Tom South Korea is actually a very beautiful country to drive in. From the majestic mountains in Gyeongju and Danyang to the volcanic features in Jeju, the best way to take in the sights is by renting and driving a car in South Korea. However, we found very little information about details of travelling in South Korea during our research. Hence, having completed driving both in Jeju and in South Korea itself, we thought it best to write a post about all that we have learnt about driving and travelling in South Korea!
Book Here with Klook: Car Rentals in South Korea
Book Here with Klook: Car Rentals in South Korea
International Driving Permit is needed for driving in South Korea
First thing first. Even before driving in South Korea, you will need to get the International Driving Permit. Also known as IDP, the international driving permit is your driver’s license in South Korea. Nope, you’re Singapore driver’s license will not be recognised. The good news is, the International Driving Permit can be received, on the spot, from AA Singapore. You can go to the following AA (Automobile Association of Singapore) locations to get the IDP for $20 at the following opening hours:
AA @ GB Point: 535 Kallang Bahru, #01-08, GB Point, Singapore 339351
Mon to Sat: 8.30am to 11pm
Sun / Public Holiday: 10am to 11pm
AA @ 51 AMK: 51 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3, #02-02, 51@AMK, Singapore 569922
Mon to Sun: 10am to 11pm
Remember to bring your IC or passport and driver’s license when you apply for IDP. In addition, you will also need the following when you rent a car in South Korea
1. International Driving Permit (IDP)
2. Driver’s License
3. Passport
4. Credit Card that is under the same name as the documents listed above
Do not forget to bring these 4 documents if you wish to rent a car in South Korea during your self-drive trip! You can find out more information about IDP application at AA Singapore’s website.
Renting a car in South Korea
The 2 biggest car rental companies in South Korea are Lotte Rent-a-Car and AJ Rent-a-Car. However, the not so good thing about renting direct from their website is that firstly, the website is not so navigation friendly and secondly, you’ll need to register first before you can book on the website. This often means that you will need your IDP information ready before you can book a car online. However, we have found a way to book a car easily in South Korea!
Avis is the answer!
There are a few benefits of booking of Avis (nope, this is not a paid advert)
1. Avis websites are very easily navigable. In fact, as we were picking up and dropping off the car at different locations, the choices for drop-off were plentiful and clearly indicated.
2. No pre-registering required to make bookings online.
3. You just have to make a reservation. If you somehow are not able to pick up the car, even on the day itself, there is no penalty.
4. If you’re booking using a Citibank credit card or in particular the Citibank Premiermiles Card, you’ll be able to use the code N074700. This code allows you to book a car that is significantly cheaper than booking using the above car rental companies. Even when a $200 drop-off fee was included (we drove from Busan to Seoul), the price was still cheaper (yes, we registered on both websites and tried booking -_-). If you have not started using Citibank Premiermiles, find out how we accumulated sufficient miles for a pair of first class air tickets on Singapore Airlines using a combination of travel credit cards like Citibank Premiermiles.
However, do note that eventhough we booked with Avis, we received an email from AJ Rent-a-Car informing us of the additional drop off fee. Also, at the airport itself, AJ Rent-a-Car counters are the defacto counters for rental cars booked with Avis. Essentially, in South Korea, Avis is AJ Rent-a-Car.
Navigating in South Korea – GPS or Waze
Your next big question must be. How do you navigate in South Korea?! If you (like us), have attempted to map out travel routes using Google map, you’ll find that GOOGLE MAP DOESN’T WORK IN SOUTH KOREA!! Surprisingly, Bing Maps functions better (thrashes) Google map in South Korea. Why? We do not know. Some speculate that it could be due to the fact that Korea is still technically at war and Google being one of the most used search engines, could give away “sensitive” information.
Nonetheless, we have found a solution. Many Singaporeans are already using it…
WAZE! (some pronounce as Wa-Zee, hm…)
For us, Waze worked perfectly as a navigation app in South Korea! It worked on Jeju Island and during our drive from Busan to Seoul – essentially the entire South Korea. The only minus is that you’ll have to have data on the go to use Waze to navigate in South Korea.
To make the situation even better for drivers, nowadays, rented cars in South Korea comes with GPS!
What we love about driving with the car GPS is that the toll prices are all indicated. There was a particular toll that the GPS indicated as 7200krw and it was accurate to the tee! However, GPS by default is in Korean. Remember to ask the service staff to set it for you in English before you drive off. REMEMBER! Otherwise, you may not be able to find it yourself. Seriously! We tried searching on during our drive in Jeju (as we politely declined the English setting thinking that we would be able to find it somehow), we didn’t.
Book with Klook Here: Top Travel Experiences in South Korea
Peculiarity of Car Rental in Jeju International Airport
After we exited from the gates, we approached AJ Rent-a-Car counter to collect our car. However, as with some airports, we found that this counter only checked the validity of our International Driving Permit (IDP), before handing us an English instruction to get to the AJ Rent-a-Car centre. We had to take a shuttle to the car collection area where we had to show our IDP again. We got a Kia K3 this time.
The other issue that we faced was that at the car rental in Jeju, although we booked in USD, we were charged at a higher exchange rate in Jeju. This translated to a 5% increase in car rental rate. However, we did not face this at Busan, eventhough the booking method was exactly the same. We deduced that this could be a form of “tourism tax” at Jeju. We tried to dispute it but the staff said that it was their standard exchange rate for the day.
Peculiarity of Car Rental in Gimhae International Airport Busan
We were surprised that after we were done with the admin at the car rental counter, the car was driven to us at the gate! Once the car arrived, we were asked to walk through the glass doors next to the car rental counter and the car (Hyundai Avante) was right there!
Expressway Toll Gates and Toll Fees in South Korea
By now, you’ll know that driving in South Korea is on the same side as in the USA, or opposite of Singapore (and the commonwealth nations). This means that overtaking is actually on the left side. With that in mind, it will be easier for you to remember that Hi-Pass (automated wireless toll payment of South Korea), is usually on the extreme left. There’s no need to stop at Hi-Pass lanes, so cars actually “overtake” the slower cars on the other toll lanes.
So as a rule, we usually head to the extreme right most lane for cash payments. It worked for all the tolls that we passed through. However, there are 2 types of cash payments for toll gates. The first type of toll gate involves an actual staff sitting at the toll gate. Just refer to the amount flashed across the LED and pay accordingly
The second type of toll gate involves taking a ticket from the machine upon entering a toll zone
Upon exiting the toll zone, the payment can be done by cash using via a payment machine
All you have to do is to follow the steps…
Step 1: Insert the ticket you took when you entered the toll zone
Step 2: Insert cash (or in the picture we inserted our credit card) for payment
Step 3: Collect your receipt
During our trip, depending on the distance travelled, tolls were as low as 1000krw to as high as 12000krw
Service Stations along Expressways in South Korea
One of the cool thing about driving along the expressways of South Korea is the rest stops (service stations)! The service stations are really developed, with clean toilets and large food courts. Definitely larger than expected…
Besides the toilet break, service stations also have convenience stores, coffee and snacks joints as well as the crowd favourite – food court!
We also realised that while dining at the service stations, there’s usually a counter where you’ll order and make your payment. A ticket with a queue number will be given to you. Then you’ll approach the counter that prepares your food to collect it once your number flashes.
Book with Klook Here: Top Travel Experiences in South Korea
Book Here with Klook: Car Rentals in South Korea
Parking in South Korea
While driving in South Korea, we noticed that there are generally three types of parking
1. Free parking. You’ll usually find free parking at some parks as well as some street parking. At some parks in Jeju, the parking would be free while the park entrance needs to be paid. The opposite sometimes happen as well. At hotels in Busan, we found all our hotels to offer free parking. Of course, we made sure that parking was available when we booked our Busan hotels or Jeju island hotels through Klook.
2. Paid parking. At some parks, parking costs 1000 to 2000 per entry. Otherwise, if you’re doing street parking, you may notice parking attendants walking up and down the streets…
We encountered parking attendants twice in Gyeongju. Once you’re parked along the street, a parking attendant (usually in uniform), will approach your car and leave a ticket, indicating the time that you parked. When you leave, the parking attendant will come back round again and calculate the payment. It usually costs 1000krw per hour. Just pay and go!
3. Free-style parking. We’ve read this online and we’ve done this. There are areas in South Korea that parking areas are not clearly spelt out. This leads to parking along the roads, sidewalks or practically any available space that you can find. Of course, these are “free” – that is if you’re not parking illegally…
Book Here with Klook: Car Rentals in South Korea
Benefits of driving in South Korea
One of the key benefits of driving in South Korea is the flexibility to capture the many beautiful views along the way…
Not only will you have the flexibility of deciding your duration of stay at an attraction, you’ll sometimes find that the only way to reach certain attractions in by driving.
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Conclusion
Driving in South Korea is actually not difficult and can be really fun and enjoyable. Just make sure that you have the proper documents with you (inernational driving permit, driver’s license, passport credit card), know your method of navigation (in-car GPS or Waze) and have sufficient cash for tolls and parking payment.
Otherwise, your driving experience in South Korea will be a breeze!
Book with Klook Here: Top Travel Experiences in South Korea
Related Posts
You have just finished reading a post from our 14 Days Travels in South Korea. Check out the rest of the posts from this series below!
South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 1: Busan Gwangalli Beach, Spaland and Fried Chicken Army Stew!
South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 6: Flight from Jeju to Busan PLUS Hilton Busan Review!
South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 7: Haeundae Beach, Dalmaji Road and Dalmaji Hill
South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 11: Driving from Danyang to Seoul!
Top 17 Things to do and Attractions in Jeju South Korea!
Top 8 Busan Travel Experiences, Things to do and Attractions!
Top 7 Gyeongju Things to do, Attractions and Travel Experiences!
Top 5 Danyang Attractions, Travel Experiences and Things to do!
Top 7 Seoul Attractions and Things to do
Top 8 Food to eat in Seoul South Korea
The Ultimate Guide to Driving in South Korea!
What Souvenirs to buy from South Korea? 9 Souvenirs to get from South Korean Supermarkets!
The Complete Hilton Busan Review: Probably the Most Instagrammable Hotel in the World!
Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort Review: The Perfect Base to Discover Jeju!
Da Moim Buffet Restaurant Hilton Busan Review
Singapore Airlines (SQ) 777-300ER Business Class Review: Singapore to Beijing
Air China Business Class Review: Beijing to Busan CA 129
Singapore Airlines Business Class A330-300 Review: Incheon to Singapore
