How to ride the Seoul subway

Right now

1. 1Buy a prepaid transit card at a convenience store or a station machine and load some money onto it. The card itself costs extra.
2. 2Tap the gate on the way in and again on the way out. Skipping the exit tap adds one base fare to your next ride.
3. 3Use Naver Map or KakaoMap for directions. They tell you which numbered exit to take.

What to have ready

• A prepaid transit card: T-money, Cashbee and similar. Sold at convenience stores and station machines.
• Cash to load it: Station machines mostly take cash. Stations with the newer machines also take foreign cards.
• A map app: Naver Map or KakaoMap. They show transfer points and exit numbers.

Phrases you can copy and paste

Step by step

1. 1

   Get a transit card

   Where:

   Convenience stores, station ticket machines

   Buy a prepaid card such as T-money or Cashbee and load money onto it. You pay for the card once, separately from the balance. Since 17 March 2026, the newer machines at 273 stations also accept cards issued abroad for single journey tickets and short term Climate Cards. Tapping a foreign card directly on the gate is a different thing and is not available on the subway yet. The city plans to replace subway readers in 2027.

2. 2

   Tap in, and tap out

   The fare depends on how far you travelled, so both taps are needed for it to add up. The base fare for an adult paying by card is 1,550 won and covers the first 10 km, then it rises in small steps every 5 km after that. If your first ride of the day starts before 06:30, 20 percent comes off the base fare.

3. 3

   The exit tap is what creates a transfer

   Moving between subway and bus counts as a transfer if you board the next one within 30 minutes of tapping out, or 60 minutes between 21:00 and 07:00. It only works when one person uses one card, and a journey allows up to four transfers.

4. 4

   A few days means single tickets, a busy week means a pass

   Cost:

   Single journey ticket deposit 500 won, Climate Card from 5,000 won a day

   For a short stay, buy a single journey ticket from a machine. You pay the fare plus a 500 won deposit, and you get the deposit back by feeding the card into a refund machine after you get off. If you plan several rides a day inside Seoul, the short term Climate Card is usually cheaper: 5,000 won for one day, 8,000 for two, 10,000 for three, 15,000 for five and 20,000 for seven, plus 3,000 won for the physical card. It covers Seoul subway lines and Seoul city and village buses, but not the Sinbundang Line or the GTX.

5. 5

   On the platform, read the last station, not the direction

   Every line runs two ways. Signs name the last station on each side, and choosing by that name is easier than working out which way is northbound. On lines with express trains, an express may skip your station, so check where it stops before you board.

The Korean words

교통카드gyotong-kadeu· transit card

The prepaid card used for subways and buses.

충전chungjeon· top up

Adding money to the card.

환승hwanseung· transfer

Changing to another line or to a bus.

하차hacha· getting off

Getting off. The exit tap is called 하차 태그.

급행geuphaeng· express train

A train that skips some stations.

출구chulgu· exit

Station exits are numbered, as in exit 3.

Easy to miss

• ·Not tapping out. The fare cannot be worked out properly, and since March 2026 a base fare is added to your next ride.
• ·Tapping a card issued abroad straight onto the gate. That is not available on the subway yet, and it is a separate thing from buying a ticket at a machine.
• ·Two people sharing one card. The transfer discount only applies when one person uses one card.
• ·Boarding an express without checking. It may not stop where you are going, so read the platform sign first.
• ·Walking out without claiming the single journey deposit. Once you are past the gate, going back is a hassle.
• ·Assuming one last train time. The last train differs by line and by direction, even at the same station.

You can skip this if

• Other cities such as Busan and Daegu take the same card but set their own fares and passes. This guide covers the Seoul area.
• Your first ride from the airport is a different problem because of the luggage. Read that guide first.

Where this comes from

• Seoul Metropolitan Government, public transport fares
• Seoul Metropolitan Government, integrated transfer discount
• Seoul Metropolitan Government, Climate Card
• Seoul Metropolitan Government, single journey ticket
• Seoul Metropolitan Government, open loop payment for foreign visitors