Jeju Island trip (3+ days)
RentPublic transit on Jeju is thin. A car cuts a 3-day itinerary in half and unlocks Aewol / Seongsan / Olle trail heads.
Driving in Korea
Getting around
Driving in Korea
Whether to rent, how to clear the IDP rules, where to refuel and the four mistakes that earn a foreigner an automatic ₩60,000 fine.
Should you even rent?
Seoul-only stay
SkipSubway + bus + taxi covers everything. Parking is expensive and traffic is unforgiving.
Rural / temple-stay weekend (Andong, Suncheon, Hadong)
RentBuses run a handful of times a day. A car turns a hellish multi-leg trip into a clean day.
Busan / Jeonju / Gyeongju circuit
MaybeKTX is faster city-to-city, but a car gives you the side trips between (Tongyeong, Geoje, hanok villages). Choose by how many side trips you want.
Family with small kids, 4+ destinations
RentLess stroller juggling on stairs, easier nap schedules. Reserve car seats.
First-time visitor, 1 week, big cities only
SkipDriving on day 1 with jet lag, IDP paperwork and Korean signage is a bad idea. KTX + taxis.
License rules by passport
Bring all three at all times: passport + IDP + home license. Police checks at festivals and Jeju.
United States
1949 IDPIDP issued by AAA or AATA. Bring home license too — police check both.
Valid up to 365 days from entry.
United Kingdom
1949 IDPIDP from the Post Office. Required even though UK license is in English.
Valid up to 365 days from entry.
Canada
1949 IDPIDP from CAA. Check that issuance date is before entering Korea.
Valid up to 365 days from entry.
Australia
1949 IDPIDP from RACV/NRMA. Carry passport, IDP and home license at all times when driving.
Valid up to 365 days from entry.
New Zealand
1949 IDPIDP via AA. Korean rental agencies will not release a car without it.
Valid up to 365 days from entry.
Germany / France / Spain / Italy / Netherlands
1949 IDPStandard 1949 IDP. EU license alone is not enough in Korea.
Valid up to 365 days from entry.
Japan
1949 IDPBring Japanese license + IDP from local prefectural police.
Valid up to 365 days from entry.
Singapore / Malaysia / Thailand
1949 IDPIDP via national automobile association.
Valid up to 365 days from entry.
Taiwan
Mutual recognitionMutual recognition agreement — Taiwanese license valid up to 1 year without IDP, but bring a notarized Korean translation.
Valid up to 365 days from entry.
Belgium / Switzerland / Sweden
1949 IDP1949 IDP accepted. Belgium also issues 1968 — both work.
Valid up to 365 days from entry.
China
Conversion requiredChina is not party to 1949 IDP. To drive in Korea you must hold a Korean license — convert via the Seoul Namsan License Exam Office.
Cannot drive in Korea as a visitor.
Vietnam / Indonesia
Conversion required1949 IDP not honored. Long-term residents convert at a Driver’s License Test Office.
Cannot drive in Korea as a visitor.
Russia
1968 IDPKorea accepts 1968 Geneva IDP from a small list of countries. Russia is one — but a 1949 IDP is safer if you have both.
Valid up to 365 days from entry.
Rental agencies that book in English
Lotte Rent-a-Car
English siteLargest fleet, the safest default. English site books fine with foreign cards.
Min age / exp
21+ · 1y
Day rate (KRW)
₩55,000–130,000
Pickup: ICN · GMP · PUS · CJU · Seoul stations
SK Rent-a-Car (Speedmate)
English siteSecond-biggest. Bilingual contracts standard.
Min age / exp
21+ · 1y
Day rate (KRW)
₩50,000–120,000
Pickup: ICN · GMP · PUS · CJU
Avis Korea
English siteLoyalty miles transferable. Pricier but very transparent.
Min age / exp
25+ · 1y
Day rate (KRW)
₩70,000–180,000
Pickup: ICN · GMP · Seoul · Busan
Hertz Korea
English siteGold Plus Rewards works. Counters at ICN T1 + T2.
Min age / exp
25+ · 1y
Day rate (KRW)
₩70,000–200,000
Pickup: ICN · GMP
Hyundai Rent-a-Car (Jeju)
Best Jeju rates but the booking is Korean-only — partner with Trazy or KKday.
Min age / exp
21+ · 1y
Day rate (KRW)
₩40,000–110,000
Pickup: CJU
Klook Jeju car rental
English siteEnglish booking on Klook fronts a Korean operator. Insurance bundle clearer than the local agencies’.
Min age / exp
21+ · 1y
Day rate (KRW)
₩45,000–130,000
Pickup: CJU
Rules that catch foreigners
Korea drives on the right. Left turns wait for a dedicated arrow at most large intersections.
Turning left on a green ball is a ticket and very common foreigner mistake.
Speed cameras everywhere — both fixed and mobile.
Rental agencies forward all fines to your card 1–3 months later. Plan for ~₩60,000 per overspeed (≤ 20km/h over).
School zones (어린이 보호구역) are 30 km/h, 07:00–20:00.
Doubled fines plus suspended license risk. Marked with red asphalt and yellow "School Zone" signs.
No turn on red unless signed otherwise. The default is wait for green.
Foreigner right-on-red gets ticketed via camera even at 03:00.
Phone use while driving = ₩60,000 + 15 demerit points.
Even handheld GPS check at a red light counts.
Drink-drive limit is 0.03% BAC — effectively one drink.
License suspension, criminal record, deportation risk for visa holders. Korean police road-blocks are common after 22:00.
Children under 6 must use a car seat.
₩60,000 fine. Rental agencies rent infant/booster seats for ₩10–15k/day — reserve in advance.
Parking — five modes
Public paid lots (공영주차장)
₩1,000–3,000 / hour in Seoul, cheaper in smaller cities.
Pay: Coin, T-money, or hi-pass card on exit. Card readers do not all take foreign chips — keep ₩10k cash backup.
Tip: Marked with a P on blue ground. Korean signage; download Park’n with bilingual UI if you need help.
Private lots (사설주차장)
₩2,000–6,000 / hour, peak ₩10k+ near Gangnam / Myeongdong.
Pay: Many use a kiosk that reads your plate on entry. Pay at the kiosk before walking back to the car.
Tip: Maximum daily cap often visible on the rate board — ask the attendant in English: "Max per day?"
Mall / department-store parking
Free 1–2 hours with any purchase. Often free if you eat there.
Pay: Show your receipt at the validation kiosk before exiting; otherwise full rate.
Tip: Lotte, Shinsegae and Hyundai department stores all validate. Lotte World Mall validates 3 hours with ₩30k spend.
Apartment garages
N/A — residents only.
Pay: You will be towed.
Tip: Even visitor spaces in residential complexes are reserved. Use a public lot 1 block away.
Hotel parking
Free at most 4-star hotels outside the CBD; ₩10–30k / night at central Seoul hotels.
Pay: Card link on check-in.
Tip: Confirm at booking — "does the rate include parking?" — chains in Myeongdong often charge extra.
TMAP 주차
Korean
Best aggregated parking lot prices + live availability. Korean UI but icons are intuitive.
Modu Parking
Korean · partial English
Reservation-based — pre-pay nearby lots in central Seoul for half price.
Kakao T Parking
Korean
Integrated with KakaoMap — see lots while you navigate.
Tolls (Hi-Pass)
Hi-Pass transponder
Pre-installed in 90% of rentals. Confirm at the counter — the device clips to the windshield and pays automatically at gantry lanes.
Manual cash lanes
Right-most lanes labeled in Korean as 일반/현금. Hand the slip + cash to the operator. Card lanes increasingly common but not universal.
Toll cost guide
Seoul → Busan one-way ~ ₩22,000 in a sedan. Seoul → Sokcho ~ ₩7,000. Korean tolls are tied to vehicle class + distance.
Missed-toll fines
If you accidentally pass through a Hi-Pass lane without a transponder, you have 14 days to settle by visiting any KEX (Korea Expressway) service area — no extra fee if paid within window. Rental agencies will bill your card otherwise + ₩5,000 admin fee.
Fuel
Gasoline (휘발유)
₩1,650–1,800 (2026 average)
SK Energy · GS Caltex · S-Oil · Hyundai Oilbank
Self-serve (셀프) is ~₩50 cheaper per L. Pump screens have an English toggle at most major-chain stations.
Diesel (경유)
₩1,500–1,650
Same four chains
Common in larger SUVs and rentals. Most rental SUVs are diesel — check the cap.
LPG (LPG / 액화석유가스)
₩900–1,050
Mostly stand-alone LPG depots
Cheapest fuel but rentals rarely allow LPG vehicles for tourists. If you somehow have one, only LPG depots refuel — not normal stations.
EV charging
₩300–500 / kWh (fast charger)
EVgo · ME · Chaevi · KEPCO
Mostly RFID-card based. Tourist-friendly path: download Chaevi or PlugShare and check whether the station accepts a credit-card tap. Highway service areas reliably do.
Hand off to a real navigator
For door-to-door turn-by-turn routing in English, hand off to the Visit Korea Map sister project — SeoulTrip deliberately delegates maps.
Open /map →