Eating vegetarian or vegan in Seoul with a local

Kimchi is the most common surprise. Most kimchi, both commercial and restaurant-made, contains jeotgal, salted fermented seafood, usually anchovy or shrimp. Vegan kimchi exists and is increasingly available, but it is a specific product you have to ask for rather than the default.

The third trap is that the Korean word for vegetarian, chaesikjuuija, is often understood as somebody who mostly eats vegetables rather than as a strict rule, and seafood is frequently not counted as meat. That is a translation problem, not evasion, and it is why naming the ingredients you avoid works far better than naming the category.

For a simpler version, jeoneun chaesikjuuija-yeyo means I am a vegetarian, and bisegeon means vegan, which younger staff in cafe districts will recognize. Gogi ppaego juseyo means please leave out the meat, which works for dishes where meat is a topping rather than a base.

Write the key words down or keep them on your phone in Korean. Showing a written line in a busy restaurant is far more reliable than pronouncing it over a noisy griddle, and staff will usually go and ask the kitchen if they are unsure.

Beyond that, the reliably vegetarian-adaptable Korean dishes are bibimbap without egg and meat and with the broth checked, kongguksu, cold soy milk noodles, in summer, japchae if made without meat, pajeon and other pancakes if the batter has no seafood, doenjang jjigae specified without anchovy or clams, sundubu without seafood, and gimbap ordered without ham, egg and fish cake. Bindaetteok at Gwangjang Market is mung bean and commonly vegetarian, but ask, because some versions include pork.

Dedicated vegan restaurants and cafes have grown substantially in Seoul in recent years, concentrated around Hongdae and Yeonnam-dong, Seongsu, Itaewon and the university districts. Korean vegan burger, bakery and dessert places are easy to find through the usual vegan mapping apps, which have reasonable Seoul coverage.

A local also knows the current map. Vegan restaurants in Seoul open and close quickly and app listings lag, so somebody who lives in the neighborhood can tell you what is actually still there this month. In Seongsu and Hongdae that difference is significant.

If you use localseoul, put the requirement in the request text. Say that you are vegetarian or vegan and whether you eat seafood or egg, since those are the two lines Korean restaurants will ask about. Verified locals see the request on a board, and one who is happy to eat that way proposes a time and a public place. It is free during early access and each person pays for their own meal.

The workable move at a group meal is to order one or two dishes you can eat for the table rather than asking the group to change their order. Vegetable pancakes, tofu dishes, corn cheese, fries and salads are all normal anju choices, so this does not read as an imposition.

If you do not drink at all, say so at the start rather than deflecting each round. Jeoneun sureul an masyeoyo, I do not drink, is understood, and the social pressure that Korean drinking culture is known for has eased considerably among younger people.