Welcome to South Korea!

Whether you come to this country for a short vacay or longer stay, it’s worthwhile to know that Korea is a very tech-heavy nation. This is especially the case for your bigger cities like Busan and of course Seoul, where you can easily stand at a busy intersection and pick up public wifi from one of the nearby cafes or department stores. That being said, feel free to bring all of your devices with you!

With the tech presence being so powerful here, many things in Seoul and Korea in general operate with apps. Often times these apps make life in Korea much easier, especially as an expat . Here are some apps you should download to make your stay in Korea everything you want it to be!

1. Language Translators

   First things first—you’ve got to be able to communicate! If you have no background in Korean, don’t worry too much; in big cities like Seoul, Busan and others, many signs and instructions are also provided in other languages such as English. But often times—maybe in the supermarket or at the bank—you’ll really benefit from having a translator to minimize misinterpretations. Here are some of my own go-to translating apps:

   • NaverDict: ‘Naver’ is a name you’ll quickly get used to in Korea. Naver basically acts as the Korean equivalent of Google. So, as you’d guess, NaverDict is their dictionary and translation app. I enjoy NaverDict because it not only provides you with reliable translations and pronunciation, but it also will give you example sentences from the dictionary and from videos of idols using the terms in real-world context. I have found that it works best with single-word queries, though, so if you need translations of sentences, you’d probably have better luck popping over to Papago (which you can conveniently use within the NaverDict app!).

   • Papago: I’ve come to learn that Papago performs the best in context; so this isn’t a translator that you’d want to go to for the meaning of a singular word. Instead, you can plug in sentences or paragraphs and it does a pretty good job of at least giving you the main idea of what is being said. One of my favorite things about Papago is its camera function, which allows you to take a photo of the unknown text and translate it that way—saving a ton of time, even for someone who is familiar with the language. I’ve used Papago for deciphering cooking and baking instructions for various products, and it hasn’t failed me thus far! (Though I’ll keep you updated of any lost-in-translation kitchen disasters if they happen!)

   • Google Translate: While it honestly doesn’t always generate the best translations, I put it here because it’s a nice one-stop shop for translating between various different languages. This will probably be especially useful if you’re translating to/from a language that isn’t English, Japanese, Chinese, or another widely-spoken language, like Spanish or French. It has similar features with the other ones, but I think one that makes it stand out is that (like some of its other Google-derived counterparts) is the ability to make language translations offline—very useful in those rare wifiless moments!

2. Messenger Apps

   After you’ve been able to navigate language barriers and make friends, they’ll want to know how they can get in contact with you! 

   • KakaoTalk: This is another name you’ll quickly get used to, as it is hands-down the most widely used communication app in the country. Also known as just ‘Kakao’ or ‘Ka-Talk’, you can use it to send messages and make audio/video calls over wifi or data. If you make a KakaoTalk Account, you can also use it to access other Kakao-affiliated apps. And be sure to indulge in at least one set of stickers & emojis among the plethora of them available to purchase through the app, as they make our traditional iOS/Android emojis look boring and obsolete!

   • Instagram: Like in most of the world, social media (or, what is referred to as ‘SNS’ here) plays a big role in communication. So don’t be surprised if people want to connect with you via Instagram, where they can get a better insight into you as a person, and have less pressure to carry out conversation with you! (:

3. Navigation & Transportation

   If you come from any average-sized city, you’ll easily notice that Seoul is huge. In addition to its size, the insane population density within the metropolitan area can make finding your way around quite tricky (even for native Koreans!). While GoogleMaps does work here, you’ll find it to be highly limited, as the South Korean government doesn’t let foreign servers access its mapping information. So here are some other powerful apps that you can turn to for your transport needs:

   • NaverMap: With Naver being the Korean equivalent of Google, it’s only natural that they have a maps application like its predecessor. It comes with all the features that you’d need out of it, making it easy to map your trips. You can also easily search for commonly sought-out places like banks, ATMs, restaurants or cafes. And because it draws from the massive info hub that is Naver, you can also easily find all sorts of information about different establishments, ranging from photos and menus to star ratings and blog post reviews. It’s very English friendly, having places labeled in both English and Korean on the big map view. Oddly enough, though, I encounter problems with NaverMap when I try to make queries in Korean (at least with the one I downloaded from the US App Store). 

   • KakaoMap: Naver isn’t the only one that has spread its reign to multiple apps! KakaoMap is adjacent to NaverMap; from my standpoint, they both work in just about the same ways. I downloaded my version from the US App Store as well, and while the map itself is labeled with only English names, it will happily make searches when I type in Korean. I actually recommend using both in conjunction with one another, as sometimes you’ll be able to find some things on one map that you couldn’t locate on the other.

   • Kakao T: This Kakao app is essentially Korea’s Uber, except for taxis! You can even request different taxi types or sizes to best suit your needs. One of my favorite things about Kakao T is that you can choose to either pay through the app or just pay the driver directly—a feature we don’t see from western apps like Uber and Lyft. I prefer hailing taxis with the app vs. on the side of the road, as if something goes wrong (like leaving your phone in the taxi—has happened to me!), you can quickly and easily track down the driver!

4. Inter-City Traveling

   One beautiful thing about South Korea is that it’s just as easy to travel between cities as it is within them! Make it more convenient for yourself by downloading these apps to check bus schedules & routes, and for booking tickets in advance:

   • 시외버스모바일 & 고속버스티머니: These are the two bus apps that I am most familiar with (if you don’t know Korean, you can skip to the next bullet!). They cater to two different types of buses, 시외 (Intercity) and 고속 (Express). An important distinction is that the first one makes routes between smaller towns & villages and has multiple stops along the way, while the latter makes direct trips between larger towns & cities (and may also stop at rest stops along the way). As their names give away, they operate only in Korean.

   • Kobus (website: www.kobus.co.kr) This English site is where you go for information about Express buses between many towns and cities. It has a clean and simple interface that makes checking and booking buses a quick and easy process.

   • Korail: Trains are nicer and faster alternatives to buses, especially when considering longer hauls (Korea is small, but some transport can still take up to 5hrs one-way via bus!). So it’s worth comparing journey travel times and costs between bus vs. train. This app will give you access to all the relevant information about booking trains, and works like the rest of the apps in this category. The app can also be toggled into English!

Bonus Apps

Want to know of others that you can add to your arsenal of Korean apps? Give these ones a try:

• A Food Delivery App (Shuttle, Yogiyo, 배달의민족, 배달통): In Korea, door-to-door delivery services are taken to the next level. This emphasis on speed and convenience has created a massive food delivery culture that you probably won’t find anywhere else. Use any of these apps to order food straight to you, whether you’re bundled up at home or soaking in some sun on a beach. Shuttle is the only one that operates in both English and Korean, with the trade-off being that it generally works best in certain parts of Seoul. The other three offer you more variety and locations, but are operated entirely in Korean.

• MangoPlate: If you’re out and about exploring a new area and want to know what’s good to eat nearby, this is your app. You can filter based on region, cuisine type, and even parking availability. Your biggest problem will be making a choice from all the good eating joints you’ll find!

• A Beauty Camera App (Soda, Snow, B612, etc.): Aesthetics is king in Korea, so it’s no surprise that there are plenty of apps to enhance photos you take on your phone! These camera apps usually have dozens of cute filters you can choose from, on top of features like contouring your face and making your eyes bigger.

• Webtoon: In South Korea, webtoons have a big presence in the digital entertainment industry. If you pay attention, you’ll easily be able to see people reading comics to pass the time of their daily subway commutes. There’s an English and Korean version of the app, so just be sure you download the right one (unless you’re looking to really challenge you Korean skills!).

. . .

This by no means is an exhaustive list, but the ones I’ve talked about here are definitely enough to help you hit the ground running. From planning trips to eating out to having some entertaining reads in your downtime, you can count on these apps here to keep you more than busy!

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next post!