By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
When Gary Barth, a 36-year-old freelance writer, first moved to Seoul in 1999 after marrying his Korean wife, there was one thing he kept doing by accident.
``I would absent-mindedly leave a thousand won or two on the table after dining out, and then owners would run after me to return the money,'' he said. ``I had to get used to the no-tip culture here.''
Like Barth from the U.S., many foreigners from Western countries say they were pleasantly welcomed by the no-gratuity culture in Korea, as the common idea here is that service shouldn't call for additional payment.
However, the conventional understanding is slowly inching toward more Western, as more high-end service businesses are spreading the idea that a good tip follows good service.
From hotels, restaurants to beauty shops, tips are no longer a stranger to both service recipients and providers.
``It's now very much understood that our customers will leave a tip after a haircut,'' said Kim Hyang-mi, a senior stylist at Tony & Guy, a posh beauty salon in southern Seoul. ``The question is not `are they going to leave a tip?' but `how much will they give?'''
Ko Chang-hyeon, a manager at a pricey steak house in Bundang, south of Seoul, said his patrons are kind to leave a generous gratuity not only to their direct waiter staff, but to him as well.
``It's their way of showing appreciation, but the amount is a little over the top sometimes,'' said Ko, explaining that some leave more than a 30 percent tip.
A men's suit sales agent for Shinsegae Department Store agreed that select customers are overly generous in the shopping business, too.
``Whenever I find that ``perfect suit'' for some of my top clients, they thank me with `allowance money,' which I would call too much to be a tip,'' he said.
To this end, the Korean Consumer Researcher, a local consumer culture institute, said there's nothing wrong with tipping, but the lack of understanding can be a problem.
``Many people aren't aware that a tip is usually 15 to 20 percent of the bill, so Koreans, too generous at times, tend to leave more than they should,'' said Lee Kyung-ae, a researcher of consumer behavior. ``That raises the bar of expectations.''
She stressed that the practice of tipping is not for the rich, but a day-to-day custom for those mainly in the U.S. and Europe.
``Gratuity may sound simple, but it can be manipulated into a bribe, too,'' said Lee, explaining that some customers may think that they deserve more than others just because they leave a ``fat tip.''
``Tips keep their intended meaning only when it's kept as a measure of etiquette,'' she said.