10 Things To Know Before Going to South Korea
I just came back from a trip to South Korea. It was a wonderful experience. I’ve gotten a few questions regarding entry and my stay there so I will be covering some of the more technical things in this post. I will follow up with my itinerary in another post.
Here are some things to know before going to South Korea.
1. Entry Requirements. Check the Visa entry requirement for your country (or where you’re passport is from). After September 3rd, incoming visitors were no longer required to take a pre-departure PCR test. For some countries, you’ll need to fill out the K-ETA and get accepted before entry. This information changes quickly so make sure to do your research! Check out the Korea embassy information page per your country for latest updates.
Some helpful pages: Visa & Immigration
If you’re from the US, check the embassy page.
2. QR Code. At the time that we went, you still needed to fill out a health questionnaire survey. You can do it online, get a QR code and skip the longer line. But you can also complete the health questionnaire upon arrival.
3. PCR Tests. I didn’t have to take a pre-boarding test, but I had to schedule a PCR Test upon arrival, which was a new rule when we went in early September where all incoming visitors had to take the test within the first 24hours of arrival. You will have to pay for the PCR Test, but you can pay with a credit card. The testing process is also super fast. You should get the results within a few hours. After receiving your result, you will have to input that into the QR Code website.
[Update] As of Oct 3, 2022 - incoming visitors are no longer required to take the PCR test upon arrival.
4. SIM Card. If you want to use local data for your phone, you will need a local SIM Card. In order to get a local SIM card working on your phone, MAKE SURE YOUR PHONE IS UNLOCKED! Luckily I was able to get mine unlocked literally 12 hours before departure to Korea. You can check whether your phone is locked or unlocked by going to your settings, and then the “about” section. You can also call your carrier to verify and have them unlock it for you. It was easy to get the SIM card installed. Having a local career was also super helpful especially when it came to calling our hotel or a taxi!
You can get your local SIM card at the airport. I recommend it! There are alot of affordable options available.
5. Tmoney Card. If you want to save money, taking the train and the bus is the way to go especially in Seoul. Both transportation systems are easy to use around Seoul. They’re also clean and don’t miss out on the underground shopping stalls. Highly suggest getting a Tmoney Card and taking public transportation to get around.
You can purchase the physical card with a credit card. But you can only load the card with cash. You can load the card when you buy the card. You can also load the card at any train station stops. Remember that to load your Tmoney Card, you’ll need cash. You can also get the remaining cash back at the end of your trip if you want to.
6. Credit Card. Most places in Seoul takes credit card, especially if it’s Visa. Make sure to let your credit card know you will be traveling so your purchases don’t get declined!
7. Cash. I would suggest taking some cash with you just in case. I did have to use cash to reload my Tmoney card and to make some purchases where credit card wasn’t accepted. I personally don’t think you need more than $150-$200 USD in cash—if that. But if you’re not a credit card user or don’t have a credit card, or you’ll be traveling outside of Seoul to the more rural areas of the country, then you may want to bring along more cash—but use your judgement! If anything, you can always go to a global ATM to take out more cash.
You can exchange your cash at the airport. I heard it’s not the best rate, but it is the most convenient—in the case that you do need cash after you leave the airport.
8. Naver Map. This is going to be your life saver! I used Naver Map every single day to navigate where we were going, especially because we took public transportation and walked everywhere. Even if you’ll be taking the taxi, it’s still a great option to have so you know you’re heading the right direction. Naver Map works better than Google Maps in Korea so highly recommend downloading Naver Map for the most accurate routes. Naver will also tell you which buses or trains to take, which is super helpful.
Tip: You can set the map to English. If you’re typing the location in English, not spacing the words will give you the most accurate result. I find that when I do space between the words, the location doesn’t always pull up. For example: Search “BukchonHanokVillage” instead of “Bukchon Hanok Village.”
Some people prefer Kakao Map. I had that as backup just in case. But I find that Naver was more intuitive for me.
9. Papago App. If you don’t speak Korean, this app will be super handy. I like this app more than the Google translate app—I find it more accurate. This app is great to use when there is not an English menu and you need to translate the menu.
The app has many features to use for translation so highly recommend it!
10. English. In Seoul, you don’t necessarily need to know Korean to get by. A lot of restaurants have an English menu or photos. The trains and buses also have announcements in English which is helpful. However, I do think that it’ll be very helpful if you know how to read Korean or know some helpful key phrases. In my personal experience, a lot of people we met in Seoul knew enough English to help or even carry a conversation, but they (especially the older folks) were always really excited when I can say something back in Korean, even if it’s just “thank you.” And it was also helpful that I can read Korean, especially when it came to trying to find certain restaurants.
And just a FYI, a lot of people still wear masks in Korea, and some places still require masks, especially in public transportation and indoor places. Be mindful of that and make sure to bring along a mask!
That sums up my 10 Things to Know Before Going to South Korea. Hopefully this is helpful for anyone who plans to go to South Korea. Most of this is really to help you prep for a great trip once you get there!
If you’re planning on going to South Korea, have so much fun! As always, have a great time but be respectful of the locals there.
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