A Korean company dinner — *hoesik* (회식) — is not a casual after-work drink. It is a planned occasion where seniority, seating, timing and the choice of restaurant all carry weight. Near Gwanghwamun and Jongno, the challenge for a team leader is rarely the food itself; it is finding a room where eight, ten or twelve people can sit together, eat well, hear one another speak, and finish before the last subway.
KUT SEOUL, a Hanwoo omakase on the third floor of Hanol Tower on Jongno, was built around private rooms. Five of them line one side of the restaurant, seating parties from two to twelve, and every dinner service in a room runs a full three-hour course. For a mid-sized team dinner within twenty-five minutes on foot of Gwanghwamun Square, it is one of the few rooms in the neighbourhood that can seat a full dozen without splitting the party.
This guide is written for the person doing the booking. It answers the questions a planner actually asks — how many will fit, which course applies, when to start, what the deposit commits you to — before it says anything about the food.
How far is KUT SEOUL from Gwanghwamun?
About 20–25 minutes on foot, or one stop east on Line 5. KUT SEOUL sits on Jongno itself, midway between Jonggak Station (Line 1, Exit 4, three minutes on foot) and Jongno 3-ga Station (Lines 1, 3 and 5, Exit 15, three minutes on foot). From Gwanghwamun Square, the simplest route is to walk down to Gwanghwamun Station, take Line 5 one stop to Jongno 3-ga, and surface at Exit 15. A taxi from Gwanghwamun in evening traffic is often slower than the subway.
The building is Hanol Tower at 96 Jongno, Jongno-gu. On the ground floor is a Tom N Toms café; the restaurant is on the third floor. Wheelchair users and colleagues with mobility needs should enter through the café at the front, which is step-free and has a lift to 3F. The rear entrance on the valet side has three steps.
For teams driving in, valet parking is available Wednesday through Monday, 11:30–22:00, at ₩5,000 per car, at the rear of the building. It is closed on Tuesday, when the restaurant is closed.
At KUT SEOUL in Jongno, that sequence is served from ₩69,000 for an 8-dish weekday lunch at the counter — see what is in a Hanwoo omakase, cut by cut.
What is the room capacity — and what happens above 12?
The largest room at KUT SEOUL seats twelve, and rooms cannot be joined. A thirteenth guest can squeeze in, though seating will be cramped, so let the restaurant know in advance. For a hoesik of 14 or more, please contact the staff — and for a hoesik, where the point is that the team is together, the honest answer is that KUT SEOUL is most comfortable for parties up to twelve.
There are five private rooms, sized as follows:
| Room | Party size | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Room for 2–3 | 2–3 | A director and one or two guests |
| Room for 2–4 (A) | 2–4 | Small teams, 3–4 people |
| Room for 2–4 (B) | 2–4 | Small teams, 3–4 people |
| Room for 3–6 | 3–6 | Mid-sized teams, 5–6 people |
| Room for 5–12 | 5–12 | Full team dinners, 7–12 people |
The 8-seat chef's counter also exists, but it is adults only and does not suit a hoesik; team dinners belong in a room.
Which room takes which headcount?
Match the room to the party before you match the course. The bands are simple.
Three to five people. Either the Room for 3–6 or the Room for 5–12 will take you, but for a five-person team the Room for 3–6 feels right — enough space for shoulder room and side plates, not so much that the table looks under-set. Four people can go into either of the Rooms for 2–4.
Six to seven people. Six is the ceiling of the Room for 3–6; a party of seven moves to the Room for 5–12. For a hoesik, most planners with seven guests find the larger room more comfortable because Korean beef courses arrive on serving boards that need table space.
Eight to twelve people. Only the Room for 5–12 will hold you. This is the room you are booking if the team is anywhere from eight to a full dozen. Book it early: it is the single room in the restaurant that takes a full-size team dinner.
See the setting for your team dinner
Which course applies in a private room?
It depends on the day and the meal. KUT SEOUL runs different minimums for rooms at weekday lunch versus everything else.
| Slot | Minimum course in rooms | Price per person |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday lunch | P KUT — Posh Course, 11 dishes | ₩175,000 |
| Weekday dinner | S KUT — Signature Course, 13 dishes | ₩210,000 |
| Weekend / holiday lunch | S KUT — Signature Course, 13 dishes | ₩210,000 |
| Weekend / holiday dinner | S KUT — Signature Course, 13 dishes | ₩210,000 |
The Royal Course (R KUT), 15 dishes at ₩280,000, is available in rooms at any service and is the choice for a hoesik that doubles as a celebration — a promotion, a retirement, a major contract signed. It includes live lobster sashimi with caviar and gold flake, Châteaubriand and truffle, and lobster gratin.
All prices are per person, final, with no service charge and no tipping. A hoesik of ten at the Signature Course prices out at exactly ₩2,100,000; ten at Royal at exactly ₩2,800,000. There are no ranges to interpret and no invoice surprises. Every course, at every price, uses BMS No. 9 Hanwoo, vacuum (wet) aged for four weeks in-house. It is not dry-aged.
There is no vegetarian course. Allergies notified the day before are worked into the course.
When should the dinner start?
Book 17:30 or 18:00 — not later. A private-room meal at KUT SEOUL runs about three hours from the first pour to dessert, and dinner service ends at 22:00. A 17:30 seating finishes comfortably by 20:30; an 18:00 seating clears the room by 21:00. A 19:00 or 19:30 booking would run past the close, so a 17:30–18:00 start is the recommended window for any team dinner.
Lunch service runs 11:30–15:00 with last order at 14:30; dinner runs 17:30–22:00 with last order at 19:30. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. For teams that prefer a working-lunch format — a hoesik that ends in time to return to the office — a weekday lunch in a room at the Posh Course is the more affordable route.
The table is released 20 minutes after the reservation time if the party has not arrived. For a team dinner, arrival is best coordinated for 15 minutes before the start.
How do you book — and what does the deposit commit you to?
Every seat is reservation-only. There are no walk-ins. Bookings go through CatchTable (which has English, Japanese and Chinese pages) or Naver Booking (Korean). A foreign visitor's guide to booking fine dining in Seoul walks through the CatchTable flow if this is your first Seoul reservation.
The deposit is 100% of the order at the time of booking. That is the number that most catches out overseas planners: a room for ten on the Signature Course means ₩2,100,000 charged when the booking is confirmed, not on the night. The cancellation ladder is:
- Free cancellation up to 2 days before the reservation
- 50% refunded 1 day before
- No refund on the day of the reservation or for a no-show
For a hoesik, this means the final headcount should be locked at least 48 hours out. Any reduction after that point will not be refunded, so it is safer to under-book slightly and add one seat later (subject to room capacity) than to over-book and lose the deposit on empty seats.
Special requests — a birthday, a farewell, a promotion — go into the reservation notes by the day before. A celebration lettering dessert plate is free when requested in advance. An outside cake is welcomed with no fee, which is unusual for a restaurant at this level. For teams marking a milestone, this is the simplest way to build a moment into the meal without extra logistics.
Can we bring a bottle?
Yes, one bottle per party. Corkage is ₩70,000 for a bottle of wine or ₩100,000 for whisky or Champagne. For a hoesik where a director wants to open a personal bottle — a whisky held back for the occasion, a wine brought from a business trip — this is the framework. It is one bottle, not one per guest. For guidance on which bottles actually hold up against BMS No. 9 Hanwoo, our whisky and wine pairing notes go through the options that work at the table.
Beyond the corkage bottle, the restaurant carries its own wine and spirits list; there is no obligation to bring anything.
What about children?
Rooms are the only setting at KUT SEOUL where children under 8 can be seated. Kids KUT is a single plate of six items — Hanwoo meatballs, bulgogi, tomato pasta and more — for ₩45,000, for ages 7 and under. From age 8 the adult course applies. High chairs are available. This matters for a hoesik that is really a family-inclusive company dinner, or for the founder's team that includes a colleague's family.
A short checklist for the planner
Before you book, confirm the following:
- Final headcount. Twelve fits the largest room; a 13th guest means a cramped squeeze, and for 14 or more, contact the staff first.
- Which room the headcount points to (3–5 → Room for 3–6; 6 → Room for 3–6; 7–12 → Room for 5–12).
- Which course applies to the slot you are booking (weekday lunch opens Posh; everything else in rooms is Signature or Royal).
- Start time of 17:30 or 18:00 for dinner.
- Any allergies, submitted in the notes by the day before.
- Whether to request a lettering plate or bring a cake, both free.
- Whether anyone will bring a bottle, and which type (wine ₩70,000, whisky or Champagne ₩100,000, one per party).
A hoesik that is well-planned finishes on time, seats the whole team together, and leaves the deposit as the only surprise on the invoice. On Jongno, twenty-something minutes from Gwanghwamun, that is what a room at KUT SEOUL is built to do.
