Which apps do I need in Korea?
The honest version of this list is short, and most of it is free. What actually matters is the part most lists skip: Google Maps cannot give walking or driving directions in Korea — a legal constraint on map data, not a glitch — so the one non-negotiable download is a Korean map app.
Below is what works differently here and what locals use instead. Every claim carries its source and the date we checked it, because app behaviour changes faster than fare tables — and we would rather show a date than pretend this page cannot go stale.
Maps — the one that surprises everyone
Google Maps cannot give walking or driving turn-by-turn directions in South Korea; transit directions work. South Korea restricts the export of detailed map data to servers outside the country, and Google processes routing abroad — so driving and walking navigation are unavailable regardless of your phone or account. Locals use Naver Map or Kakao Map, both of which have English interfaces.
Both Naver Map and Kakao Map are free, so there is nothing for us to sell you here — the practical advice is just to install one before you land and test it on your hotel address. They need a data connection, which is the actual purchase decision on this page: compare Korea eSIM plans.
Translation
Papago is the translator locals expect you to use for Korean, and menus/signs scan noticeably better in it. Papago is built by Naver primarily for Korean↔other-language pairs. We do not publish accuracy comparisons — that would be a claim we cannot re-measure — but it is the app Korean businesses themselves point at, and it is free.
Taxis
Kakao T has an English interface, but registering a foreign card for in-app payment is constrained — choosing “pay to the driver” avoids the problem entirely. Card registration flows have required Korean phone verification, and support for foreign cards has changed several times since 2023. Selecting “pay to the driver” at booking lets you pay by cash, foreign card or T-money in the car, which sidesteps registration. Kakao Mobility also runs k.ride, a separate app built for visitors that takes international cards in-app, and Uber operates in Korea.
For the money side of the same decision — whether a taxi ever beats the train from the airport (it does not, at any group size) — see the airport transfer comparison.
Paying — where a card for visitors exists
WOWPASS is a prepaid card for foreign visitors that combines card payment with a built-in T-money, topped up in your own currency at kiosks. It exists because foreign cards face two separate frictions in Korea: some terminals and most transit gates do not take them. One card covers both. The exchange rate applied at top-up is WOWPASS’s own — worth comparing against your card’s rate with our fee calculator before loading large amounts.
Before loading it with a large amount, put the numbers into our card-fee calculator — the top-up exchange rate is WOWPASS’s own, and whether it beats simply paying with your card depends on your card’s fee, which only you know.
Booking restaurants and activities
Popular restaurants in Seoul increasingly run on reservation apps, and several Korean platforms exist specifically to let visitors book them in English. We do not publish rankings of them — that would be a review, and reviews are not what this site does. Creatrip is one Korea-based option with an English interface.
Same trip, next decision
What this page refuses to do
There is no ranking here, no star ratings, and no “top 10” — because we have not measured anything that would justify one. What this page contains is the small set of structural facts that decide what you install, each with a source you can check and a date we checked it. When one of these facts goes stale, the date will say so before we do.
Quick answers
Does Google Maps work in South Korea?
Partially. Transit directions work, but walking and driving turn-by-turn navigation do not — South Korea restricts the export of detailed map data, and Google processes routing abroad. This is a legal constraint, not something a setting or a different account fixes. Locals use Naver Map or Kakao Map, both free with English interfaces.
Can I use Uber in Korea?
Yes — Uber operates in Korea and takes international cards in-app. The dominant local app is Kakao T, which has an English interface; registering a foreign card there has been constrained, but choosing “pay to the driver” lets you pay by cash, foreign card or T-money in the car. Kakao Mobility also runs k.ride, a separate app built for visitors.
Do I need a Korean phone number to use these apps?
Not for the ones a visitor actually needs. Naver Map, Kakao Map, Papago and Uber work with a foreign number, and Kakao T works for hailing with the pay-driver option. What has required Korean phone verification is in-app card registration on some services — which you can simply avoid rather than solve.