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| A bottle filled with cash is labeled "Tip Box" at a restaurant in Seoul. Screenshot from internet |
Minimum wage, food regulation law protect people against unsolicited gratuity
By Lee Hae-rin
Out of the blue, tipping culture has burst onto the scene with some restaurants, cafes and even taxi-hailing platforms asking customers for tips.
Given that Korea has been a tip-free society, most Koreans are showing strong resistance to the custom that is even sparking debate in the United States, where the growing tipping rates at restaurants and shops or "tipflation" syndrome, are baffling customers.
Titled, "foreign culture we wish to never settle in Korea," an online post with photos of a tip box placed at a bakery in Seoul has gone viral online recently. The photo shows a glass jar at the cashier of a famous bakery in Seoul, filled with Korean money and labeled in English with the words Tip Jar.
The post triggered others to share similar experiences. One online user said an employee at a coffee shop in Seoul's Mapo District asked her to tip, showing a tablet with tipping options of up to 10 percent of the bill, while some others said they saw some restaurants place signs on tables asking customers to tip employees.
Tipping culture has even emerged beyond cafes and restaurants.
Kakao T, which accounts for over 90 percent of the domestic ride-hailing market, introduced a tipping function at a trial level last month.
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| A passenger using Kakao T's taxi-hailing service is given the option to tip the driver when they rate five stars to the service. Screenshot from Kakao T application |
Passengers are given an option to tip the driver with up to 2,000 won ($1.5) after getting off the ride when he or she rates the service five stars. It is optional and Kakao Mobility, the platform operator and a subsidiary of Kakao, takes no commission from the tip, the company said.
Citizens have shown overwhelmingly negative reactions toward tipping culture, which they call needless and illegal.
"I don't understand why they ask us for tips when we haven't received any service that deserves tips. Unlike in foreign countries, customers make orders and collect themselves, so why tip them, for what?" a 30-year-old surnamed Jung, who has been waiting in line at the bakery with the tip box for over an hour, told The Korea Times.
Another customer surnamed Kim said, "In Korea, the final charge already covers service and service workers are paid at least minimum wage.
"I hated tipping culture in other countries where service workers aren't paid enough and customers are burdened under the pretext of 'goodwill.' I hope this culture never settles in Korea," she added, doubting if the money in the tip box will go to employees, instead of business owners.
Over seven out of 10 Koreans view tipping as "unacceptable," according to a recent survey with 12,106 people by SK Communications. Only 19 percent of respondents said tipping is a personal choice, while 5 percent supported it.
The Instagram account of the bakery was swarmed with over 200 negative comments, many of them asking the owner to remove it, calling the custom ridiculous and illegal.
Under the current Food Sanitation Act, food service businesses are to list final prices on the menu, which includes tax and service charges, and a customer is to pay no more than that.
In response to growing complaints, business owners are backing off.
As of Wednesday afternoon, The Korea Times checked the tip box at the controversial bakery was removed from the counter. The owner explained it was "more of a decoration" to add an exotic vibe to make visitors feel like they were traveling and no customer was forced to tip.
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| A glass jar asking for tips is placed at a bakery in Seoul in this undated photo. Screenshot from internet |
Meanwhile, Kakao Mobility said over 2,000 passengers tipped their drivers during the first week since the service was introduced, and believes it could nudge the drivers to improve services. Drivers who drove smoothly for a child getting carsick or who returned lost items to passengers were given tips, for example.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety confirmed to The Korea Times, Thursday, that forcing a customer to pay more than the listed charge goes against the Food Sanitation Act and local governments conduct regular crackdowns on food service businesses to watch such violations, along with hygiene and safety.
