5 Things Shocking About Korea's Unmanned Culture, From Coffee to Convenience Stores

Korean Unmanned Store Experience: Is it really empty?

If you are in Korea right now, you might soon witness a scene that's hard to believe. The store door is wide open, and it's full of goods… but there are no employees. Unmanned convenience stores, unmanned cafes, and even unmanned marts, stores that operate 'naturally' without people, have already become commonplace in Korea.

“What if they just take it without paying?”

“Even with just CCTV, does everyone pay properly?”

These are questions that foreign travelers ask right away. Because the way to use Korean unmanned stores is so natural and sophisticated, it feels like you’ve entered a futuristic city.

If it were our country, it would have already been emptied… Many foreigners are surprised, saying things like this, but in Korea, the theft rate is almost non-existent, and self-checkout and unmanned entry systems work very well.

In this article, I will share my actual experience of

✔ Shocking first experience at an unmanned convenience store

✔ Quiet and futuristic time at an unmanned cafe

✔ The culture of autonomy felt while choosing fresh food at an unmanned mart

I will explain all this from the perspective of a foreign traveler.

And I'll also introduce 'tips for using unmanned stores in Korea' and 'a guide to Korean unmanned stores for foreigners'.

After reading the article to the end, you will definitely say:
“This kind of country… is a first for me.”

1. Unmanned Convenience Store Experience: No Cashier?

Walking with a foreign friend who came to Korea for the first time late at night, we accidentally found a convenience store. “I want to eat ice cream,” I said, and we naturally went in.
But as soon as we entered, my friend stopped. “Where is it? The employee?” Because we looked around and there was no one.

These unmanned convenience stores have become very common in Korea these days. They're spread throughout major cities like Seoul, Busan, and Jeju, as well as in the provinces. Most entrances have automatic doors, and you can enter without any separate authentication. But some stores require QR code authentication or entering your phone number.

Inside, there's only one self-checkout counter, and after choosing your items, you scan the barcode and pay with a card or mobile payment. You can hardly use cash, and they mainly support systems like credit cards, transportation cards, Kakao Pay, and Apple Pay. CCTV is installed at the entrance, checkout counters, and various shelves. Thanks to this, the store can operate well without employees and without theft.

The foreign friend who saw it for the first time couldn't shut his mouth.

“Do they really trust and set it up like this?”

“If it were our country, it would have been robbed already.”

As my friend said, this kind of system is possible thanks to the high civic consciousness of Koreans. The idea of ‘not touching other people's belongings’ is so natural, and that is the core of the unmanned store culture.

2. The quiet charm of unmanned cafes

When you want to spend time alone in peace, there’s no better space than an unmanned cafe. The entrance opens automatically, and you choose the drink you want and pay at the kiosk. Once the order is complete, an automatic coffee machine brews the coffee, or a vibration bell rings, and you can pick up your drink.

What's particularly amazing is that no employee is involved in this whole process. These days, stores using AI baristas or robot coffee machines are also increasing. Representative unmanned cafe brands in Korea include ‘Unmanned Cafe 24’, ‘KT AI Cafe’, and ‘Angel-in-us Self Cafe’.

The unmanned cafe I went to had soft lighting, and there were many people reading books, working on laptops, and quietly being alone. The outlets, Wi-Fi, single-person tables, and gentle music created a feeling like ‘my own library’.
The foreign friend said, “There’s no such cafe in my country… I don’t feel awkward at all being alone.” And then he quietly drank his coffee and felt Korea's‘culture of being okay alone’.

3. Unmanned Marts: Self-Service for Daily Necessities Too?

Many people probably think that there must be people in the mart. But in Korea, unmanned marts where you can self-shop and self-checkout for all daily necessities, fresh food, and drinks are increasingly growing.

The unmanned mart I experienced had a system where you had to authenticate your phone number before entering to open the door. Inside, it was small, but the composition was quite good. Vegetables, fruits, dairy products, bottled water, and daily necessities were all available, and the displays were also well-maintained.

You can scan the barcode for items to pay, or places with more advanced systems use a camera recognition-based AI payment system. In this case, it's a method that automatically recognizes items just by putting them in the shopping basket. Payment is also card or mobile pay only, and they hardly accept cash.

At 11 p.m., the foreign friend who went shopping alone at the unmanned mart on a quiet street said, “This is… the future.”

4. The core of Korean unmanned culture that surprises foreigners

When foreign friends see Korean unmanned stores, the first thing they ask is this.
“By the way… are there no thieves?”
Surprisingly, the accident rate in Korean unmanned stores is less than 1%. Why?
First, high civic consciousness is the foundation. Even if no one is watching, the recognition that 'you have to pay' is deep.
Second, the CCTV infrastructure is strong. Because entry records and payment videos remain, it's possible to track down accidents immediately.
Third, the payment system is very fast and simple. It creates an environment where you don’t have to steal because you can 'pay at once' with mobile pay even without cash.
Thanks to this structure, Korea has become one of the countries with the best-functioning unmanned systems in the world.

5. Useful tips for using unmanned stores for foreigners

If you want to experience unmanned stores in Korea, be sure to know this!

✅ Things to check before entering
• Some stores require QR authentication or identity verification before entry
• If you don't have a phone number, you can log in by linking your Google/Naver account

✅ Payment methods
• VISA and Mastercard are mostly accepted
• UnionPay or some overseas cards may not be accepted
• Cash is almost impossible, Kakao Pay, Samsung Pay, and Apple Pay are recommended

✅ Language barrier? Don't worry
• You can easily translate the kiosk screen with Papago and Google Lens
• Some stores also offer English, Chinese, and Japanese support

✅ Recommended places
• Gangnam Station unmanned complex cafe in Seoul
• Haeundae unmanned self-mart in Busan
• Unmanned ice cream store near Seongsan Ilchulbong in Jeju

6. Conclusion: “I want to go to an unmanned store again next time”

Experiencing unmanned stores, it wasn’t just technology but a culture.
Koreans basically trust each other, and the social system supports that trust with technology.
The foreign friend said at the end:
“This is more than just convenience. Korea is truly an advanced country.”
If you're planning a trip to Korea, be sure to visit an unmanned convenience store, an unmanned cafe, or an unmanned mart.
There, not only are there goods, but the future and culture are together.

Korean unmanned stores are not just stores, but a ‘culture’

Unmanned convenience stores that you casually entered while traveling in Korea, unmanned cafes where you quietly sat and drank coffee, unmanned marts where you could shop even late at night…
All these experiences were not just shopping. The experience of choosing, paying, and leaving in a store without employees, goes beyond mere convenience, it was a window showing the trust and system of Korean society.

Using a Korean unmanned store as a foreigner is amazing. At first, it’s awkward and tense, but thanks to the structure that allows you to use it naturally without employees, you quickly get used to it, and soon you start to enjoy it.

• How to use Korean unmanned stores is simpler than you think. Entrance → Self-checkout → Card payment. That’s really all there is to it.
• The same applies to how to use an unmanned convenience store. Although QR codes are sometimes required, most people can use them easily.
• How to use an unmanned cafe: kiosk order → drink pick-up. Some even have robots making coffee, adding to the surprise.
• How to express the experience of using an unmanned mart in one word? “A future-type supermarket that’s small but has everything,” right?
• And above all, the Korean unmanned system is based on trust in people as well as technology, which is even more touching to foreigners.

To foreign Korean travelers

🔹 If you are looking for tips for traveling in Korea

🔹 If you want to have a unique experience

🔹 If you are interested in Korean unmanned culture

I recommend experiencing Korean unmanned stores as an essential course.

Because unmanned stores will be a trip to directly experience ‘Korea's unique daily life’ beyond a simple tourist destination.

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