Master the SUBWAY! How to ride the subway in Seoul | Help Traveling in South Korea

[@MeganOsten]

Almost at 1,000 subscribers! I can’t believe it! Thank you all so much! Message me on Instagram if you have any questions about travel and/or South Korea ☺️ Much love~

[@Likeagirllife1234]

This is the kind of Sk content needed. I feel so prepared and I’m not even going yet. Thank you!

[@MeganOsten]

You’re so welcome ☺️❤️

[@MagicMaggiez]

I went on the subway in Korea a few years ago, sardine situation, and IT WAS PACKED. I lost my balance and basically fell into the people around me. I felt like dying of embarrassment.

[@MeganOsten]

No worries because I’VE DONE THE SAME THING and I’ve watched it happen to other people as well hehehe 🤣 Good ol’ sardine o’clock! 😜

[@Steve211Ucdhihifvshi]

Is it really packed like japan from 5 to 7 pm?

[@boshintang]

Line 2 regular here. Look for the signs for City Hall. On Line 2 you always know if you are going towards or away from City Hall. It's kind of like a "landmark" station you can use to navigate and choose which side of the tracks to get on. I don't know about the other lines but they also probably have important locations that you can use the same way.

[@KoreaSummerTrip2024]

We were on the Arex yesterday after we left the airport and 2 guys in front of us were talking, I giggled internally. I also had help from a young man cause i couldn't get my 3 suitcases moved at once when getting off. Overall it was a fun experience. Can't wait to do it again, your video was super helpful.

[@mattofafnir5654]

Hey Megan! These videos have many, many good tips! I think they’re getting better, more informative, and funnier! Keep helping folks travel SK smartly and efficiently!

[@MeganOsten]

Thank you ☺️

[@stacyyang9432]

Thanks so much for this content, Megan. I watched your videos on public transport before riding the metro in Korea as a solo traveler and felt so much more comfortable! Appreciate how thorough and thoughtful your videos are

[@PJNGUYEN2022]

Megan! Thank you for such a thorough video! We are in Korea this very moment and we reviewed your tips for the train and it was a life savor! Still a little learning curve but all your suggestions were 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

[@awander2752]

Great information! I love the funny clips you insert, especially the one where the cute cat is taking small steps back and forth (maybe he's hunting sardines 😉)

[@MeganOsten]

Hahahaha always good to have a good laugh! I know I sure was laughing at myself while editing 🤣🙈

[@nickg1700]

Madame, you're a hero.

[@SmashingFake29]

I made it to sk and am currently in quarantine, but once I get out your videos will proof to be super helpful I'm sure. Thanks megan!

[@MeganOsten]

So happy to help! Let me know if you have any questions ☺️

[@misskristinn]

I am a master now!!

[@mfran028]

This was SOOO helpful. I’ve never lived any where with good subway systems so this was a life saver thank you

[@MeganOsten]

I'm happy to help! 😍❤️✨ Safe travels~

[@jacoboblanco1555]

I live in Tokyo and everything you talked about sounds very familiar with the exception of the priority seats, I find that people here are not so strict about it.

[@ando1135]

green line is like the yamanote line here in tokyo. makes a big circle around the city and its also green haha

[@zepp2498]

Héhé, nice video. I don't know about Pusan's subway, but Seoul....I had to ride it for many years ( I remember well Jamwon Station....because next was Express bus terminal....near where I lived, héhé). Great subway: writen in korean, in english, + number of each station ....and colour for each line......and now, with your tel applies....you just can't lose yourself . Congratulation also on your 1000 subscribers.

[@MeganOsten]

Yes! I have taken that subway often as well! Subways here are lovely!

[@miap.3360]

It will be our first time riding the subway here in Seoul. Thank you for the great directions

[@annythien]

Super helpful! You also had me singing along to Hannah Montana too 🤣

[@LeilaOara]

Thank you so much for those amazing informations,,

[@dlee0724]

You are so fun person! It is really fun to watch. I think u r very smart. Every piece of info is so well organized.

[@pianoguy_sam]

Literally sitting in the subway station watching this video, cuz lord… this is tough 😅

[@msy6709]

메건이 이렇게 서울 교통시스템을 친절하게 알려주는데, 많은 외국인들이 구독했으면 하네요. ^^

[@MeganOsten]

감사합니다~~~

[@VOID-bw5jc]

와 설명을 어쩜 이리 정확하게 잘 하시는지.... 확 한국관광공사에 신고 해 버릴까 보다 홍보 영상으로 쓰라고...ㅎㅎ. 단점?이 있다면 얼굴이 넘 예쁘셔서 끝까지 보고 나서도 미모만 남고 정보는 기억에 잘 남지 않을 것 같아요 ㅎㅎ. 다른 영상도 찾아 보고 응원 할께요.

[@MeganOsten]

와… 절잠 감사합니다!!! 한국에 있는 동안에도 이런 영상을 계속 만들고 싶어요. 다른 비자가 필요해요...

[@sentpardede]

'the sardine hours'... I like it.😊

[@krasivo-8285]

Thanks megan! Im going alone next month. Not gonna lie im so nervous !

[@silvershree]

Ur content is so so good

[@majorflight02]

Thanks for this guide. Also, 1:22 I like your choice of example, Q harassing Captain Picard.

[@JoshSong]

Great video per usual~~~~~~~!!

[@laythahmed7179]

Thank you very much for this amazing video. 😁

[@АлександрРябин-и8л]

Need to add that there are fast trains which skip some stations. So, you need to pay attention to that matter and signs. Also, the train sometimes can stop and go in backward direction. Such thing happen when I was going to the Soyosan on line 1 and train finished the way on Yangju.

[@nedflanders9215]

“GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO REMEMBER “ LFMAODMSK PERIODTTJD

[@johnzain3227]

Love it... do you have a video which guides the way to set the language of navermap to English, like what you have in this video? Thanks

[@Camilles_pov]

This was so helpful and informative! Thank you so much

[@MeganOsten]

I’m so glad 🤭♥️

[@adventure_onthedaily9851]

Thanks so much for ALL of these videos. You remind me so much of Scarlett Johanssen! She probably knows far less about Korea though.

[@IMP3TIGO]

Good video. Onky thing I would add is a warning about how the gate doors will slam shut and a loud alarm will sound if you go through the gate too slpw and it resets. Quite shocking and requires you to hop the gate often if there is no security staff around.

[@kabutovakushi1164]

Are these updated @Megan ? We r planning our next month trip to SK based purely on ur videos.. kudos to all the detailed videos

[@samih5916]

Good video Megan and those advice on travelling the Subway is helpful as usual, also that old woman who cussed you and your friends as well as pointing the finger at you all is so rude and disrespectful and it's so uncalled for too.

[@MeganOsten]

Thank you for watching!! But it’s okay. Can’t let other people get me down!

[@samih5916]

@@MeganOsten you are welcome

[@samih5916]

@UC0X7aFYMQWQBZFyDThP_5WQ No it wasn't shown in the video, Megan mentioned it.

[@IDrawToothpicks]

I suppose she didn't know they didn't know any better. Some just don't have as sweet a disposition as others. Whether it's in Korea or anywhere. Korean Karen's are not as bad as American Karen's that's for sure. The lady probably thought they sat there to be disrespectful. But it goes to show the person that cussed them out , that looks can be decieving :) I wouldn't have done that. All depends on the person. She could have just asked for the seat politely

[@samih5916]

@@IDrawToothpicks whatever, also why the heck did you delete your previous comment in the first before I got to reply to it?

[@ahfidina]

Omg this is so detail! Thank you so much ❤️

[@MeganOsten]

You’re very welcome 🥹❤️ more helpful content coming soon~

[@bizziirv]

Wish I watched this video before yesterday 😩

[@mairamaira5589]

Thank YOU !!! Great help :))

[@MeganOsten]

You're welcome! I'm happy to help~~

[@TheDragon871]

That's so so helpful! Thanks a lot :)

[@SunKing968]

This is a helpful alien!

[@amyrah9546]

Thank you for your video, it’s very helpful :) can you please explain how you changed the language to English in Naver Map, I have changed it to English through settings but the most of the words are still in Korean, thank you

[@hanagara1907]

I'm going to Korea in just under a month and I'm disabled so I honestly dk if I COULD manage to stand so I mean, could I sit in one of those seats at the end? The problem is that I know some Korean but not "disabled"

[@Lesya77]

You are adorable! Thanks for informative and really funny videos.

[@MeganOsten]

Happy to help 🥹❤️✨

[@TsrifTsal1]

I trick I learned while in Seoul and Uijeongbu about a week ago: If you are only going the distance of one or two stations, it's probably faster to just walk above ground. And be aware that the schedule is sometimes different on the weekends -- a couple times I had to wait an hour for the next train.

[@julian4630]

감사합니다! Super helpful

[@sleddy01]

Organic maps is pretty fabulous

[@will2Collett]

How much would you recommend for a "T" card to safely use it, like a minimum amount. Thanks muchly.

[@MeganOsten]

Because it's so easy to add money to your T-money in subway stations and convenience stores, I usually only had around 15.000 to 20,000 won on it at a time (because I'm pretty good at ... misplacing things 😅). If you plan to stay in Seoul and use that card to pay for a taxi, you might want 30,000 to 40,000 won on it. Just know, if you misplace that card, there's no getting the money back... So just be careful 😄 Safe travels~ ✨

[@Roblesbenjamin13]

How does the Express metros work ??

[@zomgitsgabe1687]

What is the closest subway to the airport? Or what's the best way to get to my hotel from the airport? I am going to Korea in a month and staying at the Sotetsu Hotels The Splaisir Seoul Dongdaemun and arriving at the Incheon International Airport.

[@JoshSong]

Alsoooo so close to 1000 subs yaaass

[@MeganOsten]

Crrrraaaazy 😱

[@sparkygirl9083]

Thanks

[@islebob5417]

As an empathetic man, I always wanted to feel what sardines feel just once. If the subway does that for me, then perhaps it's an experience to be had. BTW, perfume buffet or body odor conglomeration hell?

[@MeganOsten]

Definitely a great opportunity to do exactly that 🤣 If you’re asking about the subway smells…. Most Koreans don’t smell - so you’re in luck!

[@happydrawing7309]

Megan, I recommend you to ues a credit card only for the transfortation because there are many discounts for the own thing. For example, When you take a bus, you will pay 1100 won instead 1200 won.

[@MeganOsten]

To use a credit card I need a bank account. To get a bank account I need an ARC. To get an ARC I need a better visa! AHHH!!! One day!!

[@happydrawing7309]

​@@MeganOsten Doesn't USA card work as traffic card?

[@babymovies5289]

My mom and sister was in Gangnam last month and they said the Koreans don’t follow etiquette with young guys sitting in the pregnant seats, young people sitting in the elderly seats and the elderly sitting in regular seats despite elderly seats being open. They also got assaulted by old women with my mom getting shoved in the back really hard and my sister getting hit by a cart. They also said to expect over the top PDA on the subway too. That was just their experience though so maybe theirs was just unusual haha

[@MeganOsten]

I’m so sorry to hear about your mom and sister 🥺 I hope she is okay…. 💕 PDA is very different in South Korea. Korea is known for their couples culture - but I think it’s overall very respectful PDA. It takes getting used to, but I never saw a couple doing anything crazy raunchy in SK (but every country has their own cases of crazy PDA experiences haha). As far as the etiquette goes, Korea is very respectful towards elderly individuals (for example: they’re allowed to ride the subway for free as they have worked so hard for so long - it’s like a thank you from the government). You can see their respect in the Korean language with formal and informal speech as well. So truly, they can sit anywhere if it’s open and I think it’s incredibly sweet that they care so much for them that they _also_ reserve places in every cart. But! Many elderly people in South Korea, like every country, aren’t looking to change their way of thinking… I’m not sure if you’re a foreigner but I’ve heard many sad stories about foreigners being treated poorly (I have a few stories I could share as well…) There’s definitely room for growth in some areas in SK, like every other county, but I’m hopeful ❤️

[@babymovies5289]

@@MeganOsten yes, we’re American and they said the PDA wasn’t raunchy but hella cringe. A guy being possessive and touchy and the woman acting like a child. They said it made even other Koreans annoyed because it was so over the top. Yeah, I think respect for the elderly is important but not to the point of enabling them to bully and act badly. Of course they can sit wherever but if the subway is crowded and they take a general seat instead of an open designated one it forces a younger person to have to stand because it’s one less seat. I guess being assaulted by older women is pretty common on Korean subways, my mom could have really got injured because she wasn’t expecting a hard shove from behind. My sister just ended up with a bruise. My mom and sister said although there was a lot of positive things about Korea the negative outweighed the positive for them and they most likely wouldn’t go back. Maybe they were just unlucky and it was a fluke. On the up side, they did have 2 younger Koreans stop and ask them if they needed help in English and that was cool. They said Koreans don’t really talk to foreigners or even other Koreans they don’t know. They said they might go back if they visited Japan and made Korea a day trip just for the shopping haha

[@MeganOsten]

I’m sorry to hear their experience wasn’t worth returning…. But I’m glad they’re safe and no one was seriously hurt. I’ve personally love living in Korea so, so much - though there are things I really dislike and wish were different. But I always remind myself that every country is broken in many ways.

[@dariomascarenhas8174]

Great help and run to leave in the subway.😂

[@kathleentorrente2280]

Hi! My husband and I are traveling to So Korea in the near future, does each of us need to have a t-money card? Or we can just buy one and both of us can use it. Really appreciate if you can respond cause no one mentions that tip for all the videos I watched so far

[@Tab_M]

I think you can use it for both of you

[@gil658]

I just wish they also indicate west/east or south/north bound. Without this, I always look up the station name to go where i want to go

[@dwighttaylor5107]

Awesome thanks

[@Stimulated]

Hello. If I want to get any place . First of all, I will know the address of this place to reach. The question is how I can know the name of the station that is related to this address??? Iam talking about metro

[@alvinting7423]

if subway is always packed then its not advisable if your going o the airport with luggage ?

[@MrCaffebene]

where to tap exiting the subway?

[@vegetablevampire]

I was too nervous to turn around so I just got on the subway in the wrong direction💀💀💀 I still don’t know how to go the right way

[@dlee0724]

참 보면 볼수록 멋진 분

[@dorothydimarino5661]

can you take a taxi from the airport to Gangwon-ga, if so, how much is cost and how long?

[@ICNseoulTaxiTransferBooking]

Gangwon-do is wide. Wonju? Chuncheon?

[@rajathamman6845]

Can you 2 people travelling at the same time use the same T-card?

[@MeganOsten]

Everyone will need their own card for the subway!! ☺️

[@rajathamman6845]

@@MeganOsten thank you so much for the info!! Really appreciated!! Your videos help me and my wife plan our honeymoon to Seoul!!

[@howlingcommandose]

Yep been there with my wife, ya she never gets crushed. Why I get to a corner or wall then I stand facing her and put my hands against the wall. They may crush my back but not my front or her. Had a similar thing happen on a bus to her father. I was thinking they respect elders, um on transportation. Nope not happening I was right there making space for him.

[@Queentiwa]

LMFAOOOOOO the sardine hours section 😭

[@MeganOsten]

I reaaally learned about them the hard way too 🤣🤣

[@ms.carlawong]

won't Google Map work in Korea? Thanks!

[@Ru4444]

Thank u

[@dl45649]

I know this isn’t related to the video😭but were you able to make one of those QR code check in things? I’m struggling so much because so many places don’t have the sign in clipboards out and I have to ask every time…

[@MeganOsten]

Please message me on Instagram so we can discuss! @MeganOsten 🤗

[@amandamurphy1489]

I'm so worried about exists...stupid I know 😔 there are just so many options sometimes. How do I know, which exist I need and is what I want? (EG) Gangnam has 12 to offer me ..Sorry for the silly questions megan

[@MeganOsten]

No silly questions! ❤️ Naver maps will tell you, step by step, which exit to take and even show you a detailed map of how to get where you’re going! 🥰

[@bbp3xo240]

Would you recommend catching the train to our Airbnb with our suitcase from the airport?

[@ICNseoulTaxiTransferBooking]

네가 지하철을 타면 비용이 절감된다. 그러나 출근시간에 네가 지하철 안에 있다면 너는 지옥을 경험 할 것이다. 왜냐하면 너무 많은 인원 때문에 너의 짐가방이 원망 스러울 것이기 때문입니다.

[@MeganOsten]

I really recommend watching my airport guide video because I go into more detail about this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIq0pnRmfaihqas From the airport, the subway always starts off very empty so you’ll be able to find a seat - but it could get crowded later. I just enjoy saving the money so I always take the subway closer to Seoul and then taxi! Just my preference~ It also depends on HOW much luggage you have as well. If you have a lot, it might be a hassle to navigate public transportation after a long flight. Safe travels~

[@choiangelo1520]

설명을 참 빠르게 잘하시네요 영어 발음도 아주 좋아요

[@MeganOsten]

감사합니다! 자막 달까요?

[@wayfaringstranger5079]

@@MeganOsten 자막다시면 한국인 구독자수가 급속도로 늘어날거라 생각합니다!ㅎㅎ

[@cedriclloyd5571]

What are the heavy road traffic hours?

[@faterosario7872]

Is it expensive to rent the car? Or is it easy with parking?

[@MeganOsten]

I personally think renting a car, especially if you’re traveling in the city, isn’t worth it. It’s usually harder to find a place to put the car - plus it’s cheaper to take public transportation. If you’d like to drive anything, you’ll need an international driver’s license if you’re a foreigner (even to drive the rental electric scooters on the sidewalks lol) As far as outside of city goes, I’ve made other videos about various modes of transportation in South Korea - and it’s all so cheap!! I’d rather take those than risk dealing with South Korean streets and traffic (and I love driving haha). Most of my Korean friends don’t have a car because you don’t really need one. Everything is so close and convenient - walking and public transportation is all you really need.

[@faterosario7872]

@@MeganOsten thanks for info 🙏.

[@ottaviagiano2823]

Not subway related, but can you give us some info about the Korail Pass? Is it worth it? Can you reserve tickets online with that or do you need togo to the station in person?

[@tribalexpat1766]

i didn't know there are people who are embarrassed to turn around 😳

[@stevenhong7185]

쾌활하고 예쁜 여자! 환영해요 메간 !!

[@MeganOsten]

Awww… 감사합니다! ❤️

[@MrGeneric2011]

Is there an award that is given for talking really fast on these videos?

[@鲁海-j5v]

When you go to Shanghai China, May you can find more lines and easy to go……

[@MeganOsten]

I used to live in southern China! I miss it

[@collegeplusministry3313]

don't enjoy crowded subways.....especially during rush hour....

[@MeganOsten]

Yeah… rush hour… it just isn’t worth it haha

[@yetfongyeong4599]

Megan,may I know if I still need to do pcr upon arrival to korea when I just recover from my covid-19?do I have to show the recovery letter?

[@little.rascal.]

Korean subways are the best. People don't and can not shove you on to moving train like in New York!

[@MeganOsten]

They really are great! I especially love how clean Korean subways are

[@클린룸]

이쁘다

[@elenakursteiner4729]

There is no need to make a whole video about the money card.Get it Only in Airport by Arrivals,you need Korean cash to top to get it from Mashine,like Coke or soft drink.Go to other Mashine and top up like London subway Oyster card.

[@Steve211Ucdhihifvshi]

Are taxis good value? or can you hire private cars?

[@Steve211Ucdhihifvshi]

Im a tall well built aussie bloke, ive been to many countries and i always find when someone starts mouthing off at me i just stand up nice and tall take a step close and and sigh and smile down at them....Usually gets a very muddled sowwy sorry...

[@반백살세계여행]

이쁘다