Driving in Korea: What to Know
Licensing
- Visitors: International Driving Permit (IDP) from your home country, plus your home license. Valid up to 1 year.
- Long-term residents: Korean license required. Korean driving test in English or your native language in major centers.
- Korea uses right-side traffic, left-hand drive cars.
Rules that surprise visitors
- Strict DUI (0.03% BAC limit, much lower than US 0.08%). Random checkpoints common.
- School zone limit: 30 km/h, very enforced. Heavy fines and license points.
- Pedestrian crossing: you must stop fully when pedestrians approach, even before they step onto the crosswalk.
- Right-on-red is not allowed by default, unlike most of the US.
- Bus lanes on major highways: blue dotted lines mark, do not enter as non-bus.
RoadEye Pro: live CCTV on your routeReal-time visual road conditions across Korea — traffic, weather, road closures.
Get
Tolls and the Hi-pass system
Most expressways are tolled. Rental cars typically come with a Hi-pass transponder; the agency settles tolls at return. Without Hi-pass, use the manned booth lane (the rightmost). The booth attendant accepts cash or card.
Approximate tolls: Seoul → Busan ~22,000 KRW one way.
Where speed cameras and CCTV cluster
- Tunnels (always — speed and emergency)
- Entry to all toll plazas
- Bridge entry/exit points
- School zones (most aggressive enforcement)
- Major intersections within city limits
Night driving in Seoul / Busan
- Heavy use of high-beams is uncommon; drivers expect courtesy.
- Mopeds and scooters can appear suddenly in delivery zones — drive defensively.
- Taxi drivers shift lanes aggressively — give them space rather than competing.
- Late-night DUI checkpoints common Friday/Saturday after 11pm.
Practical Korean for driving
- 출구 (chulgu) — exit
- 입구 (ipgu) — entrance
- 주차장 (juchajang) — parking lot
- 일방통행 (ilbang-tonghaeng) — one-way
- 속도 제한 (sokdo jehan) — speed limit