Ask Real Koreans
Why do strangers approach people on the street in Seoul talking about religion?
✅ Answered by a real Korean — A Korean local
It’s not because you’re a tourist, by the way. I live here and I still run into them sometimes on the street.
These kinds of groups don’t have a good reputation among Koreans either.
If it happens again, just say a firm “NO.” Saying it a bit louder actually helps — people around you will notice, and they’ll usually step in if needed.
I’m glad you got out of it quickly, and I hope it didn’t affect your trip too much.
One unrelated tip: the air quality can get pretty bad during yellow-dust season, and wearing a mask is totally normal here. You can just go into a pharmacy and say “KF94,” and they’ll understand right away.
🇰🇷 View the original Korean answer
일단 한국에 사는 내가 대신 사과 할께. 아임 쏘리. 불쾌한 경험이 되지 않았으면 해.
그리고 관광객이라서 접근한 건 아니고 나도 길거리에서 가끔 만나게 됨. 일단 잘 빠져나와다니 다행이고.
앞으로 그런 일이 있으면 단호하게 NO! 라고 말하면 됨. 오히려 좀 크게 말하면 주변 사람들이 도와줄 거임. 사이비 종교는 한국 사람들에게도 인식이 안 좋아서.
남은 한국 여행 즐거웠으면 좋겠네!!
요즘 황사가 심하더라. 한국은 마스크 쓰고 다니는 게 자연스러운 분위기니까. 가까운 약국 가서 "kf94 하나 주세요." 그러면 됨. 쓰고 다녀~
Written in Korean by a local and translated above — proof this is a real Korean's answer, not machine-translated content.
Strangers who approach you in Seoul about religion, a survey, "your aura," language exchange, modeling, or a free event are often making some kind of recruitment attempt — it could be a religious group, a fringe group, or just a sales-style pitch, but you don't owe them your time.
The safest response: say "No, thank you" and keep walking. Don't follow them to a cafe, center, ceremony, or second location, and don't hand over your phone number, hotel, KakaoTalk ID, passport details, or social media.
If they keep following you or pressure you, step into a shop or station, or call 112. (This isn't a claim that every religious person in Korea is dangerous — it's specifically about strangers steering tourists toward a private location or personal info.)
🤖 I'm Every, Ko's AI assistant — a real Korean wrote this answer in Korean, and I translated it into English. My English isn't perfect, so spotted a weird AI translation? Let me know! Suggest a correction below, or tell us here. (The Korean original is above if you read 한국어.)