 Korea's
Transportation System
What kinds of
transportation are in Korea
and what is it
like?
Traveling can be easy or
difficult, depending on the mode
of transportation
you use, the distance traveled, and your budget.
When using any public transportation it is a good idea
(especially in smaller
towns or rural areas) to have a Korean friend write down
your destination
on a piece of paper. You can show this to taxi drivers
and ticket booths at
bus, subway, and train stations.
Be careful as the pronunciation of
the names of many
cities and towns is very similar. If you are new to the
country, your
pronunciation may not be that good and you might be
misunderstood. You
could easily find yourself 100 kilometers and several
hours out of your way
if the ticket seller hears Cheong ju and you said Chung
ju.
Taxi’s
Taxi’s are every where, even in smaller towns, with
little or no waiting
for one to drive by. There are two types of taxi in
Korea– the general
taxi and the black deluxe taxi (mobeom). General taxis
have a 20%
surcharge between midnight and 4 AM that may not appear
on the
meter. The taxi drivers generally do not try to rip
you off, so
just pay the amount the driver asks for, regardless of
what the meter
says (unless of course it is obviously way more than 20%
of the
metered amount).
Some taxis in larger cities have a free
interpretation service. Just ask the driver to contact
the interpreter
and they will pass on destination and price details to
the driver. These
taxis can be identified by the yellow sign on the side
of the cab. They
will also have signs inside the taxi that interpretation
services are
available.
Buses
Intra-city buses are also everywhere, but not very
convenient. As
with buses every where, a traveler is at the mercy of
their schedules
and the location of the stops. You may have a 15 to 20
minute wait
between busses, and they may or may not get you very
close to your
final destination. Many of the buses, especially in
smaller cities are
old, so they may not be air-conditioned, which is a big
problem in the
summer. Their heaters worked well though in the winter.
For those
new to the country - traveling by bus, especially in the
summer, can be
a pungent experience due to the ample supply of garlic
in a typical
Korean diet.
There are two
types of buses for travel between cities in Korea. The
Express buses are non-stop between point of departure
and point of
destination (except for rest stops of 10 minutes every 2
hours).
Express buses can be either first class (udung) or
second class
(chikhaeng). The inter city buses stop at every whistle
stop along the
way. (not recommended– it’s a little cheaper, but can
add hours to
the trip!). Seats are reserved on the Express buses (if
you miss your
bus, you must buy a new ticket). Seats are unreserved on
the
intercity services.
For a English navigator bus route go
to:
http://bus.congnamul.com/SeoulRouteWebApp/view_english/map.jsp
Trains
There are four types of trains in Korea– Korea Train
Express (KTX),
Super Express (Saemaul-ho), Express (Mugunghwa-ho) and
Limited
Express (Tong-il-ho). First class seating is available
on the Korea
Train Express, the Super Express, and the Express
trains.
The new
world class KTX/ Express Trains travel at a speed of
300km/hr and
will take you anywhere in the country within three
hours. Traveling by
the Limited Express is not recommended as they are usually
very
crowded, with passengers standing in the aisles and can
be dirty and
smelly.
Generally, the trains are safe, punctual and inexpensive. Also just
about every
station has signs in Korean and English, so they are
fairly easy to use
and navigate around in. If in doubt, just ask one of the
attendants or
the person at the ticket booth.
The average price of a
regular train
ticket for two hours of travel is about 6,000 won. For
detailed
information Korean Railway lines and schedules go to:
http://www.korail.go.kr/ROOT/main-top.top?lang=eng
Subways
The four largest cities in Korea have subway systems–
Seoul, Pusan,
Daejeon, and Daegu. The subways are clean, efficient,
and easy to
use. All signs are in English as well as in Korean and
subway maps
are posted in the stations.
For a subway map go to:
www.smrt.co.kr
Motorcycles
There are a quite a few motorcycles on the road,
obviously because
they are inexpensive when compared to cars. But the
popularity of
motorcycles is on the decline in Korea as more and more
people are
earning more money and moving up.
Traffic can be really
bad in Korea, especially in the larger cities. This
traffic is avoided by most
motorcyclist’s by simply driving around it. It’s not
that uncommon to
see a motorcycle driving along on the sidewalk, so
tread carefully.
Cars
It is fairly easy to buy a car in Korea, just pay your
money, and get it
registered at city hall. You must have proof of
insurance before
registering the vehicle. Also there is an annual safety
inspection of
vehicles. The cost of gasoline is high compared to the
U.S., but
maintenance cost is cheap, due to the relatively low
labor costs for
mechanics. The price of the parts needed for repairs is
reasonable.
Driving in South Korea can be difficult and frustrating.
Traffic jams
are an everyday occurrence in the larger cities.
Traveling during
major holidays on the national expressways can take
three or four
times longer than usual. Driving in Korea can also be
quite
dangerous. Korean drivers, as a whole, are not very
defensive when
they drive. Drivers must expect the unexpected when
driving.
A driver should have an International Drivers Permit
initially.
Foreign drivers
can also get a Korean license. One thing to keep in mind, speed cameras are everywhere
on the
expressways and national roads, as well as in the
cities. If you speed,
your license plate will be photographed and a week or so
later you
will get a speeding ticket in the mail. These can be
quite expensive,
so drive safe and drive slow.
Get Started Teaching English
Abroad NOW
with these
two FREE eBooks:
Click
Here:
Teach English
Abroad Free
eBooks
 |
 |
 Seven
Secrets
to
Success
Abroad
What
you
MUST
know
to
be
Successful
Overseas |
How
to
Teach
English
Abroad
Everything you Need
to Know to Land a Job and Move Overseas.
|
Go,
download
the
eBook
and
read
it!
... a "Cultural Survival Guide"
... a
great
manifesto
for
living
abroad ...
-- eBook
Review
at www.hospitalera.com
-- |
Insider
Tips
from
an
Experienced TEFL
Teacher,
TEFL
Teacher-Trainer
and
former
Peace
Corps
Volunteer
working
Overseas
since
1989. |
|
|
"Twenty
years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn't do than by the
ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the
trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.
Discover." -- Mark Twain |
|
Raise your hand if you'd like to spend your "working"
time in a Luxury Resort . . . 
