What's the difference between 대접 (待接) and 접대 (接待)?

ANSWER: They are the same in one respect and different in another.

The problem with 대접 (待接) and 접대 (接待) is that they each have two definitions, and one of the definitions is the same for both. Here is how my Korean-Korean dictionary defines them:

대접: 1) 손님을 맞아 음식을 차려 올려 먹게 함. 접대. – the act of receiving guests and preparing food for them to eat. [Also,] 접대.

접대: 1) [Also,] 대접

So, the first definition for both 대접 and 접대 is “the act of receiving guests and preparing food for them to eat.” That means the two words are synonyms in this regard and can be used interchangeably. This meaning could be translated as "to entertain guests with food." It is their second definitions where the words differ:

대접: 2) 어떤 인격적 수준으로 사람을 대우하거나 대함. – treating or dealing with people using some characteristic standard.

접대: 2) 손님을 맞이하여 시중을 듦. – receiving guests and waiting on them.

So, the second definition for 대접 seems to be just the general meaning of the word “to treat.” In other words, one could treat someone well, badly, politely, impolitely, or even like a dog.

The second definition of 접대 could be translated as “to greet and wait on guests,” including guests at a restaurant or bar. In fact, the Korean word 접대부 can be translated as “hostess” and refers to a woman who greets people at a restaurant or bar.

So, if one is entertaining at one's home, 대접 seems to imply that the host or hostess supplies the food and lets the guests help themselves, while 접대 seems to imply that the host or hostess not only supplies the food but is also running around waiting on the guests, such as at a big party.