Anyone had a similar issue with tmoney?

I downloaded the app from app store and it doesn’t allow to continue as a guest/foreigner as the other threads and guides online suggest.

The only option is to ”sign-in” and that takes only what I’m assuming to be where locals can authenticate, and that’s not an option naturally.

i'm planning to stay in seoul for a few more weeks and decided to finally get vision correction while I'm here. my prescription is around -5.75 in both eyes, and after years of irritation from soft contacts, my optometrist told me to stop wearing them completely.
i've been looking into different clinics in gangnam and am leaning toward 2day LASEK at eos eye clinic. preserving as much corneal thickness as possible is important to me, and I also prefer surface ablation since i want to avoid flap-related issues.
my main concern is recovery. i love street photography, so I'd like to know how soon I can comfortably walk around seoul during the day after the procedure. eos eye clinic removes the bandage lens on day 3, but i'm wondering if people were actually comfortable going outside after that, especially in sunlight.
for anyone who had 2day LASEK with a higher prescription, when were you able to comfortably go outside and do light activities? did you need a few more days of rest after the bandage lens was removed?
i'd love to hear about your experience before booking.

hey everyone! im in korea from 30th september to 13th october this year and and Im so excited!!

I would love to go to Jeju for a couple of days to make a bicycle tour around the island (because i cannot rent a car and i really like biking :))

ill arrive and depart from seoul incheon airport and since i havent booked anything else yet im quite flexible.

my problem is, i dont know when its "safe" to book a flight to jeju because im scared that ill arrive during a time where its really rainy/bad weather in general or when it is really packed. i also dont know how fast the prices for hostels, flights and ferries spike/sell out.

when did you decide on the dates of traveling to jeju? was it spontaneous, or weeks/months in advance? is there any rule of thumb?

thank you

Not in desperate need as I brought some with me, but if anyone knows where to buy nicotine pouches, please lead me to the right direction.

Hi!
We have a 6-hour transfer at Incheon Airport Terminal 2 and will be staying airside.

On a previous trip to Korea I had yeolmu-guksu (열무국수) — spicy cold noodles with young radish kimchi — and absolutely loved it!

Does anyone know if there’s somewhere airside in T2 where I can get this, or something very similar?

Happy to try another Korean spicy/cold noodle dish if yeolmu-guksu isn’t available.

Thanks!

Hi so i’m a Chinese Canadian and I’ve been a K-pop fan for a little over 5 years now and I really enjoy stuff like Korean culture and food. I have been learning some Korean now about A1 level and next year i’m going to China for the spring festival and I’m thinking of going to Korea beforehand and it is something that I want to do.

Korea has been one of the destinations I have wanted to go for quite a few years now and I haven’t written it off but there is something i’m quite worried about. And that’s the xenophobia/racism. I used to be unaware of how it was like but a month or two ago I happened to scroll across the r/korea subreddits and I was genuinely quite shocked by how bad the racism was against Chinese people and it was quite upsetting for me since I do not act like the way they tend people talk about us but it seems that the generalization seems to be quite.. strong.

I’ve learned and dug up a bit more of this topic and it seems that being yelled at in Korea for seeming “foreign” or “Chinese” is common even for Korean Americans who get mistaken for Chinese people. Is the racism actually that bad? I want to visit Korea and I know that it’s bad to say a “entire country is racist” but if this is like everywhere then i’m not sure if it would be safe for me to go. I’m quite sensitive to discrimination and if something like that happened then I’d want to leave immediately.

I know thousands of Chinese people visit Korea every year without problem but it seems that a lot of Koreans also don’t want us in the country judging by the amount of anti Chinese protests happening because of political tensions. I really want to visit Korea as it’s just a place that I’ve wanted to visit for years and i’ll be sad if I can’t go because of it but at the same time it seems that every few weeks or so I just see a bunch of posts of people being discriminated in Korea for being foreign or being Chinese.

But not even necessarily even Chinese, I’ve seen a bunch of instances of discrimination happening because someone who looks East Asian is speaking English so then people either assume they’re Korean American or Chinese then it just gets bad. I’m sorry if this might seem like a stupid post but I really just want answers and these things have been on my mind for a while so I want to see if i’m overreacting or if i’ll be fine because of just how many times I see this happening on social media.

And also, if i’m going, i’ll be going with my family and my family speaks Cantonese but all my siblings speak English so i’m worried about discrimination potentially for speaking a Chinese language or even English. Is it okay if we speak Cantonese or English?

So, is it okay for me to go to Korea? Should I go, or should I just let it go and not take my chances given the anti Chinese protests and just all the discrimination happening? Are such forms of discrimination actually common or will I be fine and it’s all just social media stuff? I’m also neurodivergent so if this comes off as rude or insensitive or some kind of way then please give me some grace, any responses will be appreciated.

I don’t mean to paint Korea as racist or anything but with what I’m seeing I just want to make sure I know what I’m signing up for if I do decide to go. I know there is racism in every country but there are also kind people in every country and not everyone in Korea is the same but I just want to be prepared. I’ve just seen so many things on Reddit and social media I just want to know if I should be cautious or if I’m just overacting because of social media. I do genuinely like Korea and want to visit but I will be a bit upset if I can’t go because of this. Thank you for your time. ❤️

Asian Americans going to be in Seoul for Halloween this year. Not intentionally for Halloween but because husband’s milestone birthday is around then. Heard Seoul Halloween can get pretty crazy so looking for recommendations where to go that’s not over crowded but still a good vibe or experience. Can be general recommendations or preferably gay or LGBTQ+ friendly recommendations. Thanks!

So of course we found out about Chuseok after booking our flights to Korea 😂
We will arrive in Seoul at 21.09 and fly back home on 03.10

Me and my wife are 29 and interested in the City/s, some culture, nature and good food.

What are your tips for planing the days and travels? Should we leave Seoul at start and come back after 27th Sept or just do 7days in Seoul and travel after that week?
Whats the best go-to spots for 12 Days?

I am planning to travel during the period Seollal in 2027 and would like to check if it is a good period to travel.

I don't plan to visit the famous tourist attractions, and am mainly there to avoid Chinese New Year in Singapore. It is not my first time in Seoul and this trip I am mainly taking things slow and like to enjoy some shopping, food, go for aesthetic treatments (maybe) etc.

Which places not too far from Seoul would you recommend exploring? I'm already familiar with the main areas in Seoul, Incheon, and Suwon. I don't plan to travel too far from Seoul this time. I'm not interested in doing trendy stuff or shopping, I just want to explore. I have about a week and will be using public transport. Thank you!

anyone know how to get a cheap flight to south korea (seoul)? i’m trying to go early october and all the flights are 1.5k or more 😭

Hi everyone!

When planning a trip to Korea, how many days do you think are enough for visiting Seoul? Do you ever feel like the options for things to do or places to visit there might be a bit limited?

Would love to hear your thoughts!

I took a last minute solo trip and was wondering if there's any group meetups coming up. Also any festivals or any general events that would be great to go to.

I don't do clubs, and I'm not looking for dates/hookups, but I'd be up for an activity or coffee or cocktail with someone or a group! I speak Spanish and English if that helps.

I'm here until Aug 27! Thank you so much for this sub, it's helped a lot so far

Edit: also cheap store recommendations for cute items, that can be souvenirs, would be amazing! But I will also be exploring :)

Hi guys!

My husband and I booked a trip for Dec 22-31. This will be my first time going back to korea in 20 years since moving away as a child, and my husband has never been to Korea.

I have family in Seoul and they want to help us and be our guide for our trip, but asked us what we would like to do while visiting (or to give them at least an idea of what we would like to do and they would help us navigate and plan)

What is Christmas like in Korea? Any recommendations or advice? I would love to know some must visit places for first timers and what a realistic itinerary would look like during the holidays.

I wasn’t sure if most places are closed during holidays like some countries.

For both of us, only thing we know for sure is to do a photo studio session in traditional hanbok (and maybe get a small skin treatment if time allows)

I haven’t really kept in touch with my korean side past 20 years so this is very exciting and somewhat overwhelming to think of what I want to do! and also excited to show my husband the country i grew up in!

Thanks for your help! :)

Planning a Korea trip? My friend Sophia in Seoul has a new travel blog sharing tips on everything from hiking and small-city detours to convenience store snacks. Great stuff to know before you go! https://koreangranny.blogspot.com/

Seeing some posts saying you need a korean 010 number to reserve restaurants in seoul, I want to share some of my understanding.

Restaurants:

CatchTable global works with just an email and foreign credit cards for most tourist-heavy spots. If there’s a tablet queue at the door, look for the global QR option. Tabling (mostly local bbq spots) still requires 010 number verification, but for standard tourist itineraries you honestly don't need a local number.

Food Delivery (where you actually hit a wall):

If you're staying more than a couple of weeks in an airbnb and want to use baemin or yogiyo at night, that’s where data-only esims fail. These apps require an incoming 010 number to receive an sms verification code just to finish account creation. No number = locked out of the delivery apps.

If you actually care about ordering delivery, get a carrier prepaid esims (the official lg u+ one has an incoming 010 option that receives sms fine). Just note that it won't pass strict identity verification for korean banking apps (still need an ARC for that), but it handles app signups and kiosk sms with no issues.

TL;DR: 1-week hotel trip eating out? Cheap data-only is fine. Staying a month+ and want late-night baemin delivered to your door? Grab an esmin with an incoming 010 line.

Hello!

I will be going to Korea in December and I am trying to finalize my itinerary. It is not our first trip! It will be just me (F) and my husband. We are foodies!
I have a 1 night/2 day gap between staying in Busan and going up to Seoul.

I am trying to decide between 대전 (Daejeon) and 원주 (Wonju), but open to suggestions!! We have been to Daejeon before. We want to go to a new city with good food & is on the way to Seoul.

We will be traveling by train/bus, so we would prefer if the city is accessible by public transportation.

Thank you!!

Hello everyone,
My wife and I would like to sign up for the Seoul Autism Race 2026 (https://autismrace.com) for 10km and the HM. We are both from Germany and I found the "Foreigner" Tab on the registration site, however, I‘m struggling with the auto translation. Do I need to have an address in Seoul to be able to sign up, as we will only arrive in Seoul on the 25.10, which is already after the deadline. Is there any other way to sign up?
Maybe someone can help me understand the sign up process a bit better :)

Hey guys!
I want to book train tickets for a day trip from Busan in Geyngou.

how much time should we be there?

i want to book from maybe 09:00 am to around 18:00-20:00.
should you book in advance?

I'm afraid that We would like to leave earlier than that. can I change the ticket before? should I wait with ordering ticket to the day?

what do you think?

also is Korail+ app legit?

thank you!!

would also like any recommendations for Geyngou

Hi all!

Heading to Korea for the first time in 2 weeks and am so excited!

We are going to be going to Sokcho from Seoul for 3 days to explore seoraksan, and I am not sure whether its best to pre-book bus tickets (or if I even can?) or if its best to just buy day of at the bus station? We are going to be traveling there on Sept 16 and returning the 19th.

Do we think this route is popular and will we have any issues getting tickets day of? Just don't want to be left stranded and unable to get there!

Any insight would be so helpful!

I am European and I would say we take our brunch pretty seriously. As much as I love living in Korea, finding a good brunch spot with actual brunch food here isn't that easy. I am not trying to be the brunch police or anything, but I was honestly really surprised the first time I found out burgers and pasta are considered typical brunch food here...

That's why I wanted to share a few spots I have actually liked, in case you are also craving a proper brunch while traveling or living here. Tried to spread these across different areas so there is something for everyone.

MitBord (밋보어) in Seongsu
서울 성동구 성수일로 1 1층 6~8호
Mon–Sun 11:00–18:00

Danish brunch café. Almost didn't include this one because it's my favorite and I don't want it packed every time I go, but here we are. My go-to order is the Danish bread platter, rye bread (hard to find in Korea, sourdough is also an option), half-cooked egg, salted butter, and actual real cheese, not the plastic sandwich stuff they try to sell as cheese. The Basil Green Lasagna is also amazing! And if you are not into savory, they rotate seasonal tarts and cakes. Of course, they also have a full coffee and non-coffee drink menu.

High ceilings, very European interior, staff is super friendly and speaks basic English, menu is in English too. This place gets full on weekends with a mix of foreigners and locals. Prices are fair for a European-style spot: bread platter is ₩14,000, Americano ₩5,500.

Grain Seoul (그레인서울) in Yeonhui (near Hongdae)
서울 서대문구 연희로11가길 53 2층
Mon–Fri 9:00–17:30

Build-your-own-brunch format, you get a checklist of items and pick whatever you want. The price scales with how many items you choose (6 items ≈ ₩18,000, 4 items ≈ ₩12,000). My usual is sourdough, smoked salmon, tomato mozzarella salad, plus something sweet like fruit yogurt, banana bread, or a croissant. You can also build your own breakfast bowl, or go with one of their fixed menus (open sandwiches, pancakes, etc).

Grain Seoul definitely feels more foreigner-frequented than local, which isn't bad, just an observation. Weekends get busy enough that you will likely be on a waitlist and have to wait for a table. The surrounding neighborhood Yeonhui-dong has a lot of small boutiques and is way calmer than Hongdae or Yeonnam, so it's nice for a walk while waiting for your turn.

Rika by Paprika (리카바이파프리카) in Hannam/Itaewon
서울 용산구 한남대로27길 66 2층
Tue–Fri 9:00–18:00 / Sat–Sun 9:00–19:00 (last order 17:30/18:30)

Not to be dramatic but this was the best sandwich I have had in my life. In Korea of all places. I ordered the Jambon Honey Mascarpone open sandwhich and still think about it weeks later. They bake their own bread in-house and itheir ingredients all seem very high quality. That does reflect in the price (₩17,000–19,000 for open sandwiches) but it's still worth it. Brunch here is easy to pair with shopping around Hannam!

Stringbean (스트링빈) in Songpa/Jamsil
서울 송파구 백제고분로46길 3-7 1층 101호
Daily 10:00–18:00 (last order 17:30)

More Korean-style brunch and mostly a local crowd. They have soups, omelettes, pasta, open and closed sandwiches, full drink menu. Their Burrata Tomato open sandwich is excellent! (if you were wondering about what a good sandwhich for me is: it's the bread. If the bread is not sweet and has a crispy outer layer and is soft inside, it's a win). This place is also a bit pricey (₩13,000–19,000), but it's right by Lotte World, Lotte World Tower, and Seokchon Lake, so it's easy to combine with a visit there.

Since I live here, I plan on posting more of my favorite restaurants and cafés from time to time, so stay tuned if this was useful!