Transportation system in the ROK
Intra-city transportation- Intra-city buses, subways, taxies, and the like are available for transportation within a city and its suburbs.
- The routes of intra-city buses are indicated by their numbers and destinations. Intra-city buses are convenient because they serve numerous routes and stops throughout the city. The fare can be paid in cash or with a transportation card. Those who use transportation cards receive a discount off the regular fare.
※ One can buy transportation cards from vendors at bus stops or subway stations or can even add the transportation card function to a credit card.
- Subways run in Seoul, Busan, Daejeon, Daegu, and Gwangju. The fare can be paid with a ticket or a transportation card. One can get a discount by paying with a transportation card. Tickets can be purchased from ticket vending machines or at ticket windows in the subway stations.
- Taxies are expensive compared to intra-city buses and subways but are extremely convenient when one does not know how to get to the destination or during hours when buses are not running. Taxies are metered, and the fare varies depending on distance and riding time. Extra charges apply after midnight.
Intercity transportation- Intercity and express buses, trains, ships, and airplanes, etc. are available for transportation between cities nationwide.
- Intercity and express buses are convenient for traveling to nearly every region across the country and are easy to find as each city has one to three bus terminals. Buses run frequently everyday on the most heavily used routes and only a few times a day on other routes. One should check the bus schedule at the website or by telephone beforehand. Tickets can be bought at the terminal or reserved at the website of the route.
- Thereare several types of trains in the ROK: KTX (high-speed railroad), Saemaeul,Mugunghwa, and other trains. The KTX is fast and stops at few stations. It getsto the destination the fastest and is the most expensive. The Mugunghwa is slowand stops at every station. It takes a long time to reach its destination, butthe fare is low. The Saemaeul moves at a rate between the KTX and Mugunghwa.One should check which train goes to his destination and choose the mostsuitable one. A train ticket can be bought or reserved at a train station, the Let’s Korail train ticket booking website (www.letskorail.com), or a sales agency for traintickets.
- Ships are used to travel to islands. To go to distant places, one can choose to fly. Ship or flight service can be suspended in the event of inclement weather. One should check whether departures are on schedule with the appropriate operators.
Driving a car- In addition to mass transportation, one can drive his own car. To drive a car in the ROK, one should pass a driver's license test by the government or obtain an international driver's license in his home country before entering the ROK.