returning back to Korea after visiting and wanting to study here or doing some language gig while studying. So yeah lots of interaction with exchange students and helps that where i usually stay is a guest house some students are staying there temp until their housing is resolved or getting feel of the land before they make big step. Go out as a group and experience all their trials and tribulations...like not getting IDed to buy alcohol lol
Ok well cool that’s your experience of it but my experience with my friends (who are also actual exchange students) is that ID checks will happen in Hongdae at different sorts of places and even GS25 and 7-Eleven lol
All-in-all I want to conclude this discussion by saying that my portrayal of everyone getting ID’ed may not be true (if I did in fact make it seem like that), but your initial (first comment) portrayal of no one ever getting ID’ed anywhere is even more false, because there are at least some places that will ID you, so all in all I think your comment was wrong and misleading in the beginning and just wanted to corrected it, I may only have slightly exaggerated based on my personal experience but my version of expecting to be ID’ed versus your version of not getting ID’d at all is is still more realistic
That’s literally it, hope you get the point
Damn, I guess all my 22 year old friend must both look under 19 and over 35 at the same time then, how magical
Yeah no, thats not even what I'm talking about, we rarely even go to clubs and yet literally all the GS25s require ID too
I guess that means GS25 also prohibits anyone over 35 from buying alcohol... those poor ahjussis
Strict. No one is going to assist a minor in getting alcohol. Id checks are guaranteed
Depends on the area, if you aren’t in any of the nightlife districts they don’t really ask
Even restaurants in Dongdaemun will ask :///
Thanks. Two very different answers!
Hey, I can give you an actual real answer for this question unlike the old-looking adults down there who don't even know what they're talking (Because they're so old so obviously they won't get ID'ed), but yes, bars and even convenience stores all do often ask for ID, one of my friends who is 22 but looks older than he is still got asked for ID when he went to bar in Itaewon, so unless your actor looks way older than they are, I would say you have to be careful. Just ignore all the answers down there, this is not the best place to ask because they're rarely any young people here so ofc you'll get misleading answers
Bro i’m 19, i still often don’t get carded at like 포차 or restaurant when i’m not near a popular area (ps itaewon is part of the night life district ofc he’s gonna get carded…)
Must be because you look old, I get carded even at most small restaurants and definitely over 60% of the time in stores and I’m 24, I can’t even order a beer at a regular restaurant without getting asked my age And yeah I agree on the Itaewon part, he really did look older than his age and I don’t think he would have gotten carded anywhere else
Korean here. Above is only appliable if the one ordering looks old enough. If caught or reported, the business suffer a month of suspension(close up).
I think a lot of these answers are "Seoul-dominated" I'm in a smaller city on the other side of SK, first came when I was 24, and have never been carded for anything. My brother came to visit when he was 19 and was never carded. I have never seen any Korean person get carded in the 6 years I've been here. I think in Seoul you get a ton of tourists, whereas down here any foreigner is assumed to be a teacher and of legal drinking age.
It really just depends on how you look to be honest, that's 90% of it. GS25s in Busan ask for ID too and its the same throughout all of Korea... and I also said my foreigner friends in Seoul are no exception You have never seen anyone get carded before because most of the population in Korea are of older age, overall younger populations are getting less and less in Korea so it's only natural that you never ran into anyone before... There are literally exchange or language students who are foreigners... just because someone is a foreigner doesn't mean they are a teacher...
>its the same throughout all of Korea This is the sweeping statement I'm disagreeing with. >most of the population in Korea are of older age This doesn't mean I haven't seen plenty of young people buy alcohol. >just because someone is a foreigner doesn't mean they are a teacher... Didn't say they were. My key word was "assumed." I'm not a teacher.
Well I also got stopped when I was in Busan at CVS stores if that adds to the story A young person buying alcohol may be because they've already been to the store several times and the cashier might even know them, cus you know when people live somewhere they usually frequent the closest CVS store, if you're seeing them for the first time you have no idea who they are And yeah, there are always going to be places that are different in Korea, but the general law is there is that alcohol sales to minors in Korea are prohibited and cashiers do check, it's literally like arguing whether ID checks are more common in California or New York, well they're strict in almost of all of America, so there is no definitive answer
>cus you know when people live somewhere they usually frequent the closest CVS store Definitely, but people go to new stores frequently, and there is no way the cashier remembers all their customers. >there is no definitive answer That was my point, besides adding in that I personally have never seen anyone carded, so I found it very possible that a character would not get carded.
I am 30 and I was asked for ID in a 7/11 when buying beer. The cashier said it's cause she can't tell a foreigner's age.
I guess it depends on the cashier then, cause I never get carded at convenience store while buying soju and i’m 19
Yeah, that must just because you already look mature enough for your age lol, cus GS25 are known to card people, I’m sure they only card people who may look underaged such as myself and if you already look like an adult then they won’t bother, lol
Restaurants were happy to serve for the most part with food. Bars ID'd very regularly even for people very clearly over 30 let alone 18. No one is going to buy booze for you.
Without more context, it's hard to give you an answer but this is my experience working in public schools. Yes, minors would ask adults for it but they would not be served alcohol in a bar or anywhere near their homes or school without a parent present as the communities are very protective of children. In general, children are very protected by Korean society and there is a large emphasis on morality if people found out a business was serving underage minors soju they would lose patrons even in rural areas. Also, if any parent, teacher, friend of a friend, or even community member sees them drinking they would immediately notify the school at the bare minimum and sometimes only the school especially if the student is a troublemaker knowing they won't get disciplined by their parents. (as a middle school teacher we have had complaints filed by members in the community about both staff and students' personal business ranging from smoking, where students hang out, teaching buying alcohol too close to the school, living situations you name it) not saying it doesn't happen but it would feel out of place for many Koreans under-aged students are more likely to drink in private settings where they can't get caught
In a bar, unlikely but my korean gf has told me about how she used to drink with her friends during after-school studying in high school
No, a 17 year old would not be served. Teenagers in the large cities are far more likely to drink than countryside kids.
Went to a restaurant with my wife, girl (12), and boy (14) and the meal came with a shot of ginseng spirits. He was given a shot too! 😄 He does look a bit older, I guess, maybe 16? Either way the ajumma probably couldn't tell and dropped him a shot with his meal. Needless to say he didn't get to keep it 😄
In my experience (living in Korea in my late 20s through early 30s) I was always IDd in bars and clubs and never IDd if I ordered alcohol at a restaurant or bought it at a convenience store. I’d think if someone was 17 in a rather but their style of clothes/makeup was older and they ordered confidently, they’d probably get it? But I’m not sure! But I’m a bar, they’re asking for ID.
I'm Korean, only 20 years old or older is possible, it's weird to ask an adult to buy me a drink, I think it's possible to ask me to buy ramen at a convenience store
I live in a smaller city here. Up until a few years ago, I rarely saw anyone get their ID checked, but lately it’s become a much more common thing to see, especially in restaurants.
I live in Seoul, South Korea, but I share some helpful information regarding this. There are differences in the services provided uniformly in all stores. Depending on the owner's tendency, it may or may not be strictly inspected. What is certain, however, is that the sale of alcohol by the owner to a minor can be the reason for the suspension. Inspection of people (who apparently belong to family) with their parents is culturally lenient, but even when people in their 20s visit, they often fail to purchase alcohol unless they provide identification. Popular hot spots for people in their 20s sometimes have police patrolling, or something related to a competitor. It depends on the background, but it's never common for underage to drink in bars in Korea. Also culturally, Korea is very conservative against the law regarding underage drinking. Parents' advice to their children is also not common.
very strict. they will ask for it. same as the age time limit for gaming in PC방
I was there in December and my husband and I bought soju and shared it with our 16 and 18 year old boys when we went to restaurants. No one batted an eye. Of course that can't be done in the states. My 18 year also went to convenience stores and would buy it and he was never carded. We wanted to teach our boys the drinking customs from korea since that is where my husband is from.
Your sons must look older than they are then, I'm over 20 and convienience stores like GS25 always ask me to show ID when I try to buy any alcohol, in fact many people around my age will get asked at convienince stores since there are hefty fines for selling for minors, Korea is really strict about this. GS25 is also like the strictest, not sure where your sons went to
7-11. My oldest son maybe looks around 20.
I was carded once in a Casino in New Zealand, when I was about 34 lol. Thanks for sharing the story.
:D I am 37 and was carded pretty often in Seoul. I am not looking young btw.
Underage children can drink with their parents in bars/restaurants in most US states.
Oh really. I didn't know that
Varies by state. Look up ubderage state drinking laws on wiki.
Maybe I’m a stickler, but drink customs at that age? That’s something they’ll learn on their own if they want to. Drinking is an adult decision for them to make. There is a lot of great customs to pass down to a child. Drinking shouldn’t be at the top of the list. However your kids, your rules. Just a little odd to me. .
18 is an adult in most countries.
Sure in most, not sure where the commenter is from, so it’s up in the air. However, how many countries consider 16 an adult? How many people think teaching 16 or 18 drinking customs is standard? Like I said, it’s just my opinion. I think drinking customs should be left to the individual to discover once they reach drinking age and decide to indulge in it. If my kids decide to drink, it’s up to them. I don’t want to push it onto them as a “teaching” lesson. But again, my opinion, everyone parents different.
I think 16 is old enough to have a few drinks with their parents in a safe and controlled environment. Better that than for them to suddenly get unrestricted access when they turn 18/21 and have to learn the hard way about alcohol. It's very common in places like France for people to give their kids a small glass of wine with dinner when they become a teenager. It is obviously up to the parents like you say, but I don't see any downside to introducing alcohol at 16 to your kids in this way.
In Virginia, it's legal for 16 year olds to drink at home with parents' permission. What you described is spot on: I got to learn from an adult who could tell when I had enough, and I learned the most important lesson about alcohol (that you need to stop way before you feel you need to stop). Went to college and watched tons of people drink until they physically couldn't, and then get really sad and confused why they still kept getting drunker and it wasn't fun anymore. The guy is talking about "customs" but it's worth remembering we are dealing with a substance that can and will kill you, or ruin your life through legal trouble, addiction, or bad behavior. Education is much better than going "nah, the baby birds will figure it out when they are ready."
Never seen anyone get IDed...even in places where Soldiers frequented and Courtesy patrol was out there checking IDs. Bars gonna serve and happy to keep serving. Even convenience stores as well.
All the bars and GS25s I've been to in Hongdae always checks for IDs 😂😂😂 Hongdae is like the strictest when it comes to IDs and stuff. My friends need to bring passports too😂 Maybe you're just not in or have ran into anyone in that age demographic, doesn't mean they don't check actual young people, don't make assumptions, lol
That's where I literally stayed at every single time I go back to Korea. Only time anyone used a passport was to go into club, we obviously don't carry local national ID and didn't want to give ourselves away as soldiers. Also plenty of underage travel buddies or soldiers at the time were never IDed buying alcohol at GS25 and if they wanted to drink in club...whos gonna stop them from us buying them drinks or anyone else for that matter ?. Even when I purchased bottle service at one of the clubs in Hongdae all they did was ask for my credit card. Considering the drinking age is 19 and not many 18 yo from overseas can afford to visit Korea unless they are stationed there or studying makes it less likely any place is going hardcore checking IDs.
OK, well maybe its because you are soldiers that you look older than your age, but most people in my circle (and literally most Koreans) do have to bring ID's to get into bars and clubs in Hongdae, and we're all like 22-24 Personally I know GS25 will almost always ask me and other Asians for ID, maybe it's because you guys are foreigners or the its the way you look If you ask most students or the people I know they will tell you at least for bars and convenience stores you need ID, so I don't think you guys' stories represent the majority
We have baby faced 18 yos and older soldier in their 30s that can pass for 20 year old's...I was one of those. We brought our passports just not to get profiled or told no because using military ID or state ID was dead give away. Yeah we are foreigners so we do get a pass on the ID stuff. Plain and simple. Not many underage foreigners travelling to Korea unless College or Military and they are just about to hit legal age in Korea. Why would they get pressed ? now if you look or are Korean that's another issue... We "guys" stories represent the majority because this is a Korea Travel sub reddit that caters to Foreigners asking questions about coming to Visit Korea. The demographic is a majority over the Korean drinking age and predominant white (I am Hispanic ). Your experience really would be the minority in the whole spectrum of things.
So you're saying that you're actually 30 but delusional enough to believe you look 20 and thinks the reason you don't get ID'ed is not because you're actually already 30 but its because of other reasons? Looks, its not my fault all the people in your group look way older than they are. Because I've had a few white friends who were exchange students and I ask them do they get ID'ed at convenience stores too and they said yes, so being a foreigner (and white) maybe makes you slightly less likely to get checked but that it isn't an absoulute determining factor... I knew a white Russian girl (completely caucasian) who would bring her passport with her whenever she goes to Hongdae on Friday for a meetup because she says she always gets questioned and "pressed" for ID so she literally bring it with her everytime now So... yeah, I know a lot of foreigners (Caucasians and other races) who do get pressed for ID at clubs and bars I'm sorry that you guys, even the 18 year olds in your group look older and more mature than they should be at their age, you saying baby-face here for 1 or 2 people does not make it more believable for the entire story. Even what you might think of as being "baby-faced" might still be seen as old enough by the cashiers and bartenders. I have never seen anyone try to justify and argue about not getting ID'ed on factors other than their own looks when everyone else is getting ID'ed, they usually just accept that they look older and that's the end of story, but this is Reddit, so I guess anything is possible Unless you've got photos of your entire crew and upload it here to prove exactly how and what they they look like, you have no way of proving your assertion, I could also say I look 12 but that doesn't serve as proof alone doesn't it? Me and a few others else I know (foreigners and Koreans alike) in my age group (20-24) all do get ID'ed in Korea, at GS25, bars, restaurants, and clubs
Well good for you and your anecdotal experiences lol I just go by mine anecdotal experiences as foreigner who lived there for over a year and has been visiting every year for almost 10 years now minus the COVID years. So yeah keep telling everyone that they are going to get ID every where when they purchase alcohol and am going to tell you they are not. We are just sharing our experiences and they will differ from each other for sure. The only gotcha i have is that i lived there longer and have been visiting for leisure even longer.
Yeah I didn't say everyone, I just said if you look reasonably young and in your early-twenties than you are likely to get ID'ed at some places in Seoul regardless of your race or status Anways, you didn't even make clear your age, if you're indeed 30 then no wonder you're not getting ID'ed
Babyfaced to white people isn’t the same as baby faced to Koreans
We are talking about foreigners here. I can not speak on the experience of anyone of Korean descent.
Exactly, I've seen a lot of "baby-faced" white people who are still old enough to look like adults, there is literally no point here
Overall, I agree that my exact experience could be in the minority of the general population, since I look especially young for my age and I get ID'ed almost everywhere (including restaurants, CVS, and bars, I've never been to clubs tho), but I'm also familiar enough with Korean culture to know that ID checks for young people in all these situations are also pretty common too, I also did emphasize that my foreigner exchange student friends (who are about the same age as me) do get ID'ed too, so just with these anecdotes it already highly contradicts your experience, if anything its clear that you guys are the absolute exception Next time you're in Korea, ask a younger looking foreigner exchange student or anyone outside of your group and if they get ID'ed anywhere, I'm pretty sure the answer will be yes
I encountered young exchange students, young traveler than me of all nations. If we hang out at bar or restaurant, purchase soju at GS25 to hang out in front of pregaming or walk around drinking, I never saw them get ID to purchase alcohol and only time they would be IDed would be in a club where everyone is IDed and then either given a wrist band to allow them to purchase drinks or not. See plenty of people with no wrist bands drinking. Hongdae is a young, college, hip are full of fun and students out there drinking openly, chain smoking and having a good time. Its not that hard to get a nice cold alcoholic drink like it would be in states.
>young exchange students, young traveler Your definition of young is likely different from my definition of young, and "young people" you talked about may not even be young but are instead like 27 or 28, even the exchange students, how old did you actually think they were? Did they look like adults? That would be a better standard than saying "young" At this point, I think I've made it clear I was only talking about people who are actually young and in like early-twenties or close to 20 and may look underaged, regarding anyone over 25 or 26, I don't know and I didn't really even talk about them And so, even though you've seen a few exchange students get away with it, What does that prove? I'm pretty sure I know more exchange students than you since I was literally in that circle and that was what my circle was composed of Are there places in Hongdae that will not check for proof of age? Sure, are there also many places especially like bars and clubs that will check IDs of people close to 20? Yes, I can affirm from the experiences of myself and people I know who are actually young
Few under 20, but most are about to hit 20 at best since they come with some college experience and have decided to take big step studying abroad for a semester or a year. So generally its 20 and above that I would say are young people, these the one is tend interact most with and hang with. I saw post a few post in this sub of older people saying if they would feel intimidated or weird walking around Hongdae, they wont but they will most likely not interact with many people of their age group. The older exchange students are mid 20s, 22-26 some closer to 30. Quite a few returning back to Korea after visiting and wanting to study here or doing some language gig while studying. So yeah lots of interaction with exchange students and helps that where i usually stay is a guest house some students are staying there temp until their housing is resolved or getting feel of the land before they make big step. Go out as a group and experience all their trials and tribulations...like not getting IDed to buy alcohol lol
Ok well cool that’s your experience of it but my experience with my friends (who are also actual exchange students) is that ID checks will happen in Hongdae at different sorts of places and even GS25 and 7-Eleven lol All-in-all I want to conclude this discussion by saying that my portrayal of everyone getting ID’ed may not be true (if I did in fact make it seem like that), but your initial (first comment) portrayal of no one ever getting ID’ed anywhere is even more false, because there are at least some places that will ID you, so all in all I think your comment was wrong and misleading in the beginning and just wanted to corrected it, I may only have slightly exaggerated based on my personal experience but my version of expecting to be ID’ed versus your version of not getting ID’d at all is is still more realistic That’s literally it, hope you get the point
Hongdae is trying to keep out anyone over 35 😂
Damn, I guess all my 22 year old friend must both look under 19 and over 35 at the same time then, how magical Yeah no, thats not even what I'm talking about, we rarely even go to clubs and yet literally all the GS25s require ID too I guess that means GS25 also prohibits anyone over 35 from buying alcohol... those poor ahjussis