Complete Guide to Essential Apps for Traveling in Korea (Transportation, Translation, Reservations, Payment Apps)

2025-11-23 985 words 5 minutes views

Contents

Hello. I’m Guide H.

Today, I’ll introduce useful applications for traveling in Korea.

Apps like Airbnb, Agoda, and Klook are available worldwide and familiar to everyone, so I won’t explain them separately here.

I’ll focus on useful apps that will help you during your trip to Korea.

If you install these travel apps in advance, your trip to Korea will be much smoother.

Let’s get started!

This article was written based on 2025 standards. App policies and features may change, so please check the latest information before installing!

1️⃣ Transportation Apps

네이버맵

The first app I’ll introduce is Naver Map.

It’s the most widely used map app in Korea.

Many of you probably use Google Maps when traveling.

In Korea, due to military reasons, Naver Map is much more accurate and has more diverse data than Google Maps. Since it’s an app made by a Korean company, it’s optimized for Korean data.

Public transportation navigation is also accurate and detailed. It basically supports English, Japanese, and Chinese. (Supported languages may vary each year) You can also easily check business hours, information, and reviews of restaurants, cafes, and tourist attractions. Please make sure to install it before your trip to Korea.

✅ KakaoT - Taxi Hailing, Public Transportation Information

카카오택시

The second app I’ll introduce is Kakao Taxi.

As the name suggests, it’s an app for calling taxis.

It’s similar to Uber.

In Korea, Kakao Taxi is used much more than Uber.

So to easily catch a taxi in Korea, you need to use Kakao Taxi.

Kakao Taxi is safer than hailing a taxi directly on the street because you set the departure and destination.

You can check the route in real-time to see if you’re going the right way.

Thanks to the review feature, taxi drivers tend to be more friendly.

Cases of overcharging are also rare.

If you register your card in advance before coming to Korea, you can use it comfortably.

Of course, English, Japanese, and Chinese support is also available.

✅ Korail Talk - KTX and Train Reservations

코레일톡

Korail Talk is an app used for long-distance train travel.

If you’re only traveling in Seoul, you probably won’t need to use it.

But if you’re going to areas near Seoul, Busan, or Gyeongju, you can book trains through Korail Talk.

Note that you can make reservations on the website without installing the app separately.

✅ Ttareungyi - Great for Getting Around Seoul

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You’ve probably seen these bicycles a lot when traveling in Seoul, right?

Ttareungyi is Seoul’s public bike-sharing system.

Did you know that foreigners can also use these bikes?

Since Ttareungyi is available in most areas of Seoul,

it’s very useful for short-distance travel or when you want to go on a quick bike picnic to the Han River.

The rental fee is also quite affordable.

I’ve prepared a detailed usage guide separately, so please refer to the video at the top.

2️⃣ Translation and Communication Apps

✅ Papago - Excellent Korean Translation Performance

파파고

Papago is a translation application.

Translation apps have become so good these days,

that it’s no longer difficult to communicate with locals when traveling abroad.

With Papago, you can translate languages by typing on the keyboard,

or you can do real-time translation more conveniently through voice.

Also, if you take a photo of a Korean menu, it shows translated text over the image.

Google Translate, a representative translation app, is also quite useful.

However, since Papago is an app made in Korea, Korean translations are more natural.

Also, when I used it, I found that image translation is more detailed than Google Translate, which was convenient.

✅ KakaoTalk - The Most Used Messenger in Korea

카카오톡

KakaoTalk is the most used messenger in Korea.

While LINE is widely used overseas, not many people in Korea use LINE.

Of course, young people these days also contact each other a lot through Instagram,

but KakaoTalk is so widely used in Korea that it’s hard to find a Korean person without an account.

If you want to communicate smoothly with Korean friends, I recommend KakaoTalk.

3️⃣ Restaurant Reservation Apps

✅ Catch Table - Korea’s Representative Restaurant Reservation App

캐치테이블

Catch Table is Korea’s representative restaurant reservation app.

Popular restaurants in Korea often have long waits before you can get in!

At times like this, using Catch Table allows you to make reservations in advance, which is really convenient.

Recently, a service for foreigners was launched, so you can use the Catch Table app by signing up with your email.

Of course, not all restaurants are registered on Catch Table,

but more and more restaurants are using the Catch Table reservation system.

When traveling, time is really important,

so I recommend using Catch Table instead of spending too much time waiting.

4️⃣ Payment and Currency Exchange

✅ Wow Pass - Korea is a Card Society! Prepaid Recharge Card

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Koreans hardly carry cash around.

Since most payments can be made with cards,

most payments are possible using Samsung Pay or credit cards.

Moreover, recently, buses don’t accept cash at all,

so foreigners who only have cash might be a bit surprised.

In such cases, using Wow Pass is convenient.

Wow Pass is a card that you can recharge with money in advance.

With just this one card, you can ride buses and subways and transfer with one card.

Since it uses the credit card network, you can make payments at most restaurants, which is very convenient.

You can get a refund of the remaining balance at an ATM when departing!

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I’ve organized the essential apps and tips for traveling in Korea up to this point.

I hope this helps a bit with your travel preparations.

If you have any questions or want to know more, please leave a comment!

Have a safe and enjoyable trip to Korea 😊