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Are you new to Korea? If so, let us be one of the first to bid you Welcome! This page will give you a basic introduction to...
Korea's public transportation system is very good, and probably the best way to get around Korea. Most all cities and towns have well established public transportation systems. Below are links to Korea's most popular and beneficial public transportation websites. Korea's Railroad System KORAIL - Korea's railroad system. Very modern and fast. Many destinations throughout Korea are attainable via Korea's railroad system. Korean Railways are symbolized by English abbreviation, representing Korea internationally. Quick Links:
Korea's Subway Systems Subway maps are well-posted and written in Korean and in English. Seoul, Busan, Daegu, and Incheon all have subway systems, with Gwangju and Daejon currently working on theirs. SUBWAY WORLD - Seoul Metropolitan Subway Corporation's website. Quick Links:
SMRT - Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation website. IRTC - Incheon Rapid Transit Corporation website. BUSAN URBAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY - Busan subway website. DAEGU METROPOLITAN SUBWAY CORPORATION - Daegu subway website. GWANGJU RAPID TRANSIT CORPORATION - Gwangju subway website. DAEJEON RAPID TRANSIT CORPORATION - Daejeon subway website.
Korea Taxi's There are many taxi's available throughout Korea. There are basically two types: The basic taxi, which is silver or grey, and the deluxe taxi which is black and more comfortable. The deluxe taxi is more expensive, but does not require you to share the taxi, as does a basic taxi. Also, the drivers in the deluxe taxis usually speak English pretty well, as opposed to the basic taxi drivers. The common practice of hailing a taxi is to have your hand in front of your body, palm down, and fingers curled. Look around at others to get the idea. If you appear to be new at hailing a cab, then the basic taxi's will probably not pick you up. More information on Taxi's.
Buses Buses are abundant throughout Korea, from large cities to small towns. Due to traffic congestion buses have there own lanes, which speeds up travel a considerably once you are out of the city. Public transportation is by far the fastest mode of travel. Most Koreans use the public transportation systems. Cars are bought and used mostly for their status symbol. Bus Schedule - Select your origin and destination from drop down menus, and you will be presented with the schedules for that trip. This page also lists links to information on the various terminals located in Seoul and Busan.
Air Travel KAC - Korean Airports Corporation website. This page shows a clickable map of Korea locating the domestic and international airports throughout Korea. Clicking on any of these links will take you to the corresponding airport's website. Quick Links
Korea's Major Airlines Korean Air - International and Domestic Service. Asiana Airlines - International and Domestic Service.
Korean's make different sounds in their language then we do in ours. For example, you may here someone pronounce a word that you swear started with a "K", and then here someone else pronounce it with a "G". Actually, a lot of these words use a combination of the "G" and "K" together. You may have a hard time for awhile trying to pronounce the words correctly. If you would like an in depth description of the revised Korean Romanization system (2000), try Wikipedia, or the "Office of the President" (Republic of Korea). Below are some basic travel words. In some cases I have shown multiple ways to say the word. Either will work! These spellings do not necessarily agree with the revised Romanization standard, but are spelled the way we would normally hear them, for ease of learning. Train - Ki-cha (Gi-cha) [It is really a combination of "K" and "G" (if you can master it).] Train station - Ki-cha Yok (pronounced more like "yoke") (Destination) Go to please! - (Destination) Kap-shi-da (Replace (Destination) with your destination, preferably in Korean, followed by Kap-shi-da.)
Yes - Nae or Ye (Ye, short "e" is informal, Nae is better.) No - A-ni-o or A-nim-ni-da (A-ni-o is more widely used, and easier to say. A-nim-ni-da is more formal.) Hello - Ahn-nyung-ha-sae-o (Formal greeting. / "Yobo-saeyo" to answer a phone) Goodbye (as guest at a residence) - Ahn-nyung-hee-kay-sae-o (This is you as the guest leaving.) Goodbye (as host at a residence) - Ahn-nyung-hee-gah-sae-o (This is you as the host saying goodbye to your guest.) Goodbye (other than at a residence) - Cho-su-mae-ka-sae-o (Cho-soo-mae-ga-sae-o) Please (used as a suffix) - Chu-sae-o
Thank you - Kam-sa-ham-ni-da Take me to my hotel please - Hotel (name) Kap-shi-da (Gap-shi-da) Bathroom - Hwa-jang-sil (Hwa-jang-shil) Where is the bathroom - Hwa-jang-sil Odi-ae-o (Hwa-jang-shil Odee-ae-o) How much - Al-ma-im-nika or Al-ma-ae-o What is this - Igum-bo-ae-o (eegum-bo-ae-o) Help - To-wa-ju-sae-o Doctor - Ui-sa (ooh-ee-sa) Police - Kyong-ch'al Police station - Kyong-ch'al-so Pharmacy - Yak-guk Taxi - T'aek-si (Tack-shi) Subway - Chi-ha-ch'ol Bus - Busu (busa) or Bus (they understand) Right - O-run-jjok Left - Wen-jjok Beef - Soe-go-gi Chicken - Tak-go-gi (Dak-go-gi) Fish - Saeng-son Pork - Twaeji-go-gi (Dwaeji-go-gi) Vegetable - Ch'ae-so Salad - Sael-ru-du or Saeng-ch'ae-yo-ri Bread - ppang (pong / bong) Cheese - Ch'-i-i-ju (Chee-ja) or Cheez Rice - Pa'ap (Ba'ap) [cooked rice] Potato - Kam-ja Sweet potato - Ko-gu-ma Soup - Kuk (Kook / Gook) Chocolate - Ch'o-k'ol-rit Coffee - K'o-o-p'i (copy / copii) Tea - Cha Milk - U-yu (ooh-you) Beer - Maek-ju (Make-Joo) Water - Mul (Mool) Purified water - Saeng-su (Sang-soo) Dog - Kay Fire - Pul (Pool) Feel free to copy and print these travel terms. See our online English / Korean Phonetic Dictionary for more words!
We could give a good introduction to Korean food, however, I have found a great introduction online already, so why reinvent the wheel? Here it is: Korean Food. If you would like to try your hand at making some Korean food, here is a website with LOTS of traditional recipes: Recipes. You can also find a bit more information about Korean food in our Travel Lounge.
The HanMi Travel Lounge - Ton's of travel resources here! Korea National Tourism Organization
Korea
National Tourism Cyber Lounge - FREE Seoul Metropolitan Government Website
KNTO -
External Links (Government Agencies / Tourism Associations /
Research Institutes /
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