Seoul - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the typical dress code at work and in public places? Is formal dress ever required?
For women/female presenting: never show your bare arms or any "cleavage." To Koreans, it is the equivalent of wearing a miniskirt to work. They are fine with more leg showing but bare arms, low cut shirts are considered not professional. I wish I had known that before, as my boss commented on things I wore a few times, which was frustrating. Koreans often dress in trendy sports athleisure brands or quite formal with darker colors, black, white, beige, tan, grey, etc. Winter brings the classic big puffy black winter jacket, some of which are quite long. For anyone sizes Large and above, H&M is the ONLY option for larger clothes and it is limited to XL, rarely XXL. There is Uniqlo but the fit is very hit or miss. - Jan 2026
Koreans are formal and conservative. They wear black, beige, and grey. No skin showing (e.g. no sleeveless dresses in summer). - Jan 2025
Surprisingly formal. - Nov 2021
Slightly more formal than in the U.S., but you could get away with the same dress code. Koreans have no hesitation showing all of their legs but are not ok with cleavage or too much neckline showing. Swimsuits tend to be shorts and a shirt for men, a one piece with shorts and a shirt for women, and everybody must wear a hat in a lot of pools/water parks. - Feb 2020
typical U.S. dress code at work. In public people cover their arms but show lots of leg. - Feb 2016
Koreans are sharp dressers, both for work and play. You can wear whatever you want, but you will stand out if you're sloppy. - Feb 2016
Office attire at work. Koreans are quite formal, too, but anything goes, really. - Jul 2015
Very formal. Koreans dress up even for recreation, with sporty, matching outfits. Couples often match. Regular day dress is much nicer than most Westerners. Women wear heals and skirts most of the time. Also, very modest tops even if shorts and skirts are very short. - Jan 2014
Formal. - Sep 2013
Very formal at the office. Relaxed, but slightly more formal than in the U.S. in public settings. - Jan 2011
Suits mostly, for English teachers, very casual. - Dec 2010
Formal business attire. Korean dress to the nines. If you're socializing, it can be come as you are, but not necessarily like Jeff Lebowski. - Sep 2009
Business attire. Koreans are very fashion conscious. - Jul 2008
Business-suits, the usual. Same as at home. The Koreans dress more formally than most Americans and are very style conscious. - May 2008
