Taking Taxis in Korea: Hailing, Apps, Paying and Fares (2026)

The short version

If you…	Do this
Are on the street	Hail any regular taxi and show the driver your destination in Korean (taxi card)
Want to book ahead in English	Use International Taxi, k.ride or Uber
Are a group of 5–8 with luggage	Take a jumbo taxi
Are traveling between 10 pm and 4 am	Expect a 20–40% late-night surcharge
Want a receipt	Ask for one (영수증 주세요). It helps if you leave something behind

Types of taxi

Type	How to spot it	Good to know
Regular	Mostly orange, also white, silver and other colors; “TAXI” sign on the roof	The cheapest option and the one you’ll take most
Deluxe (mobeom)	Black with a gold stripe, often waiting at big hotels and tourist sites	Roomier with a higher service standard, at a higher fare
Jumbo	Large van marked “JUMBO”	Up to 8 passengers, charged at the deluxe rate
International Taxi	Book by app, website or phone	Drivers speak English, Japanese or Chinese; 20% surcharge on metered trips
App-brand taxis	Kakao Black, Uber Black, i.M, Tada and others	Booked in the app, with their own fare tables

Watch out for “call vans”: they look like vans for hire but aren’t taxis and have no meter.

Fares in Seoul

Seoul’s current fares have been in place since 1 February 2023.

	Regular (sedan)	Deluxe, SUV and van
Base fare	₩4,800 for the first 1.6 km	₩7,000 for the first 3 km
After that	₩100 per 131 m, or per 30 seconds when slow	₩200 per 151 m, or per 36 seconds when slow
Late night	+20% (10–11 pm), +40% (11 pm–2 am), +20% (2–4 am)	+20% (10 pm–4 am)
Leaving Seoul city limits	+20%	+20%

Expressway tolls are added to the fare. A late-night trip out of the city in a regular taxi can cost up to 60% more than the daytime fare.

Other big cities have similar base fares. For example, Busan’s is also ₩4,800.

From Incheon Airport

International Taxi charges flat fares from Incheon Airport into Seoul by district:

Zone	Seoul districts include	Sedan	Deluxe / van
A	Gangseo	₩70,000	₩100,000
B	Mapo (Hongdae), Yeongdeungpo, Seodaemun	₩75,000	₩110,000
C	Jung (Myeongdong), Jongno, Yongsan	₩85,000	₩120,000
D	Gangnam, Seocho, Seongdong (Seongsu), Dongdaemun	₩90,000	₩130,000
E	Songpa, Gangdong, Gwangjin	₩95,000	₩140,000

Regular taxis from the airport use the meter. For the train and bus alternatives, see Incheon Airport to Seoul.

Paying

Taxis take cash, cards and transit cards such as T-money.

• Foreign credit cards: whether yours goes through can vary from taxi to taxi. Keep a backup.
• A T-money or other transit card works in taxis with a card reader, which most have. See transit cards compared.
• Paying by card has a bonus: if you leave something behind, the card record helps trace the taxi.

Apps that work for visitors

App	What it is	Notes
k.ride	Kakao Mobility’s app for foreign visitors	English, Chinese and Japanese; sign in with Google or Apple; pay with an overseas card
Uber	Your usual Uber app	Uses your existing account and payment; messages to the driver are translated automatically
International Taxi	Seoul’s foreign-language taxi service	Book in its app, at intltaxi.co.kr or on +82-1644-2255; desk at Incheon Airport
Kakao T	The app most Koreans use	Takes foreign cards, but sign-up needs a number that can receive a text, which often fails with foreign numbers. k.ride is easier for visitors

Booking through an app can add a small call fee, and premium tiers such as Kakao Black and Uber Black have higher base fares (₩6,000–8,000 in Seoul).

Hailing on the street

• Stand where taxis can safely stop and wave one down. Taxi stands are common at train and bus stations, major subway stations and shopping malls.
• Show the driver your destination in Korean. The name of a landmark, station or hotel is often quicker than a street address. Our taxi card shows it in large text with a map.
• Fasten your seat belt. It’s required in all seats.

If something goes wrong

• Lost something? Seoul’s Public Transit Lost & Found Center covers taxis, or call 120 (press 9 for foreign languages). Taxi companies keep found items for about a week and then hand them to the police, searchable at lost112.go.kr.
• Need help or a translator? Call 1330, the Korea Travel Helpline, available in several languages.