Getting Around Korea

How the subway, buses, taxis, bikes and parking actually work in Korea, and what they cost. Each guide answers the practical question first (fares, apps, rules) and then explains why the system looks the way it does: Seoul packs a very large share of the country into a small area, so transit can be frequent and cheap in ways that are hard to copy in spread-out American metros. Where a number changes often, the article says when it was checked and links the official source.

11 guides · updated October 14, 2026

All guides in this section

• Korea Transportation Card for Tourist: T-money or Climate Card?
  Korea transportation card for tourist trips: T-money works everywhere; Seoul's Climate Card pass is 5,000 won a day or 20,000 won for 7 days.
• Seoul Metro Platform Screen Doors: Why All 345 Stations Have Them
  Platform screen doors: Seoul fitted all 345 subway stations; accident deaths fell from 37.1 a year to 0.4. New York studied it: 128 of 472 stations.
• Korea's Transit Card Refunds Every Won Over 62,000 a Month. New York Caps by the Week, Just Past a Commuter.
  Korea transit pass: the Modu Card refunds all fares above 62,000 won a month in the Seoul region. New York's $35 weekly cap starts after 12 rides.
• Seoul Bus Lanes Run Down the Middle of the Road. New York Has More Lane Miles and 8 mph Buses.
  Seoul bus lanes: 128.9 km of 24-hour median lanes on 13 corridors. New York has 163 miles of lanes, mostly at the curb, and 8.17 mph buses.
• Seoul Bike Share Costs 1,000 Won an Hour. Citi Bike Charges $4.99 for Half That. Both Carried 44 Million Rides.
  Seoul bike share charges 1,000 won an hour and loses about 10 billion won a year. Citi Bike charges $4.99. Ridership is the same.
• Korea Puts the Bus Countdown on the Pole. New York Put It on Your Phone. The Software Came From Portland.
  Seoul buses carry 4.57 million boardings a day against New York's 1.29 million. That ratio, not better technology, is why the sign is on the pole.
• Korea Parking: Why 94% of Seoul's Home Parking Is Inside a Building
  Seoul counts 2,835,706 residential parking spaces and 94% sit inside buildings. The street share is rented monthly, one numbered box per household.
• Korea Taxi Price: Why a Seoul Taxi Starts at 4,800 Won at Any Hour
  Seoul publishes its taxi fare in advance: 4,800 won base, fixed late-night surcharges. New York stacks five surcharges before the wheels turn.
• A Korean Subway Tunnel Never Drops Your Signal. New York Has 418 Track Miles Left to Wire.
  Korean subway signal holds between stations. New York wired its 281 underground stations in 2017 and is still cabling 418 tunnel miles.
• Seoul Lists 312 Public Restrooms on Eight Subway Lines. All of New York's Subway Has 125.
  A Seoul subway station is a building, not a stop: 312 public restrooms on lines 1-8 alone, 25 municipal underground arcades with 2,788 storefronts, and an operator losing 781 won on every rider.
• Seoul Subway Cost: Why a Ride Is About a Dollar, and How the Math Works
  A Seoul subway ride costs about 1,550 won and the bus transfer is free. How the fare math works, and why density does more of the work than subsidy.

Other topics

Money and Everyday Costs in Korea · Housing and Neighborhoods in Korea · Health, Safety and Family Life in Korea

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