I handed over my card to pay for a cup of coffee at a café, and the staff member asked, "일시불이세요?" Many of my foreign friends froze because they didn't understand what it meant. ## What Does 일시불 Mean? 일시불 means "paying all at once." Its opposite is 할부, a way of splitting the price into payments over several months. In Korea, when you pay by card, you often have to choose between these two. So even for small amounts, the staff ask that question out of habit. ## How Did It Come to This? After the 1997 foreign exchange crisis, the government strongly encouraged card use to revive the national economy. It even gave tax benefits for money spent by card. As a result, the number of people using cards grew rapidly. For expensive items like a refrigerator or a TV, paying in installments felt natural. Card companies also often ran interest-free installment promotions. In the early 2000s, many people couldn't pay off their card debt, which became a serious problem. Even so, installments remained an option in the way people paid. ## A Phrase You Can Use Right Away Just say, "One lump sum, please," and you're done. If it's hard to say it, just nodding is fine. Cards issued abroad are sometimes declined at the terminal. When that happens, first ask your card company whether overseas payments are enabled. It also gives you peace of mind to carry some cash or another card.