몇 번 출구로 나가야 하나요?Myeot beon chulguro nagaya hanayo?
Is this the correct platform?
이 승강장이 맞나요?I seunggangjangi mannayo?
Please show me on the map.
지도에서 보여 주세요.Jidoeseo boyeo juseyo.
1
Stop walking and move away from platform edges or busy stairs.
2
Keep the station name, line number and destination visible on your phone.
3
Use 1330 for travel interpretation. Use 112 or 119 only for a real emergency.
FOREIGN-VISITOR BOOKING
Book without starting with a Korean phone number
Use the operator’s global or multilingual page first. Enter your name exactly as shown on your passport, keep the payment confirmation and check the departure terminal before travel.
TRAIN
KORAIL Global
Book KTX and other eligible rail tickets through the foreign-visitor page.
Show the exact destination pin before departure. Use a licensed taxi or a dispatch app that accepts your payment method, and keep the vehicle number and receipt.
Immediate danger? Move to a safe public place and call 112. For fire or a medical emergency, call 119. For travel interpretation and general help, call 1330.
BEFORE YOUR FIRST TAP
Apple Pay or Revolut is not automatically a Korean transport card
The Visa, Mastercard, American Express or JCB logo is not the deciding factor. A card issued outside Korea may work for ordinary shopping but still be rejected by a transport-card machine—and a foreign contactless card cannot simply be tapped at most subway gates or city-bus readers.
Safest arrival planWithdraw or exchange a small amount of Korean won.Buy one Tmoney or EZL card per traveller.Pay for the card and initial reload in cash unless the exact terminal confirms foreign-card acceptance.
APPLE PAY
Shop payment ≠ transit payment
A foreign bank card in Apple Pay can work only at merchants displaying Apple Pay or contactless acceptance. It is not itself a subway or bus card.
APPLE WALLET + TMONEY
Works only as an actual transit card
If your eligible iPhone or Apple Watch lets you add and fund Tmoney as a transit card, use that Tmoney—not the ordinary bank card in Wallet—at the gate.
REVOLUT / WISE
Useful backup, not tap-to-ride
The physical Visa or Mastercard may work in shops or compatible ATMs. It cannot replace Tmoney/EZL at a normal subway gate, and station reload acceptance is not guaranteed.
GOOGLE WALLET / VIRTUAL CARD
Do not make this your only plan
Merchant contactless support varies. Virtual-only and disposable cards cannot be inserted into an ATM or a machine that requires the physical card.
TMONEY / EZL
Cash is the dependable backup
Purchase and reload payment methods vary by retailer and machine. Do not assume an overseas-issued card will work merely because it carries a familiar network logo.
CLIMATE CARD
Payment depends on the sales channel
Seoul Metro information centres are cash-only. Newer vending machines and convenience stores can differ, so follow the payment logos and keep cash ready.
MPASS
Korean won cash only
The official tourism guide lists Mpass purchase as cash-only in Korean won.
WOWPASS
A separate tourist-card option
WOWPASS kiosks load listed foreign banknotes and require a passport. Check the supported currencies and remember that its shopping and transit balances are separate.
CHECK iN SEOUL
Pre-apply, then collect by QR
Complete the application in the official app, open the pickup QR at a supported kiosk and scan the original passport. Keep the pickup QR separate from the app’s cash-withdrawal QR.
Best for Seoul and Gimpo Airport. AREX Express and All-stop trains use different tickets and stopping patterns.
K
KTX / rail
Best for Busan, Gyeongju, Daejeon, Gangneung, Jeonju and Suncheon. KTX does not depart directly from Incheon Airport; first reach the correct rail station.
B
City / airport bus
Useful when a limousine stop is beside your hotel or for the last local connection. Road traffic changes the arrival time.
E
Express / intercity bus
Essential for places without KTX, including Sokcho. Match the departure and arrival terminal printed on the ticket.
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