Taxis in Korea: apps, fares, and showing the driver where you mean
Cheap by international standards and plentiful, except at the one hour you most want one — how taxis work and when to take one instead of the subway.
Updated
When a taxi is the right answer
Korean taxis are inexpensive by the standards of most developed countries, and short journeys are cheap enough that three people splitting one often beats three separate transit fares.
The clear cases are after the subway stops, with luggage, in heavy rain, and for the last stretch to somewhere no line reaches. Our airport guide covers the specific case of landing late at Incheon.
The clear case against is central Seoul at rush hour, where a taxi is slower than the train and the meter makes the point for you.
Hailing, apps, and the difficult hour
Taxis can be flagged on the street, and a lit sign in the windscreen means available. In practice apps have become the normal way to get one, and they remove the language problem entirely because you enter the destination yourself.
Kakao T is the dominant app. Registering fully generally needs a Korean phone number, which is worth knowing before you plan around it — see our guide to staying connected.
Around midnight in the entertainment districts, taxis become genuinely hard to get. Demand far outruns supply as the subway closes, and it is the one hour when the system stops working smoothly.
Paying, and what differs
Meters are standard and used. Cards are accepted almost universally, T-money included, and cash is fine.
Fares rise late at night, and longer intercity trips carry surcharges. The meter shows this; it is not improvisation.
Tipping is not expected, and attempting it produces mild confusion rather than pleasure.
Seat belts are required in the back as well as the front, and enforcement is real.
Making yourself understood
Show the destination in Korean rather than saying it. A screenshot, a map pin, or the Korean name on the page you are already looking at all work, and any of them beats pronunciation.
Give a landmark or a subway station with an exit number rather than a street address. Korean addressing works by district and block rather than by street in the way most visitors expect, and drivers navigate by landmark accordingly.
Drivers are generally straightforward, and metered fares plus app hailing have made classic tourist overcharging rare. If something feels wrong, the receipt carries the vehicle number.