Getting Started in South Korea!

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Hey guys, Trang here,

This post is going to try and help you guys get started in South Korea. Traveling can be scary especially without your parents and in a foreign country. Luckily, South Korea is pretty easy to navigate and a lot of signs are in English!

  • KakaoTalk

So Kakaotalk is basically the main messenger app in South Korea like everyone has it which means you should also probably get it. It also can be used for things like calling taxis or making appointments so overall very useful.

  • T-Money Card

This is how you’re basically going to get around town. You can refill it at any subway station and just tap on your way in and on your way out. Transportation is super easy and fast so don’t worry either!

Usually, you get one of these in quarantine if you’re in a partner program so you should be all set. Otherwise, you can purchase them at pretty much any convenience store such as GS25 or CU

My T-Money Card with Cute Apeach

They also come in super cute designs so you can collect and swap!

  • Kakao Metro App (AN ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE)

This app goes hand in hand with the above T-Money Card, especially towards the beginning. Basically, this is how you will navigate the subway system such as transfers or whatever. When you download the map, it is in English, you can select you from and to the station and it will route you to where you need to go. Thus, you can figure out what subway route to go, whether it be the fastest one or the one with the least transfers!

  • Kakaomap or Naver Maps

Self-explanatory but google maps isn’t that great in South Korea and these are the two popular alternatives

  • Kakao T

An app that lets you call for taxis. Trust me, sometimes you will be lazy and taxis are relatively cheap in South Korea so this will come in handy. You can pay for the taxi using your loaded T-money card or hand them your debit or credit cards for them to swipe

Fair warning, taxi drivers are kind of wild over there. I got into a lovely car accident when I was in one, but I am unscathed.

  • Papago or Google Translate

Luckily, Korean translates very well on language apps so you can always use these to communicate if you have any issues. Papago is notorious for being pretty good in translating.