Seoul Tourist Trap Tips by Vita500

Although people will try their best to help you out and many approach you out of the blue while sitting in the subway or standing at a crossing, the fact that Koreans have a big lack of knowledge in any kind of foreign language might definitely cause a problem to you:
No English menus (even at many McDonald's, Burger King, etc.), no English signboards (except of course for the subway and designated tourist hot-spots), no English-speaking taxi-drivers (translation-service via intercom required)... it makes life slightly complicated, especially if you are looking for some less touristy and more Korean-style locations.

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At Least Do This: Go to one of the many Tourist Information booths, get a good map and ask as many questions as possible.
The ladies at the TIs are usually very friendly and will mark you specific locations directly on the map.
If you like to go to somewhere specific, let them write down the address in Korean, so you simply need to show the taxi driver where you wanna go to.
Beware, however, that the taxi drivers usually know the various districts (GUs and DONGs) but are usually unable to find specific addresses (mainly due to the very confusing street system of Korea, which only postmen tend to understand). In this case, it might be best to let them drive you close to the spot you intend to go to and ask your way through.
Alternative: a) Be adventurous and explore the places on foot and, in case of restaurants, just try to point on something that looks delicious to you.

b) Learn the Hangeul - the Korean alphabet. It's less difficult than it looks like but will help you a great deal.

Not necessarily a tourist trap but definitely worth mentioning:
At least 80% of the food you order is spicy!
Koreans love to eat spicy food. They actually grow up eating spicy food and most of the time, they don't even realize it's spicy until a non-accustomed foreigner tells them it is.

Ok, then I just need to avoid Korean food, right?
Wrong! The real tourist trap is the fact that you can never be sure whether the food you order is not somewhat localized, i.e. spicy!

I had several encounters with so-called "authentic" cuisines: Italian spaghetti, German sausage and potatoes, Chinese sweet & sour, Japanese Udong... things that usually aren't spicy in the original places. However, all of the above were extremely spicy in Korea!!!

It's not always like that but I suggest to (always!) ask beforehand whether the dish is spicy or not... you won't regret it.

For those of you who love eating spicy food: Korea will be just like paradise!

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If you enjoy drinking... drinking a lot... please ignore the trap.
This tip is for those who do not really enjoy drinking their heads off and simply like to enjoy a nice and relaxed dinner together.

Korea has a very heavy and notorious drinking culture. In fact, last year was supposed to be the year with the highest recordings in alcohol consumption in Korea.

I made the experience that it is very difficult (if not impossible) to go for a gathering (be it dinner, Karaoke or an evening sight-seeing trip) with Korean locals without ending up in a huge drinking bout.

It usually doesn't happen if you go to the so-called family restaurants (e.g. TGI Friday's, Outback) or high-class restaurants.
However, if you join them for a Korean-style dinner, it's almost certain that you'll have lots of Soju (the most popular Korean liquor) on the table.

These days, most Koreans accept if you do not want to join them drinking but it's not really fun being the only sober person at the table after an hour or two... apart from the fact that a real conversation is no longer possible.

It's more likely to happen with many people around. It probably won't be a problem if you intend to have dinner with your close friend or acquaintance.
But be careful if they plan to bring some more friends around!

Drinking occasions are extremely versatile:
From college gatherings or department dinners, a get-together or weekend trip with your acquaintance or getting to know your girlfriend's parents... drinking is always part of the game.

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At Least Do This: Add-on (17.09.2006):
I just read the book "Korea" written by Simon Winchester, who spent two months walking through Korea, describing his impression on the country, the people and providing lots of insight into Korea's history. I found a very fitting paragraph on Korea's drinking culture that I'd like to recite in the following:

"Confucian drinking habits are exceptionally tough on unseasoned skulls. Koreans often drink with the specific objective of becoming drunk, and what might pass for extreme courtesy at table is simply an elegant way of ensuring that this happens. Basically it involves giving a glass [...] to your friend at table and filling it to the brim with liquor. He will drain it at one draught, then pass it back to you and fill it for you, whereupon you drain it, and offer it back to him. You never fill your own cup; you never refuse drink offered to you; you will always be offerd drink; you will get drunk very quickly; you will remember very little of the proceedings; and you will (especially if you drink Soju) have the mother and father of all hangovers." ;-z

Excuse me, could you please take a picture of me?

I really don't know the reason for this tourist trap and I don't think it's only related to Koreans. In Hong Kong I had very similar experiences.
Nevertheless, it must be warned that most Koreans will have a big problem with taking decent pictures of you, i.e. get your body in the middle of the frame.
In most cases, people will cut off your legs and take an awful lot of background sky or wall in...

Interestingly, within my three years in Korea, I experienced it countless of times... but... it somehow only happened with locals. Whenever I asked some American, Australian or European guy to take a pic of me, the shot was clearly centered, whole body in the frame, similar ratio between upper and lower edge. Whenever I asked a local, however, in most cases the lower edge became my upper thigh and the upper edge a hell lot of background. Sorry folks, but that's what I experienced!!!

Why do I mention it now?
Because I just had another experience of that kind and finally decided to put it into VT.

Interesting, quite disturbing but really true... try for yourself!

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At Least Do This: I suggest to try to explain excatly HOW you would like to have the shot taken and do NOT rely on (your) common sense!