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Transportation
Korea has an excellent transportation system and it is quite easy to get around the cities by bus, taxi or subway or travel around the country by bus or train.
Subway
Currently there are subway systems in Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Daejeon, and Gwangju. The subway system in Korea is one of the best in the world. It is efficient, cheap and safe. The price of a one-ride ticket is 1000 won. You can buy subway passes in 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 won denominations if you intend to ride the subway a lot as these passes provide better value. We have included a subway pass in our Orientation Package to get you started.
All of the station names are printed in English and subway announcements are given in Korean and English making it very easy to navigate subway lines. The lines are numbered (line 1, line 2, etc) and colored (the blue line, the green line) and are often referred to as one or the other. Subways usually shut down around midnight and start up again around 5 AM. For more information and maps for the subway lines in Korea, check out the city guides section on our links page.
Busses
Another way to get around in Korea is by bus. The bus system in Korea is quite cheap, but it isn’t as English-friendly as the subways. Most of the busses only have their information written in Korean, so you may need help knowing which number bus to take.
There are three main types of busses in Korea. First, there are the village busses, which only travel within a small area. The fare for these busses is around 400 won. Next, there are regular busses which are used for traveling greater distances within the city. The fare for these city busses is around 900 won. Finally, there are express busses which are fast and used to travel greater distances.
These inter-city express busses go almost everywhere in Korea. As the bus fares are lower than the train and the numbers of destinations the busses go to is higher, many people choose to travel around Korea by bus. It is a good idea to reserve your ticket in advance as certain times of the year can be quite busy. There are special bus lanes on all major highways, so traffic is not much of a problem except when entering or leaving major cities.
Taxi
Taxis in Korea are cheap and easily accessible in the cities. There are two kinds of taxis – regular taxis, which are silver or white and deluxe taxis, which are black. The regular taxis are quite inexpensive and you may find yourself traveling by taxi a lot more than you do in your home country. The base fare for taxis is 1900 won and the fare rises quite slowly. The deluxe taxis, on the other hand, are about twice the price. While they do have more comfortable interiors, they aren’t worth paying double the price.
The easiest way to get a taxi is to stand at the side of the road and gesture with your palm down in a beckoning gesture. Sometimes late at night or when it is raining it can be harder to get a taxi. Also, you may want to have your destination written in Korean to present to the driver in case you are not able to speak Korean. Korean taxi drivers are usually at the lower end of the English ability scale.
Train
The passenger trains operated by the Korean National Railroad are inexpensive, fast and reliable. These trains interconnect most places in Korea and are a great way to see the country. Trains are usually quite busy on weekends and major holidays, so it is recommended to reserve your ticket in advance.
There are three main kinds of trains in Korea:
- Regular (Mugunghwa): This train has seats in each car, but also allows passengers to stand in the aisles. During holidays it can get quite busy and seating is scarce. The fares for this kind of train are the cheapest with fares from Seoul to Busan being around 25,000 won. The train has a refreshment cart which comes up and down the aisles with small snack foods and beverages regularly, but there is no dining car, so you may wish to bring some food with you for the trip.
- Express (Saemaul): This train is a step up from the regular train. There is no standing in the aisles permitted and fares are slightly higher than the regular train. The express train has both a dining car, which has meals and alcoholic beverages, and a refreshment cart which has snacks and beverages. Like the regular train, it’s a good idea to reserve early for weekends and holidays.
- High speed (KTX): A high-speed train linking Seoul, Daejeon, Daegu and Busan opened in April 2004. This train travels at speeds of around 300 km per hour and has cut the travel time from Seoul to Busan in half. The train is very clean and comfortable and sports an excellent video and audio system. Vending machines for beverages and snacks as well as refreshment carts are available.
Air Travel
Air travel is also an option in Korea with 15 Korean cities having air links with one another. There are a lot of flights available daily and the airfares are not that expensive, although they are expensive when compared to the busses and trains that are widely available and interconnect the country. Most people visiting Korea might take a plane to visit Cheju Island, the sub-tropical island in the South of Korea, but for most other occasions they would probably stick to busses or trains.
Driving
If you intend to drive in Korea, you will need to apply for an International Driver’s License which is easy to obtain. However, it is highly recommended that you get familiar with the rules of the road in Korea before going out on them. Koreans tend to drive much more aggressively than you may be used to.
Chances are pretty good you won’t have or want your own car in Korea. Gas, insurance and parking are all expensive in Korea, and as already mentioned Korea has an outstanding public transportation system. However, if you are here long-term and have a family (like I do) you may want the car for family trips.
