Naver Map and Kakao T: Getting Around Seoul Without Google

Use Naver Map for walking and transit directions, and call taxis with k.ride, Kakao Mobility’s app for foreign visitors. Naver Map runs in English, Japanese and Simplified Chinese and alerts you when to get on and off. k.ride is built for foreign visitors: you sign up with a phone number and a Google or Apple account or an email address, with no KakaoTalk account, and it takes foreign cards and wallets such as PayPal, adding a service fee, normally 10%, to the fare. Kakao T calls the same taxis and also takes foreign cards, but it needs a Kakao account made through KakaoTalk and a code sent by text message, which many visitors’ SIMs don’t receive. Either app may text a verification code to your phone, so a line that receives texts is the safer choice. A standard Seoul taxi starts at ₩4,800 for the first 1.6 km, with 20–40% added between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.

Why doesn’t Google Maps give walking or driving directions in Korea?

Because Google calculates routes on servers outside Korea and has not yet taken Korea’s detailed government map data abroad. In an August 2025 Q&A, Google wrote that Korea is the one country where its directions feature is not offered, and that routing in Korea needs approval to export the government’s 1:5,000 base map.

In February 2026 the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport approved the export on conditions. In September 2026 Newsis reported that Google had blurred military and security sites in its imagery and aims to offer walking and driving directions in the first quarter of 2027, once the government has checked that the conditions are met; the data had not yet been exported. No launch date has been announced as of October 13, 2026. Google Maps still shows the map of Korea, but plan your routes on Naver Map.

How do you switch Naver Map to English?

Tap MY, the profile icon to the right of the search bar, then the gear icon, then Language. If your phone already runs in a language other than Korean, the app may open in it automatically. The choices are English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese and Korean.

• Which app: “NAVER Maps, Navigation” by NAVER Corp.; current versions need Android 8.0 or iOS 16.0 or later.
• Android: the language changes inside the app.
• iPhone: Language sends you to the phone’s Settings > NAVER Map > Preferred Language. If that menu is missing, add the language under Settings > General > Language & Region.

What does Naver Map do in English?

Transit is the strong part. In any of the four languages, Naver Map gives real-time arrival times, alternative routes and alerts for when to get on and off. It also has an English subway map with first and last train times.

The app listing adds walking directions, AR directions through the camera and street view. Car navigation speaks English, but turn instructions keep place names in Korean so they match the road signs.

Can you use Kakao T with a foreign phone number and card?

Often, yes; sign-up is the step that tends to fail. Kakao T’s terms require a Kakao Account, which the Korea Tourism Organization says you make through KakaoTalk, Korea’s messaging app. In a December 2023 report, Kakao Mobility said foreigners face no special restriction at sign-up, but every account must confirm a code sent by text message, and many visitors’ SIMs block those texts or don’t receive them. A tourist line with calls and texts gives you a better chance of getting the code than a data-only eSIM. The app runs in English, Japanese and Korean.

Once you’re in, the taxi FAQ lists credit and debit cards issued abroad as accepted for taxis: Visa, Mastercard, JCB and American Express. Add one under My Info > Payment management. The card must be in the same name as your Kakao T account, and some card companies’ policies block registration.

You don’t have to register a card at all. The Kakao T FAQ says you can call a taxi and choose “Pay to the driver”, though some taxi types take app payment only.

A regular call, Kakao T’s basic option, carries no platform fee. Blue and Deluxe calls add a platform fee of ₩0–5,000 that moves with demand and traffic, and cost ₩2,000 if you cancel more than a minute after a driver is assigned, according to Kakao T’s fee FAQ.

What is k.ride, and what does it cost?

k.ride is Kakao Mobility’s app for foreign visitors: it calls the same Kakao T taxis and adds a service fee, normally 10%, to the fare, charged to your card or wallet when the ride ends. Unlike Kakao T, it doesn’t need a KakaoTalk account: you sign up by entering a phone number and confirming with a Google or Apple account or by email. Its Google Play listing also mentions authenticating your mobile device and entering verification codes at sign-up and login, so expect a code by text; a tourist line with calls and texts is the safer choice than a data-only eSIM.

• Language: the app runs in English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. Destination search and chat with the driver are machine-translated across 133 languages.
• Payment: credit or debit card, PayPal (added in June 2026), WeChat Pay, or an Alipay+ wallet: Alipay, AlipayHK, Touch ’n Go eWallet, Boost, TrueMoney, Rabbit LINE Pay or GCash.
• Before you call: the k.ride site says the app shows an estimated fare.
• Airports: you can book a pickup at Incheon Airport Terminals 1 and 2, Gimpo Airport and Jeju Airport.

k.ride’s paid-service terms set the price for each vehicle class in Korea:

Comfort and Luxury fares are multiplied by a flexible rate that the terms say moves with demand and traffic, so at busy times they can cost up to four times the normal fare; the estimate the app shows before you call is the figure to compare. The terms also say the service fee may vary with demand, traffic and region. A cancellation fee applies if you cancel more than a minute after a driver is assigned, or if you don’t board within three minutes of the driver arriving.

Our suggestion: install k.ride and sign up before you fly, while your phone can still receive texts. It is built for foreign visitors, needs no KakaoTalk account and takes foreign cards, PayPal, WeChat Pay and Alipay+ wallets, and the 10% fee is the price of that. If Kakao T also accepts your number and card, keep both and use whichever finds a taxi first.

How much is a taxi in Seoul?

A standard taxi meter starts at ₩4,800 for the first 1.6 km, according to Seoul’s fare table, in force since February 2023.

• Leaving Seoul: 20% is added outside the city limits. Late night and outside the city together come to at most 60% in a standard taxi.
• Tolls: charged at cost when a toll road is used at your request.
• Rounding: the final fare is rounded to the nearest ₩10.
• Meter only: every taxi must charge by its meter, unless it runs a separate fare plan approved by the city.
• Call fees: the city’s ₩1,000 daytime and ₩2,000 night call fee covers only taxis booked by phone, the Korean-language fare page explains.

The International Taxi service uses the same meter but may add 20% for foreign passengers. Its airport flat fares are in our Incheon Airport guide.

Can you hail a taxi on the street in Seoul?

Yes, and you need no app for it. Seoul’s city government says you can wave a taxi down from the edge of the sidewalk or take one waiting at a taxi stand, often near a bus stop; check that the taxi is free before you wave. The Korea Tourism Organization says stands are common at bus terminals, major subway stations and large shopping malls, and visitors in Seoul can call +82-2-120 to ask where one is. It adds that most taxis charge by the meter, take no tips, and accept cash, credit cards or transport cards.

How do you call a taxi and pay?

In either app, enter your pickup point and destination, pick a taxi type and confirm, then wait for the dispatch message. Kakao T shows the driver’s name and plate number.

To pay in the taxi, pay by card at the reader. Tmoney Mobility, whose readers are in about 160,000 of Korea’s 250,000 taxis, accepts Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express and UnionPay cards, and Alipay, WeChat Pay and UnionPay QR codes. A T-money card works too, and so does cash.

If you booked with app payment and paid the driver as well, ask the driver to skip the app charge before you get out. Kakao T’s taxi FAQ says the driver’s app has an option for this. Once you’ve left the taxi, file a double-payment refund through My Info > Customer center in the app, with your card receipt or the card company’s record of the charge.

If you can’t make yourself understood, call the 1330 Korea Travel Helpline (+82-2-1330), listed by the Korea Tourism Organization, for interpretation in English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Thai or Indonesian.

Steve OH edits Seoulpin. Steve runs Standardpin, a Seoul-based web studio that also builds websites for clinics; that work has no effect on whether or how any clinic appears here. Articles are drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed and reviewed by Steve before publishing. How we work