Hey, everybody! Raffa here! With all the technology available at our fingertips, I'm sure you're all wondering what apps would be the most useful to you in Korea. Well I'm here with my favorite apps and websites to help you in your travel.
APPS
When I travel to Korea, there are three main apps that I use. The first is Naver Maps. Naver is a popular search engine in Korea, similar to Google. Another popular search engine is Daum, which also has a maps app. Both are great, I just use Naver because it's the app I learned how to use first. Here's the thing though. You are going to need one of these map apps or a really up to date map of wherever you are visiting in Korea to get around. Google maps is not effective. I'm not sure why it is, but Google maps is about 10 years behind what buildings exist where. I once was trying to help a friend find his guesthouse, and the google map told us to turn left at a bank, but we couldn't for the life of us find it.. after asking a stranger for help we learned that we were standing right in front of the building that used to be the bank... 5 YEARS AGO. So take my advice, get Naver or Daum maps. The naver map app is also useful because you can look up bus routes and times, and subway routes and times. The only downside is that, as far as I know, these apps are only available in Korean. So brush up on your hangul and spend a day playing with the app to get used to it! It will totally be worth it to be able to find your way around.
The second app I use is the Seoul Subway app. There are tons of this if you search in your app store, and any app that pops up will work fairly well. My favorite is on called "Subway Korea" that has a yellow subway icon (pictured to the left). This app can be used in English, Korean or Japanese and has subway maps for Seoul, Busan. Daegu, Daejeon, and Gwangju. It can also tell you distance in miles or meters. If you select a departure and arrival station, the app will tell you the fastest route, how long it will take, how much it will cost, how many stations it will take, and if there are any transfers.
APPS
When I travel to Korea, there are three main apps that I use. The first is Naver Maps. Naver is a popular search engine in Korea, similar to Google. Another popular search engine is Daum, which also has a maps app. Both are great, I just use Naver because it's the app I learned how to use first. Here's the thing though. You are going to need one of these map apps or a really up to date map of wherever you are visiting in Korea to get around. Google maps is not effective. I'm not sure why it is, but Google maps is about 10 years behind what buildings exist where. I once was trying to help a friend find his guesthouse, and the google map told us to turn left at a bank, but we couldn't for the life of us find it.. after asking a stranger for help we learned that we were standing right in front of the building that used to be the bank... 5 YEARS AGO. So take my advice, get Naver or Daum maps. The naver map app is also useful because you can look up bus routes and times, and subway routes and times. The only downside is that, as far as I know, these apps are only available in Korean. So brush up on your hangul and spend a day playing with the app to get used to it! It will totally be worth it to be able to find your way around.
The second app I use is the Seoul Subway app. There are tons of this if you search in your app store, and any app that pops up will work fairly well. My favorite is on called "Subway Korea" that has a yellow subway icon (pictured to the left). This app can be used in English, Korean or Japanese and has subway maps for Seoul, Busan. Daegu, Daejeon, and Gwangju. It can also tell you distance in miles or meters. If you select a departure and arrival station, the app will tell you the fastest route, how long it will take, how much it will cost, how many stations it will take, and if there are any transfers.
The third app I use is Naver dictionary. This app can be found in English and Korean, and is very useful for looking up how to say things in Korean, or to look up mystery Korean words you come across! It's much better than using google translate, and even has names of food and a variety of Korean slang in it as well! I think this app would be useful for everyone, even those who aren't learning Korean. It's also incredibly straightforward and easy to use like any other dictionary app.
WEBSITES
There are some extremely useful websites and YouTube channels by creators who have lived in Korea longer than I ever have, and who have spent years learning about Korean culture and language. My favorites are:
Chonunmigooksaram: Run by American Megan Bowen who has lived in Korea for several years. She has plenty of videos about Korean language and culture. She's super bubbly and fun to watch! I binge watched all of her videos before I studied abroad in Korea for a year, and I actually learned some things in those last few weeks before my departure that were pretty important to know (see below info about bathrooms)!
EatYourKimchi: Both a website and a Youtube Channel, the creators SImon and Martina are Canadian teachers that taught in Korean for several years before quitting to do YouTube full time. They have years worth of videos about Korean food, culture, language, music, and quirky random items to be found! While they no longer live in Korea (now they live and film in Japan!), they have a plethora of videos you can watch to learn about Korea. They were the first YouTubers that I watched about Korea, and to this day they hold a special place in my heart. They are also INCREDIBLY nice in person!
Talk To Me In Korean (TTMIK): This is a wonderful website and video series that teachers Korean from beginning to advanced. It's really organized, and is used by a lot of people studying Korean independently. They also have articles about Korean culture and life. It's a great website for learning how to read hangul and learn basic words and phrases if you are planning a short trip!
There are some extremely useful websites and YouTube channels by creators who have lived in Korea longer than I ever have, and who have spent years learning about Korean culture and language. My favorites are:
Chonunmigooksaram: Run by American Megan Bowen who has lived in Korea for several years. She has plenty of videos about Korean language and culture. She's super bubbly and fun to watch! I binge watched all of her videos before I studied abroad in Korea for a year, and I actually learned some things in those last few weeks before my departure that were pretty important to know (see below info about bathrooms)!
EatYourKimchi: Both a website and a Youtube Channel, the creators SImon and Martina are Canadian teachers that taught in Korean for several years before quitting to do YouTube full time. They have years worth of videos about Korean food, culture, language, music, and quirky random items to be found! While they no longer live in Korea (now they live and film in Japan!), they have a plethora of videos you can watch to learn about Korea. They were the first YouTubers that I watched about Korea, and to this day they hold a special place in my heart. They are also INCREDIBLY nice in person!
Talk To Me In Korean (TTMIK): This is a wonderful website and video series that teachers Korean from beginning to advanced. It's really organized, and is used by a lot of people studying Korean independently. They also have articles about Korean culture and life. It's a great website for learning how to read hangul and learn basic words and phrases if you are planning a short trip!