6 Essential Apps for Traveling in Korea (and How to Use Each One): Naver Map, Papago, K.Ride and More

A clean Seoul subway platform at Ewha Womans University Station with green line signs and screen doors
A Seoul subway platform on Line 2. Photo: LERK, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Your phone will do half the work on a trip to Korea, but only if it has the right apps. The map you use at home may not be the one Koreans use, a taxi app may ask for a Korean phone number, and a menu photo is only useful if something can read it for you.

Here are 6 apps and tools worth setting up before you land, what each one is for, and how to use it in a few steps. App details come from the official app store listings, the Korea Tourism Organization's VISITKOREA website and Korean news reports, checked in November 2026.

The short list: Naver Map (directions, subway, bus) · Kakao Map (backup map) · Papago (translation) · K.Ride (taxis for foreigners) · a transit or travel card app · 1330 Korea Travel Hotline (help in your language)

1. Naver Map (네이버 지도): your main map

What it's for: finding places, walking directions, and getting around by subway and bus.

Naver Map is made by the Korean internet company Naver. The app works in four languages: Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese. According to a Korean news report from December 2024, it shows real-time arrival information for public transport, subway maps, and guidance on where to get on and off. Naver has also published a usage guide for foreign tourists in English, Chinese and Japanese.

How to use it:

  1. Install Naver Map from the App Store or Google Play.
  2. If it opens in Korean, change the app language to English in its settings menu.
  3. Type your destination in the search bar. If the English name finds nothing, try the Korean name. Copying it from a hotel booking or a website works well.
  4. Tap the directions button, then pick the public transport option.
  5. Follow the route step by step: which line to take, where to transfer and where to get off. Check the arrival time of the next train or bus before you walk to the platform.
A tall lit-up subway exit sign at night showing the Line 2 symbol, the station name in Korean and English, and exit number 2
A subway exit sign in Seoul. Station signs show the line number and the exit number. Photo: Udonhan1992, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Tip: big subway stations in Seoul have many exits. When the app or a friend tells you to come out at a certain exit, look for the number on signs like the one above. Coming out at the wrong exit can leave you a long walk from where you meant to be.

2. Kakao Map (카카오맵): the backup map

What it's for: a second opinion when Naver Map can't find a place.

Kakao Map is the other big Korean map app, made by Kakao, the company behind the messenger KakaoTalk. You don't need both, but if a place doesn't show up on one map, a second app gives you another way to search. The steps are the same: search, tap directions, choose public transport.

3. Papago (파파고): translation in your pocket

What it's for: menus, signs, labels, and talking to people who don't speak your language.

Papago is Naver's free translation app. Its official app store listing includes:

  • Image translation: point your camera at a menu or sign and read it in your language.
  • Voice translation and conversation translation for a back-and-forth talk with someone.
  • Offline translation for text, so you can still translate without an internet connection.
  • Handwriting, website and document translation.

The listing says Papago covers 14 languages, including Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, French, Vietnamese, Thai and Indonesian.

How to use it at a restaurant: open Papago, choose image translation, set the languages to Korean and your language, and take a photo of the menu. To ask staff something, use conversation mode, speak into the phone, and show them the screen.

4. K.Ride (케이라이드): taxis made for foreigners

Silver and orange taxis waiting in a line on a Seoul street at night
Taxis on a Seoul street at night. Photo: Ilya Plekhanov, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

What it's for: calling a taxi without a Korean phone number or a Korean card.

Many people in Korea call taxis with Kakao T. Its maker, Kakao Mobility, also runs K.Ride, launched in June 2024 as a service for foreign visitors. A March 2025 Korean news report described it this way:

  • You sign up with a phone number plus a Google account, Apple account or email.
  • You can pay automatically with an overseas-issued card.
  • An automatic translation feature covering more than 100 languages helps with searching for your destination and chatting with the driver.

How to use it: install K.Ride, sign up, register your card, type your destination, and request a taxi. When the car arrives, check that the number plate matches the one in the app before you get in.

5. A transit or travel card: paying for the subway and bus

An app can show you the route, but you still need a way to pay at the gate. As of November 2026, Seoul's subway gates and city bus readers are built for Korean transit cards like T-money (티머니), not for tapping an overseas bank card.

You have a few options: a plastic T-money card, a Climate Card (기후동행카드) short-term pass bought at the newer subway ticket machines that accept overseas cards, or a prepaid travel card for visitors, such as WOWPASS, which you manage in its own app. Each has its own rules, so we covered them in separate guides:

6. 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: help in your language

The lit-up domed building of Myeongdong Theater at dusk in Seoul
Myeongdong, one of Seoul's busiest areas for visitors. Photo: lumoplank, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

This one is not an app you install, but it belongs on every visitor's phone. 1330 is Korea's travel hotline for tourists. Save it in your contacts before you go.

  • From a phone in Korea: dial 1330.
  • From an overseas number: dial +82-2-1330.
  • Chat instead of calling: the VISITKOREA website lists a 1330 web messenger (no download needed), plus KakaoTalk, Facebook, Line and WhatsApp.
  • Free online call: VISITKOREA also offers an online voice call. It says the call itself is free over Wi-Fi, but data charges may apply.

Use it when you are lost, need help explaining something to a taxi driver or shop, or want to check travel information in your own language.

Set these up before you fly

  1. Install Naver Map, Kakao Map, Papago and K.Ride while you still have home Wi-Fi.
  2. Switch Naver Map to English and try one search, such as your hotel.
  3. Open Papago and set up offline translation in case you lose signal.
  4. Sign up for K.Ride and register your card, so you aren't doing it at the airport taxi stand.
  5. Save 1330 and +82-2-1330 in your contacts.
  6. Plan how you will pay for transit: T-money, a Climate Card pass, or a prepaid travel card.

Quick answers

  • Which map app should I use in Korea? Naver Map as your main map, with Kakao Map as a backup.
  • Does Naver Map work in English? Yes. It works in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese.
  • Is Papago free? Yes, according to its app store listing.
  • How do I call a taxi without a Korean number? K.Ride, Kakao Mobility's app for foreign visitors.
  • Who do I call for help? 1330, or +82-2-1330 from an overseas number.

Checked in November 2026 against official app store listings, VISITKOREA and Korean news reports. App features and sign-up rules can change, so check inside each app before you rely on it.

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