Ask directly about ingredients and preparation
Do not expect every restaurant menu to provide a complete allergen list. The only duty sits in child-nutrition law: Article 11-2 of the Special Act on the Safety Management of Children's Dietary Life requires a caterer to declare allergenic ingredients — but only a snack bar, restaurant or bakery run as a franchise with 50 or more outlets, and only on confectionery and bakery goods, ice cream, hamburgers and pizza, plus anything the chain declares voluntarily.
For the foods and chains covered by that rule, at a Paris Baguette, a Lotteria, a Domino's or a large ice-cream chain the allergens are printed beside the price or held in a booklet at the till, and the same information must appear in the app if you order for delivery; a chain that fails pays a fine of up to ₩3,000,000. At an independent restaurant — which is most of them — none of that applies. Staff may need to check the packaging of a purchased stock, sauce or other ingredient before they can answer accurately. More than 70% of allergic incidents recorded in Korea involve exactly this unlabelled restaurant food.
Korea’s mandatory allergen list names nineteen food categories
The list lives in Annex 2 of the Enforcement Rule of the Act on Labelling and Advertising of Foods, and it is worth reading as a list of what is missing as much as what is on it.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 알류 (가금류만) | Eggs, poultry only |
| 우유 | Milk |
| 메밀 | Buckwheat |
| 땅콩 | Peanut |
| 대두 | Soybean |
| 밀 | Wheat |
| 고등어 | Mackerel |
| 게 | Crab |
| 새우 | Shrimp |
| 돼지고기 | Pork |
| 복숭아 | Peach |
| 토마토 | Tomato |
| 아황산류 | Sulphites, at ≥10 mg/kg SO₂ |
| 호두 | Walnut |
| 닭고기 | Chicken |
| 쇠고기 | Beef |
| 오징어 | Squid |
| 조개류 (굴·전복·홍합 포함) | Shellfish, incl. oyster, abalone, mussel |
| 잣 | Pine nut |
The list differs from those used in other countries:
- Sesame (참깨) is not on the list, and neither is sesame oil (참기름). It is in the dressing on almost every side dish, brushed on grilled meat, stirred into rice, and drizzled over soup.
- Tree nuts are not grouped. Only walnut and pine nut are named. Almond, cashew, pistachio and macadamia are not covered by those two named categories; check the full ingredient list too.
- Fish is not grouped either. Only mackerel is named — so check the full ingredients for fish such as anchovy, cod or pollack.
- Mustard, celery and lupin are not included in these Korean categories. Name them specifically if they matter to your allergy.
- Korea meanwhile names things most Western lists do not: pork, beef, chicken, peach, tomato and squid.
Because the categories are individual foods rather than families, a Korean label that says nothing about almonds is not evidence that there are none.
Read the full label, including ingredients and warnings
Packaged food can provide more detailed ingredient information than a restaurant menu, but the label still needs to be checked against your specific allergy. Every processed product sold in Korea must carry a boxed allergen panel set apart from the background colour, next to the ingredients list, declaring every listed allergen used regardless of how little went in. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's guide to reading it shows the standard form — a box reading, for example, 밀, 대두, 우유 함유 ("contains wheat, soy, milk"). Under it you may find 이 제품은 계란을 사용한 제품과 같은 제조시설에서 제조하였습니다 — made in the same facility as a product containing egg — the compulsory cross-contamination warning. 무 글루텐 ("gluten free") is a defined claim, not marketing: wheat, rye, barley and oats absent, and total gluten 20 mg/kg or less.
One narrow gap: where an allergen was used in production but is absent from the finished product, the maker may leave it off the label on its own responsibility. Ask the manufacturer for clarification if you cannot establish whether the product meets your needs.
A packaged alternative may help when you cannot establish a restaurant dish’s ingredients. It is not automatically safe: check the full ingredients, allergen information and relevant preparation warnings before choosing it.
Where it hides in Korean cooking
| Dish or ingredient | Ingredients to check |
|---|---|
| Kimchi (김치) | Fish sauce (액젓), salted shrimp (새우젓), sometimes oyster |
| Soybean-paste stew (된장찌개) · kimchi stew (김치찌개) | Anchovy stock (멸치육수), often pork or clams |
| Cold noodles (냉면) · buckwheat noodles (막국수) | Buckwheat (메밀); the cold broth is usually beef |
| Banquet noodles (잔치국수) · fish cake (어묵) | Wheat, anchovy stock, fish paste |
| Seasoned-vegetable (나물) side dishes | Sesame oil and sesame seeds are common, but recipes vary |
| 양념 (marinade) on any grilled meat | Soy sauce (wheat), sesame, pear, sometimes peanut |
| Chilli paste (고추장) · soy sauce (간장) | Both routinely contain wheat |
| Stir-fried anchovies (멸치볶음) | Anchovy, and frequently peanut or walnut |
| Blood sausage (순대) · blood-sausage soup (순댓국) | Pork blood, pork offal, sometimes shrimp paste |
| Fried chicken (치킨) batter | Wheat, egg, milk powder |
Alongside naming your specific allergen, useful questions include 육수에 뭐가 들어가요? (what is in the broth) and 참기름 들어갔어요? (is there sesame oil in it), when stock or sesame oil is relevant to your allergy.
Explain your allergy clearly
- Show a written note as well as speaking. A clear Korean note can reduce misunderstandings, but ask staff to confirm what they have checked. Set up an allergy note in Korean before you fly and keep it in your photo roll so it works with no signal.
- Explain that it is an allergy and describe your needs accurately. If exposure can require hospital treatment, you can say 먹으면 병원에 가야 해요, meaning “if I eat it, I need hospital treatment”.
- Ask about a specific dish. Name the allergen and ask staff to check the recipe, purchased ingredients and shared preparation equipment. A confident answer should be based on those checks.
Allergen words to slot into the sentences: 땅콩 peanut · 견과류 tree nuts · 호두 walnut · 잣 pine nut · 참깨 sesame · 우유 milk · 계란 egg · 밀 wheat · 대두 soy · 메밀 buckwheat · 새우 shrimp · 게 crab · 조개 shellfish · 오징어 squid · 생선 fish · 돼지고기 pork · 쇠고기 beef · 닭고기 chicken · 복숭아 peach.
Prepare for a severe reaction
If you have been prescribed adrenaline auto-injectors, carry them with you and check their expiry dates before travelling. NHS guidance recommends carrying two and knowing how to use them. Arrange your medication and a written emergency plan with your clinician before the trip rather than relying on finding a replacement locally.
If you suspect anaphylaxis, use your prescribed auto-injector promptly according to its instructions and call 119 for an ambulance in Korea. Do not delay the call while looking for someone to interpret. Tell the dispatcher your location and that you suspect a severe allergic reaction. Follow your emergency plan and the dispatcher’s instructions; emergency assessment is needed even if symptoms improve.
