Why Korean Restaurants Give You Free Side Dishes (Banchan)
5-minute video · EpicKor
Order one stew in Korea and six plates you never ordered land on the table — free, and refilled when you finish them. So how do restaurants stay in business? The king's twelve-dish table, the 2009 leftovers rule, imported kimchi, and a 2026 survey of 1,000 Koreans on paying for refills.
Read the full guide
Chapters
- 0:00Six plates you never ordered
- 0:32The king's table: why banchan come with rice
- 1:23The rule: Korea's 2009 leftovers law
- 2:27The sign on the wall: where the kimchi comes from
- 3:12The price tag: would Koreans pay for banchan?
- 4:15How to read the six plates
Sources
- Academy of Korean Studies, Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, "Bansang" and "Surasang"
- Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, press release on reusing side dishes (29 June 2009)
- Food Sanitation Act Enforcement Rule, Annexes 17 and 23 (Korea Law Information Center)
- Act on the Origin Labeling of Agricultural and Fishery Products, Enforcement Decree art. 3; Easylaw
- World Institute of Kimchi and aT, 2025 Kimchi Industry Survey (import volume: Korea International Trade Association)
- Embrain Trend Monitor, banchan refill survey (published 24 March 2026)
- Korea Consumer Agency price portal, eating-out prices, August 2026
