SEOUL, Feb 8 — A fierce debate is bubbling across South Korea’s dining scene as restaurateurs weigh a once-unthinkable move: charging for banchan refills.
The country’s free-flowing side dishes — from kimchi to pickled radish — have long been a defining marker of South Korean hospitality.
Now, many owners say they simply can’t afford the generosity.
According to Kormedi.com, South Korea’s top health care and medical portal, online forums for restaurant operators have been filled with polls on whether to start billing customers for extra servings.
With agflation driving vegetable and ingredient prices to eye-watering levels, small eateries say unlimited banchan is pushing them into the red, especially when paired with budget meals like gukbap.
Proponents of a pay-per-refill system argue the change could cut waste.
As Kormedi.com noted, supporters believe that charging would reduce “table scraps”, pointing out that diners often pile on free sides they never finish.
The logic is simple: if customers have to pay, they’ll take only what they intend to eat.
But cultural resistance runs deep. For many South Koreans, banchan isn’t an add-on — it’s the meal’s soul.
Critics warn that charging for refills might be seen as penny-pinching at a time when households are already stretched by rising inflation. Some fear it could even sour customer loyalty.
A softer compromise has been floated: keep basic sides free but charge for pricier, labour-heavy dishes. Yet even this middle ground hasn’t quelled the tension.
What’s driving the argument isn’t just economics.
As Kormedi.com highlighted, the debate has revived long-standing hygiene concerns — particularly the notorious practice of “recycled banchan,” where leftovers from one table reappear at another.
Though the pandemic briefly curbed such violations, cases continue to surface, and restaurants caught doing it are often slapped with suspension orders.
Health experts quoted by Kormedi.com warned the risks are no mere urban myth.
Eating food contaminated with someone else’s saliva can spread Hepatitis A and even increase the risk of stomach cancer.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies H. pylori as a Group 1 carcinogen, with infection doubling the likelihood of developing stomach cancer.
South Korea’s communal dining culture — sharing stews and dishes — has been cited as one reason for persistently high infection rates.
To tackle both hygiene and labour pressures, South Korean dining habits are evolving. Individual plates have become the norm at home and in restaurants, while self-service bars are spreading fast, letting customers portion their own side dishes.
It reduces waste and takes some load off staff — but it hasn’t resolved the central question.
Meanwhile, economic strain is reshaping the culinary landscape.
Traditional restaurants famed for their generous spreads of banchan are shutting down, unable to survive rising ingredient costs and the labour-intensive process of preparing dozens of small plates daily.
Will South Koreans soon have to pay for their second helping of kimchi?
In a country where banchan sits at the heart of the table, the answer may take time — but the pressure to change is clearly mounting.
