Driving in Korea : VISITKOREA (2024)

1. Renting a car

There are countless rental car companies in Korea. The best way to rent a car is to book one online in advance. It is easy to find rental car companies at airports as well as near train stations, bus terminals, and various places around the city. Rental car costs vary depending on the region, car type, season (peak season or off-season) and company. Typically, rental costs are calculated by day or a 24-hour period.

+ Driver’s license qualification requirements

Travelers staying short-term for tourism purposes may rent a car with an international driver's license (B grade: 9-seater or less, D grade: 11- to 12-seater or less) but must be over 21 years of age and have been in Korea for less than one year. Travelers must also present a passport or alien registration card. Some companies also require the driver's license of your home country so it is a good idea to carry it as well. Rental fees can only be paid by a credit card under the driver’s name.

2. Utilizing a navigation (GPS) app

Unfortunately, the navigation (GPS) feature of Google Maps cannot be used in Korea. However, a useful Korean navigation (GPS) app that provides foreign language options is the Naver Map, which is available in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese. The Naver Map app can be downloaded from the app store on a smartphone.

+ Useful insurance info for car rentals

Car insurance in Korea provides coverage for personal and third party injuries, the vehicle and the property of third parties (vehicles and other facilities). Typically, the cost of a rental car includes insurance for personal and third party injuries and the property of third parties. There are cases in which the insurance for one's own vehicle is included or added as an option. Also, the cost varies depending on the scope of insurance. When renting a car, make sure to check whether or not your vehicle is insured as well as the cost including options and details of insurance.

+ Things you need to pay special attention to when driving in Korea

First of all, the driver's seat is located on the left side, which means you drive on the right side of roads. Distance is measured in kilometers and speed is indicated in kilometers per hour. The driving environment is safe for the most part and drivers show good manners. There are two ways to pay tolls on highways - paying directly to a tollgate employee or paying automatically with a Hi-pass device installed in the car. Hi-pass is an electronic highway toll payment system. If the car you rented does not have a Hi-pass device, be careful not to pass toll gates on highways through a Hi-pass lane (blue lane). If you drove through a toll gate on a Hi-pass lane by mistake, don't worry. Note the name of the tollgate and explain it to an employee at the tollgate when you exit the highway. The employee will process it at once.