From Dining Alone to Drinking Alone? An Expat's Perspective on Korea's 'Solo' Culture

It's Okay to Be Alone: A Real-Life Experience of Korea's Solo Culture

When I first visited Korea, the most surprising scene was the people who were alone—not with others.
A person eating alone in the corner of a small restaurant, a person sitting in the front row of a theater waiting for the movie to start with popcorn, a person coming out with a smile after singing a song in a karaoke hallway…

“Huh? Everyone… they're alone, but it doesn't feel awkward at all!”
Korea's solo culture goes beyond just being alone, it encompasses the philosophy of ‘being proud and enjoying it to the fullest when alone’.
Even though there are many people who sit alone in cafes in Europe or the United States, the solo culture, which has become deeply ingrained in daily life, such as going to karaoke alone, camping alone, and drinking alone (honjulsul), is a unique scene in Korea.

In particular, trends like solo dining, solo travel, and the increase in one-person households raise the question for foreigners, “Do Koreans endure loneliness well?” But that's a misunderstanding.
Korea's solo culture is not a way to overcome loneliness, but a facet of society that has mastered how to get along well with oneself.

In this article, I will share my personal experiences of

✔ Eating alone (honbab culture)

✔ Drinking alone (honjulsul culture)

✔ Watching a movie alone

✔ Karaoke experience alone

✔ Camping and traveling alone

✔ A lifestyle enjoying exercise alone, etc.

I will share in detail Korea's solo lifestyle from a foreigner's perspective.

1. Eating Alone – Eating Alone, No Matter Who Sees

In the past, it felt a bit awkward to go to a restaurant alone in Korea. You had to be mindful of the gazes around you, and it felt a bit apologetic to sit alone at a table for two or more people. But now, the times have completely changed.
The honbab culture is now a part of Korean daily life. In university districts, office districts, and even downtown areas, there are separate 1-person tables or bar-style seats for customers who eat alone.

And what's surprising is that solo dining specialty restaurants have appeared. For example, like Japanese tonkotsu ramen shops, you sit in a 1-person seat separated by partitions and focus on eating ramen without saying a word.
It might feel awkward at first for foreigners, but after experiencing it a few times, you quickly realize that ‘eating alone is perfectly natural’.

2. Watching Movies Alone – My Time, My Choice, No Matter What

In Korean theaters, a single viewer is not special at all. Especially during weekdays or matinee (morning screenings), there are often more people who come alone.
If you like movies, you don't have to wait for anyone, you can book the movie you want to watch, at the time you want, buy popcorn alone, and find a seat alone.
Nowadays, some theater brands even operate private seats for solo viewers. Wider armrests, no need to worry about the person behind you, and a time just for you!
You might feel a little shy when you first enter the movie theater alone, but when you come out after the movie ends, you feel, “This freedom… I might get addicted to it.”

3. Karaoke Alone – With a Microphone, the World is My Stage

When you think of karaoke, it's easy to imagine having fun with friends in a group, but in Korea, there is a culture called 1-person coin karaoke.
You enter a narrow booth, insert a 500 won or 1,000 won coin, and you can sing 2-3 songs, and you can control the microphone, screen, and volume as you like.

Since you can relieve stress by singing alone anywhere, students, office workers, and even travelers go in with just a microphone without any preparation.
In addition, coin karaoke these days has improved soundproofing and the interior has been cleaned up, so even if you are alone, it doesn't feel awkward at all, and it even feels like a “small concert hall where I am the protagonist”.

4. Camping Alone – Time for Just Me and Nature

Have you ever seen a woman pitching a tent in Hangang Park and sitting alone drinking coffee? That scene is not strange at all in Korea.
Solo camping (honcamp) is one of the hottest trends in Korea these days. You just take simple equipment to a quiet forest, valley, or park near the city and enjoy your alone time.
Especially, female honcampers are also increasing. Thanks to this, safe 1-person camping zones, small tent rental services, and easy-to-cook meal kits have also been created.
People who enjoy camping alone cite the peace of not having to care about others' eyes in nature as the greatest charm. Music, books, coffee, and my own fire.
“Even if I'm not with someone, I can have a good time.” This is the charm of Korean honcamp.

5. Drinking Alone – One Glass, One Story

The honjulsul culture is a very familiar scene in Korea. People drinking wine alone, people ordering makgeolli and pajeon alone, people watching a drama with a can of beer alone.
In particular, there are also honjulsul specialty stores for solo customers. In a small bar-style shop, you can have a short conversation with the owner, or you can spend time quietly alone.
The reason why honjulsul is natural in Korea is because it has become a way to relieve stress alone or a time to organize emotions.

6. Traveling Alone – A Moment Where Everything is Free

There are so many people who travel alone in Korea. Gangneung, Busan, Jeonju, Jeju… They are all equipped with 1-person accommodations, 1-person tours, and restaurants that are good for eating alone.
A trip where you go to Jeju Island alone and ride a scooter along the coast, walk through a Hanok village, and end the day at a quiet teahouse. It's a trip that moves according to a 100% personal schedule, without having to adjust to anyone else's time.

7. Exercising Alone – My Body, My Pace, No Matter Who Sees

Gyms, yoga studios, Pilates centers, climbing gyms... In Korea, there are countless spaces where you can exercise alone.
In particular, places like unmanned gyms or 1-person PT zones allow you to focus on your own routine without worrying about others. There are also many people who just do cardio alone, or follow a routine set to YouTube.

You can often see people stretching or running alone in the park. Korea has well-maintained exercise equipment and trails in every part of the city, so even exercise beginners can easily enjoy exercising alone.
In the process of moving alone, sweating, and achieving, you feel the joy of self-growth, not competing with others.

Shining Enough Even Alone, Korea's Solo Culture

While traveling in Korea, what impressed me the most was that ‘the gaze towards people who are alone is warm’. No matter where I went, whether it was a restaurant, a movie theater, a karaoke room, a camping ground, or a gym, the sight of being alone was not strange at all, but rather felt like a familiar scene.
Korea's solo culture is not just a trend, but a way to respect life alone and take care of yourself. Among them, Korean honbab culture, in particular, shows the ease of a society where eating alone in a restaurant has become a daily routine.

In addition, the Korean honjulsul culture offers time to organize your own emotions and day in a quiet bar or a restaurant with 1-person seats.
The Korean solo camping culture, which spends time alone by pitching a tent near the Han River or in nature on the outskirts of the city, is also becoming a peaceful way to focus on yourself.
If you want to sing alone? Korean solo karaoke, that is, coin karaoke, is a playground that relieves stress by shouting out loud in a small space.
If you want to watch a movie alone? Korean solo movie viewing is no longer a special thing. Rather, there are many reviews that say that the private seats, desired time, and environment to concentrate on are more satisfying when watching alone.

And Korea provides safe and efficient transportation, 1-person accommodations, and infrastructure that can be used comfortably alone to those who dream of traveling alone in Korea, making a truly free trip possible.
Finally, the same goes for exercise. Korean solo exercise helps you create your own routine anywhere, not just in gyms, but also in parks and unmanned exercise facilities.

Korea is now a country where you can choose to be alone. This doesn’t mean loneliness, but this culture is telling us that it's a way of respecting and growing yourself.
If you also want to learn how to be alone—experience Korea's solo lifestyle yourself.
The experience of the time alone changing into quiet freedom, it will come to you more special in Korea.

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