Driving in South Korea as a tourist in 2024

Last Updated on August 28, 2024 by Alex

One of the first questions we asked ourselves when we moved to Seoul was about moving about. The public transportation system was sound; we knew that. How about driving in South Korea? Was it necessary to have a car?

The short answer is NO. You can travel virtually everywhere by train, subway, bus, or plane. Still, driving around can be a fun way to explore the country.

Remember always to book insurance, especially if you’re considering renting a car in Korea. We recommend SafetyWing for its excellent coverage. With a user-friendly platform and 24/7 customer support, SafetyWing makes getting insured and managing your coverage easy. Their commitment to a seamless customer experience ensures that help is always just a click away, no matter where you are.

Let’s start with the basics.

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Table of Contents

• Driving in South Korea as a tourist: everything you must know
  • Driving Requirements
  • Renting a Car in South Korea
    • Klook
    • RentalCars
    • Hertz
    • Trazy.com
  • Highways, Expressways, and Regular Roads
    • Tolls
    • Losing your Highway Ticket
    • Regular Roads
  • Parking
  • Is Korea a left or right-hand drive?
  • Is Korea using the metric system?
  • Is it safe to drive in Korea?
  • Is driving in Seoul difficult?
  • Do I need a car in Seoul?
  • Is it expensive to drive in Seoul?
  • Can I drink and drive?
  • Can tourists drive in Korea?
  • Other Tips and Tricks for Driving in South Korea
    • Mind the pedestrians
    • Traffic Cameras are Everywhere
    • Respecting Traffic Signs is Mandatory
    • Traffic Lights Position
    • Turning Right
    • Child Seat
  • Can I rent a car in Korea with a US license?
  • How to get around Korea with a rented car?
  • Other South Korea Travel Resources to check out

Driving in South Korea as a tourist: everything you must know

Driving Requirements

To drive in South Korea, you must be at least 21 years old and have a driving license issued by your country of residence at least one year earlier. The bottom line is that you need to have minimal driving experience.

Attention! You must hold an international driving permit—it is not enough to have a driving license issued by your home country.

Make sure you apply for one in your country of residence before visiting South Korea.

Your international driving permit should be acceptable if you are from the USA, UK, most European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, or Singapore.

Still, it would help if you double-checked the signatories of the Geneva or the Vienna Conventions.

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Renting a Car in South Korea

To rent a car, you’ll need the following:

• Be at least 21 years old;
• A driving license issued by your home country at least 1 year earlier;
• An international driving permit issued by one of the signatories of the Geneva or Vienna Agreements;
• A valid passport;
• A credit card in the driver’s name.

Remember that Korean society values maturity highly—it is probably one of the best countries to be old in.

Unsurprisingly, it can sometimes be a nuisance to be young there. For example, if you are under 25, you might need to pay a young driver’s surcharge when renting a car.

Renting a car can be challenging without a Korean-issued credit card, but that doesn’t mean it is impossible.

During our trip to Yeosu, Boseong, and Namhae, someone helped us rent a car on a local website. Of course, it was a bit cheaper, but the whole experience was extremely stressful for us since we didn’t speak Korean.

First, we weren’t informed that the car would be left in the parking lot in front of the airport. Needless to say, we searched for a rental office or a car drop-off place for some time.

Secondly, nobody spoke English in their call center or app support, so it was impossible for us to understand anything they told us.

We have local friends we could bother for help, but if you are visiting as a tourist, chances are you aren’t so lucky.

That’s why we recommend booking a car through an international aggregator or dealer.

Klook

It is an Asian travel provider that offers car rental options for South Korea and organized tours and activities. They always have great offers, the information is in English, and you can pay online with your internationally issued credit card (unlike on many Korean websites).

You can pick up and drop off the car at various locations around town (Gimpo Airport, Seoul Station, Lotte World, Central City Terminal, etc.).

RentalCars

It is an aggregator that will help you save up to 70% on the car rental price. It is also the world’s most extensive online car rental service, allowing you to travel independently. Unlike many aggregators, this one has cars in South Korea.

Hertz

They are another excellent option for booking directly from a dealer. They have offices in most major towns in South Korea and accept internationally issued credit cards.

Trazy.com

Trazy is a Korean website offering tours and activities. You can also rent a car from Seoul or Busan. The offer might not be as good as the previous two, but you might want to check it out.

Highways, Expressways, and Regular Roads

An extensive highway and expressway system crisscrosses South Korea. The speed limit varies between 100 and 120 km/hour on these. Just follow the signs, and you’ll be fine.

Tolls

You should pay attention at the toll gates, though. Usually, there are no barriers, but the lanes are marked with different colors, primarily blue and red. However, you might also encounter green and pink (the colored lines are drawn on the pavement, so you can’t miss them).

Unless you have a multi-pass subscription (I never had one), you should NOT cross through the toll gates marked with blue. Instead, you should follow one of the red lines and stop by one of the open gates, taking a ticket from the ticketing machine. Once you have it, you can drive on, but please keep it safe because you’ll need it when you leave the highway or expressway—you’ll have to hand it to the lovely lady at your exit gate and then pay the fee.

Korea strives to become a cashless economy, so you’ll have to pay the toll using your credit or debit card (I had Mastercard and Visa, and both worked fine for me). I am not sure if cash payment is an option since I have never tried paying cash.

Losing your Highway Ticket

If you lose your ticket, don’t panic. When you reach your exit gate, shrug apologetically and put on your lost foreigner face. “I am sorry, no ticket.” The cashier can check your route in the system and charge you accordingly.

Typically, you should pay a surcharge for losing the ticket, but they never claimed it from me, although I lost it several times. Remember, Koreans are super lovely and welcoming to foreigners. If you are polite, they’ll be helpful and understanding.

Now, there is one more situation that we have encountered during our extensive travels. Sometimes, the ticketing machine hasn’t issued a ticket for me. It gave one to the car in front of me and the vehicle behind me, but not me. I don’t know why it didn’t like us since we had a lovely Korean car—nice color too.

Anyway, if it happens to you, don’t worry. Drive on and then act as if you lost your ticket. At the exit gate, you tell the lady, “No ticket, sorry,” and she will sort it out.

Regular Roads

Lastly, if you plan to visit some of South Korea’s hidden gems, you might have to take the regular roads (one-lane roads, not highways or expressways).

The speed limit on these is up to 80km/hour, but many segments have speed restrictions, so please pay attention. There is no toll fee on these. However, you cannot overtake the car in front of you in most sections. You follow the vehicle in plain English in front of you, no matter how annoyed you are with their driving skills or speed.

Personally, I found this rule refreshing after years of being overtaken by the suicidal maniacs roaming the East and South European roads.

Parking

Forget parking in front of the place you are visiting. In Korea, one can’t just leave the car on the side of the road. Most buildings have designated parking spaces on the ground floor or below ground. So, if you visit a museum, a restaurant, or a shop, ask for a parking space.

Typically, parking is not free, and you’ll need to pay. However, if you visit a mall and you buy something, keep the receipt because you might have a discount or even free parking based on it.

Also, if you eat at a restaurant or fast food, tell the cashier that you parked there. They’ll give you a receipt that you can use to get a discount or free parking.

Many public parking spaces are outside malls and restaurants. You’ll be required to leave the car key with the attendant, who will give you the key and the receipt when you are ready to go.

Usually, restaurants and coffee shops have valet parking in the old parts of towns or other crowded places. You drive there and give the key to the attendant, and they’ll move it to some parking space a few blocks away. Tell the attendant your plate numbers when you are ready to go, and somebody will bring you your car.

And don’t worry about leaving your belongings in the vehicle—South Korea is one of the safest places in the world. Once, I left my wallet on a fast-food table for hours, but when I returned in a panic, it was still there, and nobody had touched it.

Is Korea a left or right-hand drive?

Korea drives on the right hand, the same as the USA and most European countries.

Is Korea using the metric system?

Yes, the distances are measured in kilometers, and the speed is in kilometers/hour.

Is it safe to drive in Korea?

It is safe, but Koreans love their rules, and driving is no exception. I strongly suggest that you respect the laws and regulations by the letter. Don’t show off the racing skills you learned in Bucharest, Athens, or Istanbul; you might land in jail.

Is driving in Seoul difficult?

Driving in Seoul can be challenging for some visitors due to heavy traffic, complex road networks, and differences in driving norms.

However, we found it easy because most drivers respect the traffic rules. But be mindful of pedestrians who don’t always pay attention to traffic and are watching their phones.

Road signs are usually in Korean and English.

The most challenging part is finding parking spaces, especially in busy areas like city centers.

Do I need a car in Seoul?

Seoul has an extensive and efficient public transportation system, including subways, buses, and taxis. Depending on your needs, public transportation might be a more convenient option.

However, renting a car might be a good idea if you want to travel outside of the city.

Is it expensive to drive in Seoul?

At 1.27 USD per liter, gasoline makes driving more expensive than in the US but significantly cheaper than in most European countries. On the other hand, parking can be pretty expensive.

So, if you park at a shopping mall, make sure to keep the receipt for any purchase or restaurant consumption so that you can deduct it from your parking fee (ask about it at the cashier when you make the purchase).

If you want fast and cheap within Seoul, you are better off using public transportation.

Can I drink and drive?

Absolutely not!

Although Koreans like to drink, there is zero tolerance for driving under the influence. So, if you enjoy the time-honored European tradition of having a glass of wine for lunch, I suggest you leave the car at home.

Can tourists drive in Korea?

Yes, they can if they have an international driving permit.

Other Tips and Tricks for Driving in South Korea

Mind the pedestrians

I must start by saying this: BEWARE THE KOREAN PEDESTRIANS!

Unlike in Western countries, where pedestrians are highly aware of the traffic around them, Korean pedestrians have complete confidence in their drivers’ skills.

They are always looking at their smartphones and routinely cross the road without looking left or right.

Sometimes, they walk in the middle of the road, headphones on, impervious to the world around them.

Therefore, please stay alert and don’t assume that pedestrians won’t jump in front of your car.

Traffic Cameras are Everywhere

The traffic is highly monitored, and there are cameras at almost every street corner and on all highways and expressways.

Some are the classic ones, measuring your speed at a given time.

Others measure your average speed, so you’ll have to behave all the time, not only when in the range of a particular camera.

Respecting Traffic Signs is Mandatory

Please note that the instructions written on the traffic indicators are mandatory, not mere suggestions.

If it says that you need to slow down to 30 km/hour because you entered a school zone, I suggest you do it even if no child is in sight.

Traffic Lights Position

One of the things I found disconcerting was the positioning of the traffic lights.

In Europe, the lights are positioned next to or above the line where the intersection starts, so if you are the first car in line, you stop near the traffic light, right?

Well, in South Korea, the traffic lights are mounted on the opposite side of the intersection — you’ll need good eyes to spot them.

Just be careful with this, or you’ll risk passing the red light or bumping into somebody.

Turning Right

Another tricky thing is turning right. Frankly, even after one year of driving in South Korea, I am not 100% sure how this works.

In Europe, a blinking green light shows drivers when they can turn right even if the red light is on for moving forward. In Korea, there is no such thing. Basically, you can turn right by default as long as there is no oncoming traffic and the red light is on for pedestrian crossing.

Speaking of pedestrian crossings, as long as the green light is on for the pedestrians and at least one person is crossing, you should stop and wait until she or he reaches the other side, no matter how many lanes the road might have. When the pedestrian steps on the road, you wait until she or he is on the other side.

Child Seat

If you are traveling with children, you must know that they must have a child seat as long as they are under 6 years old.

Also, all car passengers must wear a seatbelt.

Can I rent a car in Korea with a US license?

Yes, you can rent a car in South Korea with a valid United States driver’s license. However, to drive, you will need an International Driving Permit (IDP) issued before your trip.

How to get around Korea with a rented car?

While you can choose to rent a GPS with your rental car, we would say it is easier to use your phone and one of the local maps, Naver Maps (for IOS | for Android) or Kakao Maps (for IOS | for Android).

I found Naver easier to use and have it installed on my phone.

Of course, you will need an internet connection at all times, so you must have a SIM card or Wi-Fi egg with you.

Other South Korea Travel Resources to check out

Seoul Travel itineraries – no matter how much time you are planning to spend in Seoul, you will find here plenty of itinerary options and travel resources

Busan Travel itineraries – our favorite South Korean city, Busan, should not be missed

South Korea Travel Itineraries – the easy-to-follow options for when you have more time to spend in South Korea

Accommodation Guides – I don’t know where to stay in Seoul, either one of its most popular areas, Busan, or other places in South Korea. Here, you will find all the answers to your questions!

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