TOP 10 Curious Scenes in Korean Society: From Unmanned Stores to Abandoned School Cafes

Korea is Really Different! The Current State of Korean Society That Appears Strange to Foreigners

There is an emotion that anyone who has come to Korea for the first time feels at least once.

“What on earth is this?”

More unmanned ice cream discount stores than convenience stores, self-service meal kit specialty stores that operate without a single person, and even the scenery where rural closed schools have been transformed into emotional book cafes or exhibition spaces. Korea's streets, life, and consumption patterns are, in a word, 'strangely futuristic' while also embracing unique traditions and emotions.
These days, new trends that were unimaginable before are rapidly spreading in Korean society.

‘The rapid increase in unmanned stores’, ‘recycling of closed schools’, ‘honbab and honsul culture’, ‘24-hour study cafes’, ‘cafe republic’, etc., are not merely a temporary trend, but are considered part of the evolution of the way Koreans live, adapting to the new social structure. Especially for foreigners, these phenomena often feel surprising and strange.

For example,
• Restaurants where people grill and eat meat alone are flourishing,
• Convenience stores handle home delivery, banking, and even hot dogs,
• If unique theme cafes like doll cafes or prison cafes exist on every street corner?

Even if you encounter the fact that hundreds of thousands of single-person households are living their lives in narrow spaces like goshiwons (boarding houses), anyone will be curious and ask, “How exactly does this country work?”

This article is not simply an introduction to Korea. It is a ‘social cultural experience’ that explores in what direction and at what speed the country of Korea is changing, and how it can be viewed from the perspective of a foreigner within that change.

• The everyday use of unmanned stores and unmanned systems
• Creative reinterpretation of abandoned spaces
• Normalization of the lifestyle of eating and drinking alone
• Evolution of study and consumption spaces
• The coexistence of practicality and emotion

All these phenomena are a snapshot of the new lifestyle that Korea is creating now, and it may not be just an interesting ‘scene’, but a mirror showing the future of Korean society.
So, let's take a look at the unique social phenomena of Korea that foreigners are most curious about.

1. Explosive Increase in Unmanned Stores

Unmanned stores, where there are no people, are rapidly increasing in every corner of Korea. Unmanned ice cream discount stores where you can buy ice cream at low prices 24 hours a day, meal kit specialty stores that sell pre-packaged food with various recipes, and even unmanned pet supply stores have appeared.
These unmanned systems are a representative change in Korea that has come about through the combination of labor cost savings, an increase in single-person consumers, and a preference for non-face-to-face culture after COVID-19. It may be a landscape that is hard for foreigners to imagine, but in Korea, it has already become a very familiar ‘symbol of convenience’.

2. Transformation of Closed Schools: Cafes, Galleries, Libraries

Rural schools that have closed due to a decrease in the number of students are being reborn as completely new spaces in Korea. The classrooms become emotional book cafes, and the playgrounds become outdoor exhibition spaces, transforming the spaces of the past into ‘resting places’ that embrace culture and art.
This change is expanding beyond the reuse of space into cultural projects that revitalize local communities. Foreign tourists also feel the charm by taking special photos in such places.

3. Normalization of Honbab and Honsul Culture

In Korea, the words ‘honbab’, meaning ‘people who eat alone’, and ‘honsul’, meaning ‘people who drink alone’, are commonly used. There are not only restaurants specializing in honbab, but also single-person barbecue restaurants and mini-bars dedicated to honsul.
This culture is a result of social changes that respect individual freedom and privacy, which can be very unique to foreigners. Korea is no longer about ‘always together’, but is living in an era where ‘it's okay to be alone’.

4. A Country Obsessed with Cafes: A Paradise of 'Theme Cafes'

In Korea, there are almost no spaces where you just drink coffee. Theme cafes of all kinds, such as ‘doll cafes’ where you can drink coffee while holding a doll, ‘insect cafes’ where you can see real insects, and ‘prison cafes’ designed like prisons, are spread throughout the city.
Cafes are not just spaces for selling drinks, but have become representative spaces in Korean society that realize SNS certification culture, expression of individuality, and experience-oriented consumption.

5. Three Meals a Day Available at Convenience Stores

Korean convenience stores boast a functionality that surpasses the imagination of foreigners. You can have breakfast with instant rice and ramen, lunch with gimbap or a lunch box, and dinner with fried foods and beer. It is even possible to use ATMs, home delivery, lotteries, and pay utility bills.
Convenience stores are now more than just stores, they are a ‘living platform’ and a space that best reflects the rapid consumption culture and urban-centered lifestyle.

6. The Phenomenon of Parcel Delivery Piled Up in Elevators

You can see parcel boxes piled up in front of the elevator or in the hallway of Korean apartments. It may seem very strange to foreigners, but in Korea, it has become a temporary storage method for the convenience of delivery drivers and before bringing them into the house.
This is one of the unique social phenomena created by a fast delivery system, a trust-based society, and a fast-paced daily life.

7. 'Study Cafe' Culture Instead of Reading Rooms

The quiet reading rooms of the past have now evolved into ‘study cafes’. They are learning spaces that break the existing stereotypes, such as unmanned entry, seat reservation through apps, free coffee, and 24-hour operation.
Korea's study culture is very competitive and systematic, and these study cafes are becoming a core infrastructure that helps young people concentrate on their studies.

8. Single People in Their 20s and 30s Living in Gosiwons

Korean ‘gosiwons’ are ultra-small living spaces with only a bed, desk, TV, and a small window in a very small room. It was a space created for studying, but now, many single-person households in their 20s and 30s actually live there in big cities such as Seoul, where housing costs are high.
It may be shocking to foreigners, but it is a realistic choice made by Korea's high house prices and the single-person lifestyle.

9. Subway Culture at Rush Hour

The rush hour on the Seoul subway is literally called 'hell train'. Many office workers endure every morning and evening in a crowded environment where it is difficult to even move because it is full of people.
The strange competition for a seat, the sweat and sighs over the masks. These commuting scenes make you realize the high work intensity and urban density of Korea.

10. Chicken Delivery System That Surpasses Imagination

Korea's delivery culture is famous worldwide, but especially 'chicken' is legendary. This system, where warm chicken arrives in 10 to 15 minutes with just a few clicks on an app, feels almost like magic to foreigners.
Even with the 'doorstep delivery' culture, where you don't have to meet the delivery person and they leave it in front of your door, the Korean-style delivery lifestyle is a unique experience that cannot be easily found anywhere in the world.

Exploring Unique Social Phenomena in Korea That Are Rare or Nonexistent Abroad

The familiar streetscape that we pass by every day, the many ‘Korean cultures’ contained within it look completely different from the eyes of a foreigner.
Buying ice cream at an unmanned store, entering a barbecue restaurant alone and eating with confidence, and enjoying a cup of coffee at a closed school in the countryside while simultaneously feeling the past and the present—all these experiences are not just consumption behavior or part of daily life, but are a vivid record of ‘how Korea is changing into what kind of society now’.

Korean society is moving fast and is surprisingly flexible. A place where honbab and honsul are taken for granted, goshiwons become living spaces, and even subway congestion is integrated into the culture. The feeling that foreigners feel in it is not just ‘surprise’,“There is really living energy in this country”may be the realization.

Of course, these changes may not have only positive aspects. Isolation, housing problems, and excessive competition that arise in a society that is developing too fast also exist. But because of this, the various aspects of Korean society are more three-dimensional, and on the other hand, it can be said to be a site of social experimentation that the world should pay attention to.

Through this article, I hope that the small but special scenery in the daily life of Korea has given you a new cultural perspective. And if you ever visit Korea in person, I hope that the stories you read today will come as a welcome memory as they become reality one by one.