Travel essentials

Costs

Some people come to Korea expecting it to be a budget destination on a par with the Southeast Asian countries, while others arrive with expectations of Japanese-style levels. The truth is somewhere on the latter side of the scale – those staying at five-star hotels and eating at top restaurants will spend almost as much as they would in other developed countries, though there are numerous ways for budget travellers to make their trip a cheap one. Your biggest outlay is likely to be accommodation – Seoul has some grand places to stay costing upwards of W400,000 as well as cheaper tourist hotels for around W100,000. Though they’re not to everyone’s taste, motels usually make acceptable places to stay, costing W30,000–50,000, while the capital also has a fair few backpacker flophouses where prices start at W15,000 for a dorm bed. Real scrimpers can stay at a jjimjilbang, where overnight entry fees start at around W7000.

Transport is unlikely to make too much of a dent in your wallet – even a taxi ride right across the city shouldn’t cost more than W20,000, and short rides are under W5000. Public transport is even cheaper, at just over W1000 per journey. Sightseeing is also affordable, with many sights free, and many more costing a nominal W1000–3000. The easiest thing to splurge on is food: Seoul has an ever-growing number of top-class restaurants, whose prices are generally far lower than they would be in other developed countries. For those fond of Korean cuisine, cheaper restaurants are plentiful, and a good meal can be had for W5000.

By staying in motels or guesthouses and eating at reasonably cheap restaurants, you should be able to survive easily on a daily budget of W40,000, or even half this if seriously pushed. After you’ve added in transport costs and a few entry tickets, a more realistic daily figure may be W60,000.

Tipping plays almost no part in Korean transactions – try not to leave unwanted change in the hands of a cashier, lest they feel forced to abandon their duties and chase you down the street with it. Exceptions are tourist hotels, most of which tack a ten percent service charge onto the room bill; these are also among the few places in the country to omit tax – also levied at ten percent – from their quoted prices.

Crime and personal safety

Korea is one of those countries in which you’re far more likely to see someone running towards you with a dropped wallet than away with a stolen one – tales abound of travellers who have left a valuable possession on a restaurant table or park bench and returned hours later to find it in the same place. Though you’d be very unlucky to fall victim to a crime, it’s prudent to take a few simple precautions regarding personal safety. One involves the country’s awful road accident record, the gruesome statistics heightened by the number of vehicles that use pavements as short cuts or parking spaces. Caution should also be exercised around any street fights that you may have the misfortune to come across: since Korean men practise taekwondo to a fairly high level during their compulsory national service, Seoul is not a great place to get caught in a scuffle. In general, female travellers have little to worry about, and though some locals caution against taking night-time taxi rides alone, you’d be extremely unfortunate to come to harm in this (or indeed, any other) situation.

Electricity

The electrical current runs at 220v, 60Hz throughout the country, and requires European-style plugs with two round pins, though some older buildings, including many cheap guesthouses, may still take flat-pinned plugs at 110v.

Health

South Korea is pretty high up in the world rankings as far as healthcare goes, and there are no compulsory vaccinations or diseases worth getting too worried about. Hospitals are clean and well staffed, and most doctors can speak English, so the main health concerns for foreign travellers are likely to be financial – without adequate insurance cover, a large bill may rub salt into your healing wounds if you end up in hospital. It would be wise to bring along any medicines that you might need, especially for drugs that need to be prescribed – bring a copy of your prescription, as well as the generic name of the drug in question, as brand names may vary from country to country.

Drinking Korean tap water is not the best idea, and with free drinking fountains in every restaurant, hotel, supermarket, police station, department store and internet café in the country, there really should be no need; in addition, the ubiquitous convenience stores sell bottles of water for W700. Restaurant food will almost always be prepared and cooked adequately (and all necessary precautions taken with raw fish), however bad it looks, though it’s worth bearing in mind that the incredible amount of red pepper paste consumed by the average Korean has made stomach cancer the country’s number one killer.

In an emergency, you should first try to ask a local to call for an ambulance. Should you need to do so yourself, the number is 119, though it’s possible that no English-speaker will be available to take your call. Alternatively, try the tourist information line on 1330, or if all else fails dial English directory assistance on 080 211 0114. If the problem isn’t life-threatening, the local tourist office should be able to point you in the direction of the most suitable doctor or hospital. Once there, you may find it surprisingly hard to get information about what’s wrong with you – as in much of East Asia, patients are expected to trust doctors to do their jobs properly, and any sign that this trust is not in place results in a loss of face for the practitioner.

For minor complaints or medical advice, there are pharmacies all over the place, usually distinguished by the Korean character “yak” () at the entrance, though English-speakers are few and far between. To see a doctor, ask at your accommodation about the nearest suitable place; even as a non-resident, fees are usually around W15,000 per visit. The same can be said for dental check-ups, and treatments are also usually very affordable. Travellers can also visit a practitioner of oriental medicine, who uses acupuncture and pressure-point massage, among other techniques, to combat the problems that Western medicine cannot reach; if you have Korean friends, ask around for a personal recommendation in order to find a reputable practitioner.

Insurance

The price of hospital treatment in Korea can be quite high, so it’s advisable to take out a decent travel insurance policy before you go. Bear in mind that most policies exclude “dangerous activities”; this term may well cover activities as seemingly benign as hiking or skiing. Keep the emergency number of your insurance company handy in the event of an accident and, as in any country, if you have anything stolen make sure to obtain a copy of the police report, as you will need this to make a claim.

Internet

You should have no problem getting online in South Korea, possibly the most connected nation on the planet. Wi-fi access is becoming ever more common, with many cafés allowing customers to use their connection for free. Tom N’ Toms and Hollys are generally the best chains for this (though the coffee at the former is pretty poor). You should also be able to get online at your accommodation.

If wi-fi fails, PC rooms (PC ; pronounced “pishi-bang”) are everywhere. Though declining in number with each passing year, there should always be one within walking distance – just look for the letters “PC” in Roman characters. These cafés charge around W1500 per hour, with a one-hour minimum charge. If you need something printed out, ask your accommodation if they can help – if not, head to a PC room, or one of the many branches of FedEx Kinko’s.

Laundry

Almost all tourist hotels provide a laundry service, and some of the Seoul backpacker hostels will wash your smalls for free, but with public laundries so thin on the ground those staying elsewhere may have to resort to a spot of DIY cleaning. All motels have 24-hour hot water, as well as soap, body lotion and/or shampoo in the bathrooms, and in the winter clothes dry in no time on the heated ondol floors. Summer is a different story, with the humidity making it very hard to dry clothes in a hurry.

LGBT+ travellers

Despite Goryeo-era evidence suggesting that undisguised homosexuality was common in Royal and Buddhist circles, at the turn of the century Korea’s LGBT+ scene formed a small, alienated section of society. Thankfully, a spate of high-profile comings-out, including that of Hong Seok-cheon, countered the prevailing local belief that Korean homosexuality simply did not exist, and these days almost nobody regards it as what was once a “foreign disease”, with high-profile entertainers such as Harisu raising the visibility of trans people in Korea further still.

Rough Guides travel insurance

Rough Guides has teamed up with WorldNomads.com to offer great travel insurance deals. Policies are available to residents of over 150 countries, with cover for a wide range of adventure sports, 24hr emergency assistance, high levels of medical and evacuation cover and a stream of travel safety information. Roughguides.com users can take advantage of their policies online 24/7, from anywhere in the world – even if you’re already travelling. And since plans often change when you’re on the road, you can extend your policy and even claim online. Roughguides.com users who buy travel insurance with WorldNomads.com can also leave a positive footprint and donate to a community development project. For more information, go to roughguides.com/travel-insurance.

Although local law makes no explicit reference to the legality of sexual intercourse between adults of the same sex, this is less a tacit nod of consent than a refusal of officialdom to discuss such matters, and LGBT+ activities may be punishable as sexual harassment, or even, shockingly, “mutual rape” if it takes place in the military. In the early 1990s, the first few LGBT+ websites were cracked down on by a government that, during the course of the subsequent appeal, made it clear that human rights did not fully apply to homosexuals – all the more reason for the “different people” (iban-in), already fearful of losing their jobs, friends and family, to lock themselves firmly in the closet.

Korean society has, however, become much more liberal in such regards. With more and more high-profile people coming out, a critical mass has been reached, and younger generations are markedly less prejudiced on – and more willing to discuss – the issue. LGBT+ clubs, bars and saunas, while still generally low-key outside “Homo Hill” in Seoul’s Itaewon district and Ikseondong near Insadong, can be found in every major city, and lobbyists have been making inroads into the Korean parliament. The Korean Queer Culture Festival – still the only pride event in the country – takes place over a fortnight in early June at locations across Seoul.

LGBT+ information sources

Chingusai chingusai.net. Loosely meaning “Among Friends”, Chingusai’s trailblazing magazine is available at many LGBT+ bars in the capital. Mainly in Korean, but with some English-language information.

Travel Gay Asia travelgayasia.com. Pan-Asian site featuring listings of bars, clubs and saunas, in the case of Korea mainly focused on Seoul and Busan.

Utopia Asia utopia-asia.com. Useful information about bars, clubs and saunas, including a fair few non-Seoul spots.

Mail

The Korean postal system is cheap and trustworthy, and there are post offices in even the smallest town. Most are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm; all should be able to handle international mail, and the larger ones offer free internet access. There’s a relative dearth of postcards for sale, though if you do track some down you’ll find that postal rates are cheap, at around W400 per card. Letters will cost a little more, though as with parcels the tariff will vary depending on their destination – the largest box you can send (20kg) will cost about W150,000 to mail to the UK or US, though this price drops to about W50,000 if you post via surface mail, a process that can take up to three months. All post offices have the necessary boxes for sale, and will even do your packing for a small fee. Alternatively, international courier chains such as UPS and FedEx can also ship from Korea.

Maps

Free maps, many of which are available in English, can be picked up at any tourist office or higher-end hotel, as well as most travel terminals. The main drawback with them is that distances and exact street patterns are hard to gauge, though it’s a complaint the powers that be are slowly taking on board. Mercifully, maps for Bukhansan National Park are excellent and drawn to scale, and can be bought for W1000 at the park entrances. Those looking for professional maps will find plenty (although mostly in Korean) in the city’s major bookshops.

Money

The Korean currency is the won (W), which comes in notes of W1000, W5000, W10,000 and W50,000, and coins of W10, W50, W100 and W500. At the time of writing the exchange rate was approximately W1500 to £1, W1300 to €1, and W1100 to US$1.

ATMs are everywhere in Korea, not only in banks (은행; eunhaeng) but 24-hour convenience stores such as 7-Eleven or GS25. Most machines are capable of dealing with foreign cards, and those that do are usually able to switch to English-language mode; note that you may have to try a few machines. Smaller towns may not have such facilities – stock up on cash in larger cities.

Foreign credit and debit cards are being accepted in more and more hotels, restaurants and shops. It shouldn’t be too hard to exchange foreign notes for Korean cash; banks are all over the place, and the only likely problem when dealing in dollars, pounds or euros is time – some places simply won’t have exchanged money before, forcing staff to consult the procedure manual.

Opening hours and public holidays

Seoul is one of the world’s truest 24-hour cities – opening hours are such that almost everything you need is likely to be available whenever you require it. Most shops and almost all restaurants are open daily, often until late, as are tourist information offices. A quite incredible number of establishments are open 24/7, including convenience stores, saunas, Internet cafés and some of the busier shops and restaurants. Post offices (Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, sometimes Saturday mornings too) and banks (Mon–Fri 9.30am–4pm) keep more sensible hours.

South Korean public holidays

Sinjeong (New Year’s Day) Jan 1. Seoul celebrates New Year in much the same fashion as Western countries, with huge crowds gathering around City Hall.

Seollal (Lunar New Year) Usually early Feb. One of the most important holidays on the calendar, Lunar New Year sees Koreans flock to their home towns for a three-day holiday of relaxed celebration, and many businesses close up.

Independence Movement Day March 1.

Children’s Day May 5. Koreans make an even bigger fuss over their kids than usual on this national holiday – expect parks, zoos and amusement parks to be jam-packed.

Buddha’s Birthday Usually late May. Many temples become a photogenic sea of lanterns.

Memorial Day June 6. Little more than a day off for most Koreans, this day honours those who fell in battle.

Independence Day Aug 15. The country becomes a sea of Korean flags on this holiday celebrating the end of Japanese rule in 1945.

Chuseok Late Sept or early Oct. One of the biggest events in the Korean calendar is this three-day national holiday, similar to Thanksgiving; families head to their home towns to venerate their ancestors in low-key ceremonies, and eat a special crescent-shaped rice cake.

National Foundation Day Oct 3. Celebrates the 2333 BC birth of Dangun, the legendary founder of the Korean nation. Shamanist celebrations take place at shrines around Seoul, with the most important on Inwangsan mountain.

Hangeul Day Oct 9. Koreans celebrate the alphabet they’re so proud of that they replace it with Roman characters at any possible opportunity.

Christmas Day Dec 25. Every evening looks like Christmas in neon-drenched Seoul, but on this occasion Santa Haraboji (Grandpa Santa) finally arrives.

Until recently, the country was one of the few in the world to have a six-day working week; though this has been officially altered to five, the changes haven’t filtered through to all workers, and Korea’s place at the top of the world’s “average hours worked per year” table has not been affected. The number of national holidays has fallen, however, in an attempt to make up the slack, and as most of the country’s population are forced to take their holiday at the same times, there can be chaos on the roads and rails. Three of the biggest holidays – Lunar New Year, Buddha’s birthday and Chuseok – are based on the lunar calendar, and have no fixed dates (see box for further details on national holidays and festivals).

Phones

Getting hold of a mobile phone while you’re in the country is easy – there are 24-hour rental booths at Incheon Airport. Using your own phone can be more problematic, but you’ll be able to rent a data-only SIM at the same places (or many of the larger convenience stores, where you can also top up your credit), or simply switch on roaming. If you’re going to be in Korea for a while, you may care to register with a major service provider – KT and SK Telecom are two of the biggest chains, and so ubiquitous that the nearest store is likely to be within walking distance; bring a Korean friend along if you’re not legally employed in the country. Despite the prevalence of mobile phones, you’ll still see payphones on every major street; many of these ageing units only take coins, meaning that you’ll have to pump in change at a furious pace to avoid the deafening squawks that signal the end of your call time. Pre-paid travel cards work with some machines.

Korea’s international dialling code is 82. When dialling from abroad, omit the initial zero from the area codes. Korean area codes are given throughout the guide.

Photography

Photography is a national obsession in Korea. If you want a personal shot, few locals will mind being photographed, though of course it’s polite to ask first. One serious no-no is to go snap-happy on a tour of the DMZ – this can, and has, landed tourists in trouble. You may also see temple-keepers and monks poised at the ready to admonish would-be photographers of sacrosanct areas.

Smoking

Many Korean men smoke, as well as a growing number of younger women – no real surprise, with packets of twenty starting at around W3000 in any convenience store. In line with international norms, it’s illegal – at least in theory – to light up in a restaurant or bar, though some larger cafés have dedicated smoking sections. Many Koreans retreat to public toilets for a cigarette; curiously, many have signs on the doors forbidding such activities, yet also ashtrays or paper cups on hand for those who break the rules.

Time

The Korean peninsula shares a time zone with Japan: one hour ahead of China, nine hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, seven hours ahead of South Africa, fourteen hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the US or Montreal in Canada, and one hour behind Sydney. Daylight Saving hours are not observed, so though noon in London will be 9pm in Seoul for much of the year, the difference drops to eight hours during British Summer Time.

Tourist information

The Korean tourist authorities churn out a commendable number of English-language maps, pamphlets and books, most of which are handed out at information booths – you’ll be able to find one in every city, usually outside the train or bus stations. Not all of these are staffed with an English-speaker, but you’ll be able to get 24-hour assistance and advice on the dedicated tourist information line – dial 1330 and you’ll be put through to helpful call-centre staff who speak a number of languages and can advise on transport, sights, accommodation, theatre ticket prices and much more. If calling from a mobile phone or abroad, you’ll also need to put in a regional prefix – to reach Seoul, for example, dial 02 1330. The official Korean tourist website (english.visitkorea.or.kr) is quite useful, and most cities and provinces have sites of their own.

K-Style Hub 40 Cheonggyecheonno 02 729 9457. On the second floor level of the Korea Tourist Organization’s HQ, this is the largest and most info-packed tourist office in town. They’re able to help with anything from accommodation to tours, and have handy pamphlets detailing sights nationwide. English spoken. Daily 9am–8pm.

Insadong Tourist Information Center Yulgongno. Right at the north end of Insadonggil, and conveniently located for an array of surrounding sights, this small office can help with basic sightseeing queries. Daily 9am–6pm.

Myeongdong Tourist Information Center 66 Euljiro 02 778 033. The largest of Seoul city’s own array of tourist offices, though also very helpful when trying to glean advice for destinations around the country. English-speakers always on hand. Daily 9am–8pm.

Travelling with children

Seoul has high standards of health, low levels of crime and plenty to see and do – bringing children of any age should pose no special problems. Koreans dote upon their children, no real surprise given that the birth rate is among the lowest on earth. Locals make enough fuss over their own kids, but foreign children (particularly those with fair hair) are likely to find themselves the star of plenty of photographs.

Changing facilities are common in public toilets (department stores are particularly good for this), and classier restaurants have highchairs. Unfortunately, baby food labelled in English is almost non-existent. A few hotels provide a babysitting service, though those in need can also ask their concierge for a newspaper with babysitter adverts. There are also cinemas, theme parks and a zoo or two to keep children amused.

Finally, a few words of warning. It’s essential to note that some of the restaurants listed in this guide – especially those serving barbecued meat – have hotplates or charcoal in the centre of the table, which poses an obvious danger to little hands. Additionally, in a country where it’s perfectly normal for cars to drive on the pavements, you may want to exercise a little more caution than normal when walking around town with your children. Note that breastfeeding in public may still cause grave offence.

Travellers with disabilities

Despite its First World status, Korea can be filed under “developing countries” as far as disabled accessibility is concerned, and with rushing traffic and crowded streets, it’s never going to be the easiest destination to get around. Until recently, very little attention was paid to those with disabilities, but things are changing. Streets are being made more wheelchair-friendly, and many subway and train stations have been fitted with lifts. Almost all motels and tourist hotels have these, too, though occasionally you’ll come across an entrance that hasn’t been built with wheelchairs in mind. Some museums and tourist attractions will be able to provide a helper if necessary, but wherever you are, Koreans are likely to jump at the chance to help travellers in obvious need of assistance.

< Back to Basics