We’ve made most of the mistakes a foreigner can make in Korea over the course of several trips. These are the tips we wish we’d had on day one — organized by topic, kept practical, with specific numbers where they matter.
Getting a SIM Card
Buy at the airport arrivals hall. Three carriers at Incheon Airport: KT (Olleh), SK Telecom, and LG U+. All offer competitive data plans. A standard tourist USIM with 10GB/30 days runs ₩15,000-20,000; a 30-day unlimited plan is ₩30,000-50,000. SK Telecom has the strongest rural and mountain coverage — useful if you’re hiking Seoraksan or Hallasan. All three work fine in cities.
Pocket WiFi is not worth it in 2026. Korean 5G coverage is excellent everywhere you’ll go. A personal SIM is cheaper and more convenient.
eSIM options: If your phone supports eSIM, services like Airalo offer Korea data plans starting around $8/7 days. Less setup hassle than a physical SIM, though prices are slightly higher.
The T-Money Card
The T-money card is the single most useful thing you can own in Korea. It’s a rechargeable transit card that works on:
- All Seoul Metro lines (14 million rides/day)
- All city buses nationwide
- Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, and Jeju city transit
- Some taxis when you tap the card reader
- GS25 convenience stores and many others
Get one at any GS25 or CU convenience store — ₩3,000 for the card, load any amount. Reload at convenience stores or at metro station vending machines. Keep ₩30,000-50,000 loaded — you’ll use it constantly. Fare per metro ride is ₩1,400-2,500 depending on distance.
The card transfer discount saves you money every time you transfer between bus and subway within 30 minutes — this adds up significantly over a week.
Navigation Apps
Naver Maps is the essential Korea navigation app. Download it before you go. Korean addressing systems and transit routes are significantly more complete in Naver than Google Maps. The English interface has improved greatly — search in English, and transit directions work reliably.
Kakao Maps is Naver’s main competitor and equally good. Kakao is the dominant app ecosystem in Korea (like WeChat in China), so Kakao Maps integrates with Kakao Pay, Kakao T (taxis), and other services.
Kakao T is Korea’s dominant ride-hailing app — works like Uber. English interface available. Usually faster than hailing on the street in busy Seoul neighborhoods. Most drivers accept digital payment.
Naver Papago is the best translation app for Korean. The camera function (point at a menu or sign) works surprisingly well. Download it, use it for menus, and keep it handy for conversations with non-English speakers.
Convenience Stores Are Amazing
Korean convenience stores (CU, GS25, 7-Eleven, Emart24) are genuinely excellent and deserve their own tip. They are open 24 hours, everywhere, and offer:
Food: Freshly prepared kimbap rolls (₩1,500-3,000), steamed buns (₩1,500), triangle onigiri (₩1,200), hot dogs, ramyeon cooked at the in-store boiler, and a rotating selection of daily-made Korean dishes. This is not tourist food — Koreans eat here regularly.
Services: ATM (Global ATM accepts international cards), package printing, fax, ticket booking, phone charging, and luggage storage at some locations.
Drinks: Every beer brand sold in Korea, soju, makgeolli, every possible Naver-delivered soft drink, and an excellent coffee machine (₩1,000-2,000 for espresso drinks that are genuinely good).
The convenience store meal — a kimbap, triangle onigiri, cup ramen, and a convenience store coffee — costs ₩4,000-6,000 and is a legitimately satisfying meal eaten at the plastic tables outside. We’ve eaten this way dozens of times across Korea without complaint.
Tipping: Don’t
Tipping is not practiced in Korea. In restaurants, cafes, taxis, hotels, or anywhere else, adding a tip will confuse or embarrass the recipient. Service quality is built into the pricing. This is true at all levels from market stalls to five-star hotels.
The one exception: if a guide or service provider has gone significantly beyond expectations, a sincere verbal acknowledgment (“Jeongmal gamsahamnida” — thank you very much) is appropriate and meaningful.
Public Bathhouses (Jjimjilbang)
A jjimjilbang is a Korean public spa/sauna facility that is simultaneously one of the best budget accommodation options and one of the most culturally interesting experiences in Korea. For ₩8,000-15,000, you get:
- Access to multiple sauna rooms at different temperatures (including infrared and charcoal-fire rooms)
- Hot and cold bathing pools (separated by gender, nude)
- Communal sleeping rooms with heated floors (ondol) where you sleep in provided shorts and t-shirt (shared, same-gender)
- Often: food stalls, massage services, and entertainment rooms
Bathhouse etiquette:
- Shower thoroughly before entering any pool — this is mandatory
- Nude in the gendered washing and pool areas; provided shorts/t-shirt in communal areas
- Do not enter pools with swimwear — this is actually not permitted in the gendered sections
- Tattoos: many traditional jjimjilbang have tattoo restrictions; ask before paying
- Silence or quiet conversation in the sauna rooms is the norm
Recommended jjimjilbang: Dragon Hill Spa (Seoul, Yongsan) is the largest and most internationally known (₩12,000). Siloam Sauna (Seoul Station) is excellent and convenient.
The Subway (Not Just Seoul)
Seoul Metro has 22 lines and is one of the best metro systems in the world. Trains run every 2-4 minutes during peak hours, signs are in Korean/English/Chinese/Japanese, and platform screen doors prevent falls. The last train is around 11:30 PM - 12:30 AM depending on the line; first train around 5:30 AM.
Subway etiquette:
- Priority seating (often a different color) near doors is for elderly, pregnant, and disabled — do not sit there even if the car looks empty
- Quiet conversations only; phone calls should be brief and low-volume
- Eating is technically allowed but culturally frowned upon in most situations
- Stand to the right on escalators; walk on the left
Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, and Jeju all have city metro systems that accept T-money cards.
Kakao Maps for Navigation
For walking and transit navigation in Korean cities, Kakao Maps often gives better pedestrian route guidance than Naver. Toggle between the two if one route looks wrong. Both apps will give you real-time transit options with times, platform numbers, and transfer instructions in English.
Offline maps: both Naver and Kakao require internet access. Download Google Maps offline for the areas you’ll visit as a backup navigation option (though restaurant and transit data is thinner).
Korean Subway Station Exits
Korean subway exits are numbered (Exit 1, Exit 2, etc.) and Korean addresses, restaurant directions, and everything else will reference the exit number. Always check which exit you need before ascending — the wrong exit can put you on the wrong side of a 6-lane road or a block away from where you need to be.
ATMs
Global ATMs are at every GS25 and 7-Eleven convenience store. Look for the “Global ATM” sign — these accept Visa and Mastercard. Withdrawal limits are typically ₩700,000 per transaction.
Woori Bank and KEB Hana Bank ATMs typically have the most reliable foreign card acceptance. Post Office ATMs (우체국) are also reliable and found in all post offices.
Cash is still necessary in Korea — many local restaurants, smaller shops, and market stalls are cash-only. Keep ₩50,000-100,000 in cash for daily use; replenish at ATMs as needed.
Drinking Culture
Korea has an intense and fascinating drinking culture built around soju (Korea’s national spirit), beer, makgeolli (rice wine), and the concept of the second location (2차 — “second round” of the evening).
Soju: The green-bottle convenience store soju (Jinro, Chamisul) is a mild 16-17% distilled spirit. Andong soju is the traditional 45% version. Soju is drunk in small shots, poured for others, never for yourself alone.
Maekju (Beer): Korean lager (Hite, Cass, Terra) is mild and food-friendly. Craft beer has boomed in the 2020s — Seoul’s Itaewon and Seongsu-dong have excellent craft beer bars.
Makgeolli: Unfiltered rice wine, milky white, 6-8% ABV. Served in a bowl or pitcher, pairs magnificently with pajeon (green onion pancake) during rainy weather (there’s a cultural superstition that makgeolli and pajeon taste better in the rain — we agree).
Ppal-ppal-i (빨리빨리 — “hurry, hurry”): Korean drinking culture moves fast. Shots are small, poured constantly, and the group moves together. If you can’t drink, a polite hand over your glass or “gwaenchanayo” (I’m fine/okay) is respected.
Cultural Notes Worth Knowing
Bowing: Light nods (not full bows) are standard greetings. Deeper bows show greater respect. A slight forward lean when greeting an elder or being greeted is appropriate.
Business cards: Receive with both hands (or right hand supported by left), look at it briefly before putting it away. Offering and receiving with one hand is casual; two-handed is respectful.
Elder respect: Korea has a strong hierarchical culture based on age. If you know someone is older, small gestures of deference (letting them pass first, listening before speaking, not contradicting directly) are genuinely appreciated.
Public displays of affection: Common among young couples in cities — Korea has become significantly more open in the past decade. Same-sex PDA remains more sensitive, particularly in traditional or religious areas.
Photography: Ask before photographing people at markets, temples, or folk villages. Most Koreans will agree enthusiastically; asking is simply polite.
Shoes off: When entering private homes, many traditional restaurants (floor-seating style), some temple interiors, and some guesthouses. Look for the step-down at the entrance and a rack of shoes — this is the signal.
Emergency Numbers
- 112 — Police
- 119 — Fire and Medical Emergency
- 1330 — Korea Tourism Organization’s 24-hour multilingual hotline (English, Chinese, Japanese, and more) — for tourist assistance, not emergencies
The 1330 hotline is genuinely helpful for navigation problems, translation assistance, and any non-emergency situation where you need Korean-English mediation.
Weather and What to Pack
Korea has four distinct seasons with significant temperature ranges:
Spring (March-May): 8-22°C. Cherry blossoms in April. Layers essential — mornings are cold, afternoons warm. Rain possible.
Summer (June-August): 25-35°C with high humidity. Monsoon season (changma) runs late June through late July — pack a compact umbrella or light rain jacket.
Autumn (September-November): 10-22°C. Korea’s most beautiful season for foliage. Dry, clear, and comfortable. Peak tourism — book accommodation ahead.
Winter (December-February): -5 to 5°C in Seoul; colder inland. Hallasan and Seoraksan get significant snow — excellent for certain hiking but proper gear is required.
Year-round essentials: comfortable walking shoes (you will walk 15,000+ steps daily), a portable phone charger, your passport (required for some DMZ and alcohol purchases), and a general openness to eating things you can’t identify.