If you’re bringing flowers, go with anything but white, and skip chrysanthemums specifically regardless of color — they’re the default funeral flower.
Never write a person’s name in red ink, on a card, a gift tag, or anywhere else meant for them to see. Use black or blue instead; red is fine for other things, just not names.
Shoes are a common gift elsewhere but read as a bad omen in Korea, especially between couples or close friends — the superstition is that the recipient will “walk away” from the relationship. If you really want to gift shoes, a small token payment from the recipient (even symbolic, like a single coin) is a workaround some Koreans use to counter the superstition.
- These are strongest with older or more traditional Koreans — younger, more casual circles may not think twice, but there’s no upside to testing it.
- Sneakers as a “just because” gift between young couples has gotten more common despite the superstition — read the room and the recipient’s age/outlook before assuming it’s off-limits.