{"id":263415,"date":"2026-06-04T01:30:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T16:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tenbizt.com\/en\/news\/uncategorized\/2026\/06\/04\/why-a-cnn-reporter-was-rejected-for-dining-alone-in-south-korea\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T01:30:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T16:30:20","slug":"why-a-cnn-reporter-was-rejected-for-dining-alone-in-south-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tenbizt.com\/en\/news\/food\/2026\/06\/04\/why-a-cnn-reporter-was-rejected-for-dining-alone-in-south-korea\/","title":{"rendered":"Why a CNN Reporter Was Rejected for Dining Alone in South Korea"},"content":{"rendered":"

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With single-person households on the rise and solo-dining becoming a global trend, a U.S. reporter visiting South Korea stirred conversation after saying a restaurant refused to seat them twice \u2014 simply because they were alone.<\/p>\n

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On May 5 (local time), CNN Travel published a story about one of its reporters who says they were turned away from restaurants while traveling alone in South Korea.<\/p>\n

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According to the report, the reporter went to a Seoul restaurant, held up one finger and asked if they could eat alone. Staff replied, \u201cWe don\u2019t accept one person.\u201d The reporter said they were turned away a second time and described the situation as \u201cembarrassing and confusing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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CNN pointed out that single-person households exceeded 36% last year \u2014 a record high \u2014 but attitudes toward solo dining still lag behind.<\/p>\n

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However, CNN noted this isn\u2019t unique to South Korea. In 2023, some restaurants in Barcelona turned away solo diners to prioritize groups, and a Turkish restaurant in Liverpool drew backlash after saying it wouldn\u2019t seat solo customers during peak hours.<\/p>\n

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At the same time, the market for solo dining is growing rapidly. OpenTable reported a 19% year-over-year increase in one-person reservations worldwide last year.<\/p>\n

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Restaurants are adapting. In major cities like New York and London, more spots are welcoming solo reservations, and Japan\u2019s counter-seat dining culture has long normalized eating alone.<\/p>\n

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In South Korea, solo-focused restaurants are on the rise in business districts such as Gangnam and Jongno, and Naver Maps is boosting its \u201cgood for solo dining\u201d search feature, CNN reported.<\/p>\n

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