World Asia South Korea Practical Information

South Korea

Practical Information for visiting South Korea

Money & Payments

The currency is the Korean won (KRW). Prices run to thousands, and the smallest note in general use is 1,000.

Korea is close to cashless: cards and mobile payment are accepted almost everywhere, including street stalls, buses and taxis, and some places no longer take cash at all. Foreign cards are widely but not universally accepted — some domestic systems reject them — so carry a backup card and some cash.

ATMs marked Global or Foreign Card work with international cards; ordinary domestic machines often do not. Convenience-store ATMs are reliable and everywhere.

A T-money card, bought at any convenience store, is the simplest way to pay for transport and small purchases.

Tipping is not practised and can cause genuine confusion. Do not tip in restaurants, taxis or hotels; service is included and staff may chase you to return the money.

Connectivity & Internet

South Korea has among the fastest and most complete networks in the world. 5G covers the cities and most of the country, coverage reaches mountain tops and subway tunnels, and there is essentially nowhere populated without signal.

Tourist SIMs and eSIMs are sold at the airport and are cheap, with unlimited data the norm. Portable Wi-Fi eggs are also widely rented, though a SIM is usually simpler.

Free public Wi-Fi is available on the subway, on buses, in cafes, in convenience stores and across much of central Seoul.

One practical note: many Korean websites and apps for ticketing and reservations require a Korean phone number and identity verification, which visitors cannot always complete. Book what you can through international platforms or ask your accommodation to help.

Stay Safe (2026 security update)

South Korea is one of the safest countries in the world. Violent crime is rare, women travelling alone report few problems, and lost property is routinely returned. The practical concerns are environmental and legal.

Typhoons and monsoon flooding between June and September. Warnings are clear and widely broadcast; heavy rain has caused deadly flash flooding in Seoul, including in basement dwellings.
Air quality. Fine dust readings in spring can be hazardous, particularly for anyone with a respiratory condition. Check the daily index and wear a mask on bad days — Koreans do.
Hiking. Mountains are busy and well-marked, but people get into difficulty every year through poor footwear and late starts. Trails close at set times.
Drug laws are extremely strict, apply to Korean nationals abroad, and carry long sentences. Cannabis legal elsewhere is not legal here in any form.
The North. Tensions rise and fall and occasionally produce alarming headlines. Day-to-day life in Seoul is entirely unaffected; follow official advice rather than international news framing.
Traffic. Scooters on pavements and drivers turning across crossings are the everyday hazard.

Good care, expensive, and not always in English

Medical and dental care in South Korea is usually of a good standard but can be expensive, and staff may not speak English. Large hospitals have international clinics with English-speaking staff and dedicated foreign patient services; outside them, assume not. Make sure you have adequate travel health insurance and accessible funds for treatment and repatriation. Call 119 for an ambulance.

The guardian requirement

If you need to stay in a Korean hospital, particularly with a severe condition, the hospital may ask you to bring a guardian — a bohoja — to assist with basic care needs such as trips to the bathroom, washing and exercise. It is possible to find agencies who will provide a caregiver, a ganbyungin, for a fee, but these caregivers generally do not speak English. If you know you may need to enter a Korean hospital, try to organise a guardian such as a friend or relative in advance. This is the single most useful thing on this page for anyone travelling alone.

Medication

Korean customs allow small amounts of medication for personal use if kept in carry-on baggage. Take an English-language prescription from your doctor for both prescription and non-prescription medicines, and check the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety website before travelling if anything is unusual.

Air quality is the seasonal problem

Air pollution, including yellow dust, is common and especially so in spring. On days when concentrations are high most residents stay indoors or wear masks outside, and drinking plenty of water is advised. The daily forecast is on every weather app and the Korea Meteorological Administration publishes it. Spring fine dust and summer ozone both affect asthma and other respiratory conditions.

Vaccines and insects

Routine cover is sufficient. The listed health risks include malaria, insect and tick bites, and tick-borne encephalitis; Japanese encephalitis is sometimes advised for extended rural stays in summer.

Heat

Summer heat and humidity cause heat exhaustion and the country issues heat warnings. Public buildings, subways and convenience stores are strongly air-conditioned and function as cooling centres, which is how Koreans actually get through August.

Drugs: detained on a test alone

A conviction for possession, use or trafficking of illegal drugs can bring a long jail sentence and heavy fines, and this applies even to personal use of small amounts of marijuana. British nationals have been detained solely on the basis of drug tests — which means what you did before arriving can matter as much as what you do here.

Politics is off limits to foreigners

Public demonstrations are common, particularly at times of elevated political tension, and are mostly peaceful and well-policed. But under Korean law it is illegal for foreign nationals to take part in political activities in the country. Watch the news rather than the crowd, and avoid large public gatherings.

Military service, if your name is on the family register

A British male of Korean origin whose name appears on the Korean family register may be liable for military service even when travelling on a British passport. If that could describe you, establish the position before booking rather than at immigration.

Carry ID

It is a legal requirement to carry some form of identification, though people are rarely asked to show it.

The courtesies that are actually noticed

Use two hands when giving or receiving anything from someone older or senior — money, a card, a glass. It is the single most visible courtesy. When drinking, pour for others and never for yourself, the youngest pours first, and turn your head away from seniors when you drink; refusing a first drink from a senior is awkward, though declining alcohol entirely is accepted. Shoes come off on entering a home, a temple hall, a guesthouse and many traditional restaurants where you sit on the floor.

The table

Chopsticks should never be left standing in rice. Do not lift the rice bowl from the table — the opposite of the Japanese convention — and use the spoon for rice and soup.

Waste and cameras

Waste sorting is a legal requirement with fines: food waste, recycling by material, and general rubbish in official bags. Photography of people, including in public, is a sensitive matter here and unauthorised filming is prosecuted; phone cameras are required by law to make an audible shutter sound, which is why they do.

Civil emergency exercises

The authorities sometimes hold civil emergency exercises. Sirens mark the start, all vehicles must stop, and people may be asked to descend into designated metro stations or basements. You do not need to participate, but follow any instructions from officials. It is an exercise, not an alarm.

Verified against UK Government (GOV.UK; FCDO travel advice abroad), September 2026.

Numbers

112 for police, 119 for fire and ambulance, both with interpretation available. 1330 is the Korea Travel Hotline, staffed around the clock in English, Japanese, Chinese and other languages, and it handles everything from directions to complaints to interpreting in an emergency — it is the number to save. For a weather forecast in English inside Korea, call 131.

Medical

Major hospitals with international clinics include Severance, Asan and Samsung Medical Center in Seoul. Emergency departments treat anyone; bring your passport and a payment method. Care is good but can be expensive and staff may not speak English outside the international clinics. If you are admitted, note that the hospital may ask you to provide a guardian to help with basic care.

Alerts

The government sends emergency text alerts to every phone for typhoons, floods, heat and civil emergencies. They arrive frequently and loudly, in Korean; the Emergency Ready app gives them in English, and the Natural Disaster Safety Portal publishes updates in Korean and English. Emergency alerts for forest fires are sent automatically to phones in an affected area.

Typhoons, rain and fire

Typhoon season normally runs June to November. The summer rainy season, usually June and July, brings torrential rain that floods rivers and creeks including in built-up areas, flash floods downstream of reservoirs after short intense bursts, and landslides in hilly ground. Strong earthquakes are unusual but do happen, and most Korean earthquakes are relatively weak. Wildfires can be tracked through the Korea Forest Service website in English and Korean.

The peninsula's security situation

Tension can change with little notice, rising after North Korean missile tests and during the regular South Korean-US military exercises held throughout the year. The DMZ separates the two Koreas under an armistice; no formal peace treaty has ever been signed. If you are in the area of the DMZ, exercise caution and follow the local authorities. Keep easy access to your passport and other important documents, and share your contact details with family.

Lost property

Lost property is taken seriously and usually recoverable: the subway and taxi systems both have centralised lost-and-found, reachable through 1330. Keep an offline copy of your passport.

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Sources & verification Covers the sourced claims on this page.

Checked against UK Government (GOV.UK; FCDO travel advice abroad) — A conviction for possession, use or trafficking of illegal drugs in South Korea can bring a long jail sentence and heavy fines, this applies even to personal use of small amounts of marijuana, and British nationals have been detained solely on the basis of drug tests, Public demonstrations in South Korea are common particularly at times of elevated political tensions and are mostly peaceful and well-policed, but under Korean law it is illegal for foreign nationals to take part in political activities when in the country, A British male of Korean origin whose name appears on the Korean family register may be liable for military service in South Korea even if travelling on a British passport, It is a legal requirement to carry some form of identification in South Korea, but people are rarely asked to show it, South Korean authorities sometimes hold civil emergency exercises marked by sirens, during which all vehicles must stop and people will sometimes have to descend into designated metro stations or basements; participation is not required but officials' instructions should be followed, Crime against foreigners in South Korea is rare but there are occasional thefts, and travellers should take extra care of passports, credit cards and money in crowded areas and in areas visited by foreigners such as Itaewon; there have been cases of assault including sexual assault particularly around bars and nightlife areas, Medical and dental care in South Korea is usually of a good standard but can be expensive and staff may not speak English; travellers need adequate travel health insurance and accessible funds for treatment and repatriation, and an ambulance is called on 119, If you need to stay in a South Korean hospital, particularly with a severe condition, the hospital may ask you to bring a guardian or bohoja to assist with basic care needs such as trips to the bathroom, washing and exercise; agencies provide a caregiver or ganbyungin for a fee but they generally do not speak English, and a guardian such as a friend or relative should be organised in advance if admission is possible, South Korean customs authorities allow travellers to bring small amounts of medication for personal use if kept in carry-on baggage, and travellers should take an English-language prescription from their doctor for both prescription drugs and non-prescription medicines and consult the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety website before travelling, Air pollution including yellow dust pollution is common in South Korea especially during spring months; on days when concentrations are high most residents will stay indoors or use face masks outside, drinking plenty of water is important, and the Korean Meteorological Administration website carries the information, Health risks in South Korea include malaria, insect and tick bites, and tick-borne encephalitis, To reach an ambulance in South Korea, call 119, Calling 131 inside Korea gives an accurate weather forecast in English, and the typhoon season normally runs from June to November, If there is a natural disaster or the threat of one, the South Korean government publishes updates in Korean and English to the Natural Disaster Safety Portal, and the government's Emergency Ready App explains the possible alerts that would be pushed to a mobile phone in an emergency, Strong earthquakes are unusual in South Korea but do happen and most Korean earthquakes are relatively weak, and wildfires can be tracked through the Korea Forest Service website in English and Korean with Korean-language alerts sent automatically to phones in an affected area, The level of tension and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula can change with little notice, tensions can rise after missile tests by North Korea and during the regular South Korean-US military exercises held throughout the year, and the demilitarised zone separates the two Koreas under an armistice agreement with no formal peace treaty ever signed, As part of contingency planning in South Korea, travellers should make sure they have easy access to their passport and other important documents such as nationality documents and birth and marriage certificates, as well as any essential medication, and should share their contact details with family and friends, Crime against foreigners is rare but thefts occur, with extra care needed in crowded areas and places visited by foreigners such as Itaewon, There have been assaults including sexual assaults around bars and nightlife areas, so take care alone at night and use legitimate taxis or public transport, Drug convictions bring long jail sentences and heavy fines even for small amounts of marijuana, and British nationals have been detained on the basis of drug tests alone, Tensions on the peninsula can change with little notice, rising after North Korean missile tests and during South Korean-US military exercises (September 2026).