Quick Start (빠른 시작): 10 Things to Know Before You Arrive

Most of what you need to know about Korea, you'll figure out by being there. But some things are better to know in advance — not because they're complicated, but because arriving without them costs you more time and energy than necessary. These are the ten.

1. Get a T-Money Card Before You Need It

The T-Money card (티머니) is a rechargeable transit card that works on subways, buses, and taxis across the country. It's faster than buying individual tickets, slightly cheaper per ride, and accepted at many convenience stores for small purchases.

Pick one up at any convenience store (GS25, CU, 7-Eleven) immediately after arriving. You can load it with cash at station machines or convenience stores. No registration required.

Tip: Tapping in and out is mandatory on subways. Forgetting to tap out will result in a penalty charge the next time you use the card.

2. Naver Maps, Not Google Maps

Google Maps works in Korea, but it's significantly less accurate for navigation than Korean alternatives. The reason: Korean law restricts the export of mapping data, which limits what Google can render with full precision.

Naver Maps (네이버 지도) is the standard for walking, transit, and driving navigation. It has an English interface. Kakao Maps is the alternative — similar functionality, also reliable. Download at least one before you arrive.

3. Cash Is Still Necessary in Some Places

Korea is highly cashless — most transactions, including street food stalls and small shops, accept card or mobile payment. But cash is still required in some traditional markets (남대문, 광장시장), smaller regional restaurants, and certain government offices.

Keep 30,000–50,000 won in cash on hand. ATMs are everywhere, including at convenience stores.

4. Convenience Stores Are More Useful Than You Think

The Korean convenience store — CU, GS25, 7-Eleven, Emart24 — is a genuine institution. Hot food, instant meals (with communal tables and hot water dispensers), ATMs, printing, package pickup, ticket purchases, bill payments, snacks worth actually eating.

In a pinch, a Korean convenience store is a reasonable substitute for a meal, a pharmacy, an office supply shop, and a bank. They are open 24 hours, everywhere.

5. The Subway Is Excellent and Has English

Seoul's subway system has 23 lines and covers nearly every significant part of the city. It is clean, punctual, cheap (~1,400 won per trip), and fully navigated in English — signs are bilingual, and the announcement voice names every stop in Korean and English.

Outside Seoul: Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, and Daejeon all have subway systems. Intercity travel is handled by KTX (high-speed rail), which connects Seoul to Busan in 2.5 hours and most other major cities in under 3.

6. Learn to Read Hangul — It Takes About an Hour

Korean uses its own alphabet, Hangul (한글), not Chinese characters or romanization. The good news: Hangul was specifically designed to be easy to learn. Most people can learn to sound out the letters in 1–2 hours.

You don't need to understand what you're reading. Being able to sound out menus, street signs, and station names transforms your ability to navigate. It also changes how Koreans respond to you — the effort is noticed and appreciated.

The Language section of this site walks you through the complete system starting with How Korean Romanization Works →.

7. Know Your Basic Korean Phrases

You can get by in Seoul without Korean. You cannot get by everywhere else, and you'll get significantly further in Seoul with even a handful of phrases.

The essentials:

Attempting Korean — even imperfectly — signals respect and opens doors. Koreans are almost universally encouraging to foreigners who try.

8. Tipping Is Not Expected

Korea does not have a tipping culture. In restaurants, taxis, hotels, or anywhere else: no tip is expected or required. Leaving one won't cause offense, but it's likely to create confusion.

This also means what you see on the menu is what you pay. No calculating percentages, no awkwardness.

9. Understand How Eating Out Works

Korean restaurant culture has a few features that consistently confuse first-timers:

Side dishes (반찬, banchan) are free and refillable. The small dishes that arrive with your meal — kimchi, spinach, pickled vegetables — are included and can be requested again at no charge. This is not unique to upscale restaurants; it's standard everywhere.

You call the server — they don't come to you. Say "저기요!" (jeo-gi-yo) to get attention. Waiting to be checked on will not produce results.

Ordering for the table is common. Many Korean dishes are designed for sharing — Korean BBQ, stews, and certain grilled items are ordered by portion (인분, in-bun) rather than individually. "2인분 주세요 (i-in-bun ju-se-yo)" means "two servings, please."

Paying at the counter is common. In many Korean restaurants, you take your bill to a register near the exit rather than paying at the table.

10. Keep Emergency Numbers and Your Address in Korean

Emergency numbers:

• Police: 112

• Fire / Ambulance: 119

• Tourist helpline (multilingual): 1330

Your Korean address: Before you arrive, save the Korean-script address of your accommodation in your phone. If you're in a taxi and need to communicate your destination, showing the driver the Korean address is far more reliable than a romanized transliteration or pointing at a map. Kakao T (the taxi app) handles this automatically if you set your destination in advance.

Bonus: A Few Cultural Quick Notes

• Remove shoes when entering a home. Look for a step at the entrance (현관, hyeon-gwan) — this is the signal. There's no ambiguity when you see it.

• Two hands, or one hand supported at the wrist, when giving or receiving. Food, drinks, business cards, gifts — this applies across most formal and semi-formal contexts.

• Quiet on the subway. Phone calls on public transit are frowned upon. Most Koreans will step off the train to take a call.

• Recycling is serious. Korea has a strict waste separation system — general waste requires designated paid garbage bags (종량제 봉투); recyclables are sorted separately. Details in How to Sort Trash in Korea →.

Summary

Next up: Visiting vs. Living in Korea: How the Experience Differs →