North or South? - Questions you should avoid asking to an expat in Korea. Episode 6 - Another batch of irrelevant questions.

To wrap up this series of posts about the irrelevant questions I've been asked by French people since I've been living in Korea, here are a few striking ones, in no particular order. Again, these are often due to ignorance, prejudice, and an obvious confusion between Korea and other Asian countries.

"Aren't there too many stray animals in the streets?"

I was only asked this question once, but it stuck with me because I got the impression that the person who asked it imagined stray dogs, or even monkeys, all over the streets, which you don't see here. True, there are a few stray cats, which are generally not a nuisance. Often, the locals even give them food, or set up a kennel for them. I have always been surprised when I observe the tail of cats in Korea, which looks like it has been cut off. But apparently this characteristic has a genetic origin, if we believe what is written HERE

If the tail of cats is a subject that you're into, this may interest you:

In short, no, there are not many animals in the streets, only a few cats, very few stray dogs, and far fewer rats than in the New York subway, for example.


Here's another example of confusion with other Asian countries:

"There are a lot of people riding bikes/scooters there, right?"

Well, no.

While cycling as a sport may be popular in Korea, it is not so common as a means of transportation. In Busan, there are bike lanes, which are generally used by pedestrians, but the bike still has a very limited place. Having lived in Strasbourg, I can say that there are very few bikes here!

 

This picture was taken in Strasbourg, although the Chinese sign may be misleading. By the way, it seems to me that this question actually comes from a confusion between China and Korea. We often have the image of Chinese cities invaded by bicycles, like here for example: 

https://factsanddetails.com/china/cat13/sub86/item1914.html#:~:text=There%20are%20around%20a%20half,at%20least%2010%20to%201

 

I don't know if this is true there because I don't know China. Anyway, I can tell you it's very different here in Korea:

The same question about scooters often comes from a confusion with countries like Viet Nam :

https://medium.com/@vildeoyen/8-tips-for-driving-a-motorbike-in-vietnam-b78c37fc2e9a

 

In Korea, the vast majority of scooters are driven by delivery people, which I already talked about HERE and HERE. The car remains the main means of transportation here.

Let's look at another example of confusion between Korea and Southeast Asia:

"I'm sure you can eat lots of fruit for cheap!"

Usually, this is followed by a "When I was in Malaysia / the Philippines..."

To the great surprise of my interlocutors, who surely imagine me stuffing myself with exotic fruits all day long, I reply that fruit is quite expensive in South Korea, much more so than in France, and even in the United States. I was told that this was because most was imported. (See this article)

For example, last week, I paid about 10,000 won ($8.5) for 500 grams of strawberries (which were not even tasty) and 13,000 won ($11) for 6 oranges/tangerines from Jeju Island which were delicious. But still...

This year, strawberries, which are usually expensive but excellent, seem to me even more expensive and much less tasty. I don't know what this is due to. It's only the beginning of the season though (yes, the strawberry season in Korea is winter), maybe it will get better.

Anyway, the price of fruit here seems outrageous to me!

Finally, as a bonus, here's a question that shocked me a bit, because I didn't see it coming. One day when I was talking about the possibility of having to undergo minor eye surgery, I was asked:

"Can't you have surgery in France?"

I'm still not sure I understand the meaning of that question. I guessed that this person thought that Korean medicine was a bit less reliable than in France... My Korean ophthalmologist happens to be an expert in his field who won several international awards...I don't see why I would have surgery elsewhere. In all medicine-related fields, Korea is very efficient, with highly qualified doctors, advanced technologies, and a great public health system. So I even found this question a bit offensive, but then again, it's probably just due to ignorance...

North or South? - Questions you should avoid asking to an expat in Korea. Episode 5. "Strange food"?

When it comes to discovering or comparing the cultures and ways of life of different countries, food inevitably comes up. I have already addressed this issue HERE and HERE.

And there is no lack of irrelevant and prejudiced questions about that too:

"They eat strange stuff in Korea, right?"

 

If this video is to be believed, it's hard to say no, but it's something I'd like to qualify a bit. Of course it all depends on what you mean by "strange."

The covid crisis has showed that there are prejudices in the West about Chinese cuisine, and Asian cuisine in general, when it was assumed that the epidemic had started from a market in China where pangolins were sold.

And it is true that in Korea, you can actually see "strange" things at the market. Korea is a Peninsula, so you can find all kinds of fish, seafood, shellfish, not to mention seaweed. Just walk down the Jagalchi market, in Busan, and you'll see what I mean. I'm not a seafood lover, so I am not really comfortable there, but can we say that all this is "strange"?

 

Let's say that from a French point of view there are many unusual things to eat in Korea (like "penis fish" to name but one). Even Kimchi, a staple food in Korea along with rice, can be disconcerting when you try it for the first time. But in my view, a lot of Korean food can be called "different", "new", but certainly not "weird".

Wait. Let's take a closer look. If you walk through a market in Busan, it's likely that you'll see eels being skinned alive and still wriggling while they're being grilled... (Video available HERE, Graphic content advisory!) One may find this disturbing, but I'd like to stress that Koreans are not the only ones who mistreat animals to cook them. In Korea, I have been asked about the way the French cook ortolans (more information HERE). Even if this dish is (fortunately) not one of the most popular in France (it may even be forbidden now), we have to admit that this is weird too, not to say creepy.

And what about foie gras?

Let's not forget that for Koreans, we are the ones who eat strange, even disgusting foods. Snails, of course, frogs (even if I saw some on a market in Busan, as I mentioned here), but also rabbit meat (which is quite rare in Korea. In France, Her is always horrified to see whole rabbits on the butchers' stalls), liver, offal of all kinds, not to mention our smelly cheeses (some of which, like Roquefort, are even covered with mold!)

The other day, I prepared a simple grated carrot salad with a little oil, lemon juice and parsley. My mother-in-law found it very "weird"...when she eats shrimp heads!

In short, there are quite a lot of culinary differences between France and Korea, to say the least, but the expression "strange stuff" bothers me because it sounds too pejorative.

This being said, I'd like to talk about a sensitive subject that sometimes comes up too.

"Have you tried dog meat?"

To put it simply: yes, it is possible to eat dog meat in Korea (and no, I haven't tried it). But you should also know that it's something that is less and less common (especially among the younger generations). I've visited Korea regularly since 2015 and I've been living here for three years, and I've seen a restaurant serving dog meat on only one occasion. So don't imagine that all Koreans, or even a majority of them, eat dog meat. According to Wikipedia, about 4% of Koreans consume dog meat. In a way, it's a bit like Ortolan back home. The dish does exist, but it is not common.  Recently, President Moon Jae-In even raised the issue of a possible ban on dog meat consumption. I don't know if he will be able to pass this before his term ends in spring 2022, but it shows that there is progress on this issue.

Long story short, forget your prejudices and try Korean food, there are so many delicious dishes to discover!

North or South? - Questions you should avoid asking to an expat in Korea. Episode 4 (Lockdown or no Lockdown?)

How could I not write about the main cause for concern around the world over the past two years, i.e. the coronavirus pandemic? Here too, there has been no shortage of irrelevant questions from my French friends ans relatives, starting with this one:

"How was the lockdown in Korea? Wasn't it too hard?"

To put it simply: so far, there has been no lockdown in South Korea. The country was the first after China to be hit by the virus in early 2020, but the authorities have managed to contain the epidemic without having to resort to a large-scale lockdown of the type that has been implemented in France on several occasions. The population was encouraged to stay at home, online work was encouraged, schools and universities were closed (and are closed again as soon as the number of infections increases) and strict social distancing measures were put in place, but at no time was it impossible to leave your home. Korea relied on masks (everyone wears them all the time, both indoors and outdoors, even at the beach), testing, tracing (which raised some concerns about privacy), and "curfews" were sometimes put in place. But these were quite different from what was done in France. People were allowed to go out, but bars, cafés and restaurants closed earlier (sometimes only take-away sales were allowed).

In short, the epidemic had less impact on the lives of Koreans than in most other countries. Even though Korea  is currently facing a fifth wave, the country is often seen as a model abroad for its handling of the pandemic.  In my view, this is due to the swift reaction of the government (based on the experience acquired after the MERS epidemic in 2015), to its transparency (see this article) and to the fact that the measures taken have not been politicized, as the wearing of masks has been in Europe or in North America, so the population has generally followed the government's recommendations.

No lockdown. This is sometimes hard to believe for my family or friends, who keep asking me this same question even after I explained that things are different here.

While the government's response was very quick, the vaccination program was a little slow to get going. But once the vaccination started, Korea proved to be very effective, as always, and the proportion of vaccinated people is now higher than in countries that started vaccinating earlier (France or the USA to name but two). For some foreigners, it was a bit difficult to get vaccinated. Personally, being married to a Korean citizen, everything went pretty smoothly and even had my third shot at the end of December.


 

"It must be the Chinese vaccine you have there, right?"

This is another question that I get a lot. The answer, again, is no. Korea has the same vaccines as France: Astrazeneca, Pfizer, Moderna,and Janssen. The difference is that it is possible to "mix" vaccines, contrary to France, I believe. For example, I got Astrazeneca for my first shot, then  Pfizer for the next two shots.

In short, I have to admit that when I see the situation in Western countries, especially in France, I think I am very lucky to be living in Korea right now. My daily life is much less disrupted, and the risk of catching and especially transmitting the virus seems to be much lower here.

North or South? - Questions you should avoid asking to an expat in Korea. Episode 3 (Is South Korea a democracy?)

The questions that come up most often after those about Korea's economy  have to do with the country's political situation:

"Is Korea a democracy?"

Sometimes, the questions on this topic actually take the form of statements, revealing once again prejudices and confusions about Korea. During a conversation about a movie, for instance, I explained that I haven't seen it because it is not available on Netflix in Korea. "Of course, I forgot there is censorship there," my interlocutor instantly replied.

I simply pointed out that I live in South Korea, not China.

There is no censorship in South Korea. At least not more than in France. It's not even remotely comparable to China or North Korea, where the authorities decide what can be published or broadcast.  True, if you watch a movie on Korean television, you will notice that nude scenes, sex scenes, or even a simple lit cigarette are usually blurred. And swear words are bleeped, like in the USA for example. It also happens that the flag of the Japanese imperial army (Kyokujitsuki) is blurred, erased, or replaced by the "official" flag of Japan. This symbol, for Koreans, refers to the Japanese colonization of the first half of the twentieth century and the atrocities that came with it. As a comparison, I would say it is, in a way, perceived here like the swastika in Europe.

I was flying from France to Korea a few years ago, and I remember that passengers using the internet on board were suddenly informed that they would not be able to do so while we were flying over China. This obviously surprised me because it is something that would be unimaginable in France and in South Korea.

It is true that, historically, Korean democracy is younger than ours. After the Korean War, South Korea was not only very poor, but also politically unstable. From the early 1960s to the late 1980s, there were several coups, martial law was imposed on multiple occasions, and opposition to the government was often harshly repressed, like during the Gwangju uprising in 1980.

More information is available HERE and in this presentation:

 
Since the late 1980s, Korea has made a democratic transition and is now considered a full democracy.

It was once pointed out to me that all former South Korean presidents still alive were in prison.  The person who said that saw it as a sign that there is still a lot of corruption at the head of the Korean state. But we can also be pleased to see that it is possible in Korea to convict former presidents and to actually send them to prison, which rarely happens in dictatorships, as far as I know. And we could add that in France, though some former presidents have been sentenced after the end of their term, none has ever been incarcerated...

North or South? - Questions you should avoid asking to an expat in Korea. Episode 2 (Is South Korea a developed country?)

 After the inevitable question about the North and the South, another question I've often been asked is about the level of economic development of South Korea.

"Is Korea a developed country?"

The simple fact that I am asked this question shows once again how little the French  know about South Korea. I don't think I would be asked this question if I lived in Japan. Though it is pretty obvious that Japan is a developed country, it is obviously not so clear when it comes to Korea.

To put it simply, I always answer that, yes, Korea is developed, and I often add that its level of development is comparable to that of Japan. That might make an economist cringe, but I think it can help people get the idea.

People who ask me this question often seem to associate Korea with countries in Southeast Asia that are not yet considered "developed" from an economic point of view.

That said, the confusion can be explained by the fact that South Korea used to be one of the poorest countries in the world (in the 1960s). But the country has grown dramatically and is now a world leader in industry and technology, not to mention the entertainment industry.

South Korea is now a member of the G20 and is knocking on the door of the G7. So, yes, Korea is a developed country. In fact, when I go back to France, I sometimes feel like I'm time-traveling to the Middle Ages!

However, it must be admitted that in some aspects, Korea is still lagging a little behind. Sometimes, I walk in Seoul or Busan, with the impression of being in a futuristic metropolis among all these skyscrapers and giant screens, when suddenly I come across an elderly person selling fruit sitting on a sidewalk, or another one pulling a cart full of old boxes, or cultivating a small vegetable garden between two ultra-modern high-rise buildings. In some back alleys, you may also see tangles of electrical wires that would certainly not meet the French safety standards. And it seems to me that many homes are real "thermal sieves" as we say in French to refer to poorly insulated buildings. In short, these few examples illustrate my impression that on some points, Korea is a bit behind. But given the speed at which Korea is advancing, it will not be long before it overtakes France!

More information about the economy of South Korea is available here.

"North or South?" - Questions you should avoid asking to an expat in Korea. Episode 1

 Following a visit in France between two waves of Covid-19 infections, I decided to reactivate this blog and to review some of the more or less surprising questions I was asked by friends, relatives, acquaintances, and even strangers. All these questions made me realize how little people in France, or at least a large number of them, know about South Korea, and about Asia in general. I must admit that fifteen years ago I certainly didn't know much about this part of the world either. But I figure that by sharing my experience, I can maybe correct some misconceptions.

Most of the questions I was asked were not relevant, they often revealed a lot of prejudices, and some are even a bit annoying, especially when people ask them systematically.

It is the case with this first question, which inspired the title of this series of posts. When I tell someone that I live in Korea (or some variation like "my wife is from Korea" or "this summer I'm going to Korea"). The chances are very high that I will be asked the question that kills. In three words:

"North or South?"

It's borderline Pavlovian. I have the impression that my interlocutors ask me the question without even thinking. The answer that comes to me spontaneously is: "What do you think?" Sometimes I manage to remain courteous and simply answer "South, of course." Sometimes I go for irony and answer "North." "Really?" my interlocutor then says, which proves that they did know the answer. Indeed, what are the probabilities that I could live in what is probably the most closed country in the world,  where the regime is autocratic and the economy is in shambles (they even talked about food shortages in 2021). Entering North Korea is very complicated, and I am not even sure that it is possible for a foreigner to actually settle there.

But that won't stop them from asking this question. Maybe it's my fault, I should think about saying "I live in South Korea", but sometimes I forget because it's so obvious to me. But it's a fact that many people can't talk about South Korea without thinking about North Korea. For example, if you read an article about South Korea (about K-Pop, Squid Game, or anything unrelated to the country's foreign policy), you can be sure that the comments section will be full of references to the North, which are often completely off-topic.

In short, if you meet Koreans or expats  living in Korea, avoid asking them the killer question. This will be a very good starting point. But there are quite a few other irrelevant questions to avoid, which I will address in future posts.

Driving in South Korea (5) - What navigation system should you use?

Given my limited proficiency in Korean (to say the least) and the complexity of driving in Korea, I definitely need a good navigation system when I'm behind the wheel. But finding the right GPS has turned out to be easier said than done. I would say it's best to use the  GPS of your car or a Korean application. They're  more accurate and take local specificities into account. For example, in Korea, school zones are extremely protected, and not respecting the speed limit there is severely punished. So much so that some drivers simply avoid them. And Korean GPS systems have an "avoid school zones" option. But using a Korean GPS may also have downsides. Here are my impressions on the different navigation systems I have tried so far.

The GPS of our car (Atlan).  It is probably very satisfactory for a Korean driver. There is a lot of information ( too much, if you ask me, and the different beeps, voice alerts and screen notifications seem to never stop), but updates and startup can be slow.  However, for me, the main problem with that GPS is that EVERYTHING is in Korean, and there is, strangely, no possibility to choose another language.  So I can only use it for trips to places I already know a little. When I'm in entirely new places, the information in Korean doesn't allow me to find my way.

If you rent a car, there is a risk that your GPS will only speak Korean (it happened to us when we traveled to Jeju Island). In this case, using mobile applications can be a solution, but again finding the right one can be a tall order. There is an "Atlan 3D" app, which is supposed to be available in Korean and in English. But Her and I have never found how to switch it to English. So I eventually gave up on Atlan, and like many people, I had the reflex to turn to Google Maps, but the application does not work for car trips in Korea (it is, however, quite reliable for walking or public transportation trips).

Don't even think about using Google Maps for car trips

In fact, in Korea, there are local equivalents to giants like Amazon and Google (the most used search engine and online store here is Naver), and for GPS applications, you don't need Google Maps, since they have a Korean equivalent, Kakao Map.

The Kakao Map application is rather well done and very reliable. I have often used it as a pedestrian, and I tested it in my car without too many problems. But here's the rub: Kakao Map only works on your phone, and it is not compatible with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. To use CarPlay, you'll need Kakao Navi, an app that is similar to Kakao Map, except for one detail: all the menus  are in Korean. It is only once you have entered your destination and made a few choices (answering questions in Korean) that you can start navigation and get instructions in English. I'm not sure I see the logic here. Anyway, this is too complicated for me and I often waste far too much time trying to enter my destination. So I only use Kakao Navi when I'm with Her, and  I have to say it works pretty well. I have noticed two problems though:

 - The application is way too talkative! For instance, it will announce an intersection in 500 meters, then in 400 meters, then in 300 meters, etc. and it can quickly become exasperating.

- It doesn't specify the lane you have to be in. The instructions sound like "in 500 meters, take the overpass", but you don't know whether the overpass in question will be on the left or on the right. This may result in a late change of lane, which is not always easy, as you know if you have read my previous post.
 

Kakao Map on my phone

 

KakaoNavi on Carplay (unfortunately the menus at the top are in Korean)

Apple Maps : this is the app I used the most when I started driving here. The routes are reliable, the application tells you the directions to follow and the lane you have to be in. Still, there are a few small problems:

- it does not show your speed and does not announce fixed speed cameras.

- it has some problems with Korean names. Street names are read with an English or American pronunciation that makes them difficult to recognize. Conversely, some places appear on the map written "phonetically" in the Roman alphabet. This may be a little confusing when you're entering your destination. Let's say I want to go to a place called "Arpina Youth Hostel", the application will not recognize this spelling, nor the Korean spelling. I should type "areupinayuseuhoseutel", a transcription based on the Korean pronunciation of English words (a point that I discussed in this post some time ago).

 

It may be difficult to recognize some names with Apple Maps

Waze : this is the application I use the most in Europe. Unfortunately, it is less reliable here. The suggested routes do not always make sense,  and on two occasions I have found myself in situations where I simply couldn't follow the instructions, as the maneuver was impossible or forbidden. Waze also has a little trouble with Korean names. Sometimes instead of the direction to follow on the screen, all there is is a dot, which doesn't help much. On the other hand, the application shows your speed and speed cameras. For me, it can be enough when you're driving in places that are already a little familiar. When you drive somewhere for the first time, it's better to use another app.

Waze

Sygic : I've heard a lot about this application lately. Since it is compatible with CarPlay, I decided to give it a shot. On the plus side, you can you download the maps you need, so you use less data if your phone plan is not unlimited. However, I quickly spotted a problem: although the maps do seem accurate in Seoul, they are much less detailed in Busan (it can't even find our home address), and even less in smaller cities like Yangsan.

In order to test the application anyway, I managed to register our address as "home", and when we were in Yangsan, I asked Sygic to take us back home. Five minutes after we departed, it made a big mistake  (we were supposed to make a left turn on a straight expressway...). But that was the only one. Also, the application doesn't always specify the direction to follow (which is not the case in the picture below) and just asks you to turn left or right. It can be a little annoying.

Sygic

My intention was also to try T-Map, a Korean application which I've heard is pretty good, but it's entirely in Korean for the moment, so I didn't even venture to test it.


Eureka!

I had given up on finding the perfect app for me and I thought I'd keep using Apple Maps, for lack of any better navigation app, when I unexpectedly heard about Naver Maps, the existence of which had always been hidden from me. In fact, I could have thought of it by myself. As I wrote at the beginning of this post, Naver is the alternative to Google in Korea, so it shouldn't be surprising that they created Naver Maps. But since everyone around me uses Kakao, I never looked any further...Shame on me!

In short, Naver Maps has become my navigation app in Korea. To try it is to love it! Maps can be downloaded, which means less data consumption, almost all menus, maps and instructions are in English, and since it's a Korean product, the maps are detailed and the routes and instructions take local specificities into account. I know which direction to follow and when to change lanes, speed cameras are  shown, and my speed as well. To top it all off, it is not too talkative, and you don't feel like you're being scolded when you don't follow the suggested route (unlike Kakao Navi whose "You have veered off course!" sounds quite aggravated). True, some of  the English expressions used are uncommon (it says "left side" instead of "turn left", for instance) and I must admit that the application froze for about thirty seconds once. To be honest, a lot of users criticize this app on Apple's App Store. But for me, it's the best one by far.

To use it, you'll need to create a (free) Naver account and, of course, this has to be done in Korean, but once you've registered and set up everything with the help of a Korean speaker, you'll be good to go!

Naver maps

That's a little small but at least you know which lane you have to be in.

The app once froze after a U-turn. Everything was back in order after 30 seconds.

After several months, I have finally found the application that works well for me! It will certainly not prevent all mistakes and impossible lane changes, but it will greatly simplify my driving life.

That's pretty much all I had to say about navigation. But, believe it or not, I'm not done yet! There are a few more things that I want to share in my next post, and then you will know everything you need to enjoy driving in Korea!

Driving in South Korea (4) - Driving out of town

I remember reading somewhere that speed limitations in Korea were "ridiculously low", which I think is true, at least out of town. In the city, the speed limit is usually 50km/h (around 30mph), sometimes 30 (20mph), and up to 70 (45mph) on the main roads. Nothing very unusual. On major roads outside of town, like highways and expressways, the limit is often 80 km/h (50mph), up to 100 km/h (60mph) on freeways.

In the city and, especially, on the highways, most Korean drivers drive above the limit. For my part, I try to comply with it, but sometimes I choose to stay with the pack. Like in that one place in Yangsan where nobody respects the 50 km/h speed limit (on a two-lane ramp), and I think it would be dangerous to be the only one to do so. 

Many Korean roads are quite similar to the American highways. On these multi-lane roads, the speed limit is 80km/h and there may be intersections with traffic lights. Watch out for speed cameras. There are a lot of them, and they often look like this:

 

About freeways, as I said before, I must admit that it is difficult to stick to 100km/h when you are used to higher limitations, but I do my best. Many Korean drivers exceed the limit and slow down only when there are speed cameras. While some drive "reasonably" over the limit (110-115 km/h), others mistake the freeway for a German autobahn and slam on the brakes when they get to a speed camera, before hitting the gas again. So expect sudden slowdowns.
Speed cameras are indicated by warning signs. If you have a GPS, you'll get a notification, and it will warn you if you are over the limit.

On the freeways, some speed cameras are pretty cute

Sometimes there are also "average speed sections". Again, your GPS will probably let you know if your average speed is above the limit. In short, we haven't received any ticket in the mail so far.  

You should also know that there is a minimum speed limit of 50 km/h on freeways, as indicated by this sign :

Finally, you may frequently see dummy  police cars on the side of the road, whose purpose is, I think, simply to make motorists slow down. That said, I've already seen a real police car hidden behind the dummy (I don't know if they control speed, or something else).

A few other rules unrelated to speed :   

Motorcycles are not allowed on highways, expressways, and freeways, no matter how powerful they may be. They're only allowed on smaller roads.

Changing lanes is generally forbidden on bridges and in tunnels, as indicated by the solid line, which does not prevent some drivers from crossing it though. Tunnels are very common in Korea. To get an idea of what driving in Korean tunnels is like (on a lucky day when traffic is very fluid), take a look at this:

 

When driving on the freeway, you may be faced with another thorny question : is it okay to pass other vehicles on the right? Unlike in France, where it is strictly prohibited, in the United States, there seems to be a "tolerance" in some states, but I am never sure what the law says. I have the same problem in Korea. Here, I often see vehicles passing others on the right, but I don't know if it's allowed, and no one has been able to give me a clear answer when I asked. However if  the information given on this site is to be believed , it seems that you should pass slower vehicles on the left only.  Personally, I avoid passing on the right, but I may make an exception when there's a slow vehicle in the left lane, and cars are hurtling behind me at full speed.

Just a sidenote: as you can see in this table, Koreans identify the lanes by counting them from the left. On a 3-lane road, the first lane is the left lane and the third lane is the right lane. It took some getting used to, when Her told me to "take the third lane", I never knew which one she was talking about, but I'm getting used to it.


Toll Roads: Tolls in Korea are quite cheap (Yay!)  But you still have to pay a little (3000KRW, or about $2, for a 20-mile trip from Busan to Yangsan trip, for example).

There is a wireless toll payment system called "HiPass". In order to use it, you need to open an account and buy a transponder.

When you are an expat in Korea, HiPass is absolutely indispensable. Without it, you may be asked to communicate or even fill out forms in Korean. True, it's a good way to practice, but you don't always have the time, and neither do the people honking behind you.  And if it happens that one day your transponder doesn't work, no problem, you can still go through the toll gate (there is no barrier) and you will receive a bill (with no extra charge) in the mail a few days later. Of course, you can pay this bill by internet.

Hipass lanes are usually indicated in blue on the left side of the toll gate. There may also be orange lanes, which are for both HiPass and non-HiPass drivers. At some newer toll gates, HiPass holders hardly need to slow down, as their HiPass terminal is automaticall detected.

 Sailing through the toll gate at 80km/h

What should you do when you don't have a HiPass terminal? One day when we had rented a car, we had to use the good old ticket machine, but unfortunately it didn't work. A sign (in Korean) said we could enter without a ticket. When we arrived at the exit gate, we explained that we didn't have a ticket, the toll collector made a phone call, our entrance gate was checked using our license plate (thank you, CCTV!) and we were able to pay, but it took several minutes. I think we also had to fill out a paper with our contact information, in case the amount was not correct.

Something similar happened to us at the exit of the Gwangan Bridge in Busan: we didn't have a Hipass account yet, and it turned out only some credit cards are accepted. Of course, ours was not, so we had to pay in cash. If we hadn't had cash, we would have been asked to fill in a form with our contact information and they would have sent us a bill.

In short, paying the toll can be extremely simple (with HiPass), or incredibly complicated (without HiPass). When you hardly speak Korean, like me, HiPass is vital!

The other necessary device to drive in Korea, which I have mentioned several times, is of course a GPS. Then you'll be good to go! Unfortunately, this post is getting a little long. But I promise I'll write about the most Korea-compatible GPS as soon as the testing phase is completed.
 

Driving in South Korea (3) - City driving

As I have explained here, for me, intersections are the biggest headache when it comes to driving in Korea. But there are quite a few other things that can be confusing when you start driving here.

Roundabouts:

There are far fewer of them here than in France (and that's surely a good thing) and they are generally much smaller than our big traffic circles. Like in Europe, the rule is that traffic already in a roundabout has priority over the cars waiting to enter it. Looks like a piece of cake, right? Unfortunately, in practice, most Korean drivers do the opposite: a car in the roundabout will give way to one coming from the right. At least, this is what I have ofen observed, but not always. So you have to play it by ear, once again, and be very vigilant.

It seems to me that the unspoken rule is that each driver in a roundabout will give way to  ONE car coming from his/her right . So in the picture below, the grey car (on the left) will yield to the white car, then I will yield to the grey car, and then enter the roundabout  (even if another car is coming from my left).

 That's what I have figured out, but I may be wrong...

Lane changes

Unlike roundabouts, lane changing is VERY common in Korean cities.

Generally speaking, it is quite difficult to know which lane to get into. Let's say you are in a four-lane street, you may suddenly realize that one, two or three of the left lanes are turning left. And the information is often given very late, so you have very little time to change lanes if you want to go straight ahead. And don't expect other drivers to make it easy for you.

It can also happen that your lane suddenly becomes a bus lane. Again, you need to change lanes as soon as possible.

버스 전용 = bus only

Looking at the road markings is a good way to figure out whether you are in the right lane or not. The problem is that other vehicles often hide these road markings, and I don't know where else to find the information that I want.

That said, you're not always sure you have to change lanes. Sometimes, when you are in the right or left lane, you can make a turn OR go straight ahead. Sometimes you can ONLY make a turn. Again, I don't know how other drivers get the information, for me it's often a surprise.

Speaking of road markings, you should know that a big arrow with a cross on it means that it is forbidden to go in that direction. It can be a little confusing (personally I tend to see the arrow more than the cross, but that's just me).

No right turn

No left turn

Also, be prepared to have to change several lanes in a very short time. That's something even locals tend to complain about. It is common, for example, to enter a main road on the right side and to have to turn left 500 ft further on, which means having to change four lanes in no time. Knowing that other drivers will probably not help, it may simply not be possible, especially during rush hour. In this case, I usually give up and let my GPS calculate another route.

Here is an example of a place where I drive quite often. I enter this road on the right and I need to change four lanes to get behind this car waiting to make a U-turn on the left. No problem when there's no one around, like here, but at rush hour it's a totally different ballgame.
 

Lane changes are made even more frequent in the city by the fact that a lot of vehicles are double-parked . I'll get back to parking problems later on this blog.

All the cars on the right and the second one on the left are actually  "parked".

Finally, it is important to know that on some main roads, one or more middle lanes may change direction depending on the time of day (i.e. depending on whether people are going to or coming back from work). You need to pay attention to the traffic lights and signs, or simply avoid these lanes (which I do when possible).

가변시 진입가능 = traffic in this lane is allowed between 5 and 8 p.m. if the light is green.

A few other remarks on driving in the city :

As I have already mentioned here, delivery people on scooters rarely obey traffic lights, or most other rules for that matter. So you can expect to see one of them pop up in front of your car at any time. Apart from this particular case, red lights seem to be generally followed. However, many drivers do go through orange lights. So when your light turns green, make sure no one is coming from the left or the right before you go.
Speaking of which, if you're walking, you may see messages on the sidewalks asking you look out for vehicles and wait a little before crossing when your light turns green. And be aware that the light turns green for cars the second it turns red for pedestrians. So make sure you have enough time before you start crossing a street.

신호가 바뀌어도 잠시 기다려주세요 =  when the light turns green, wait a little  before crossing.

One last piece of advice about driving in the city: if possible, avoid alleys and stay on the main roads. In small streets, passing vehicles coming the other way can be tricky because these streets are  narrow and many cars are parked on each side. Plus there are no sidewalks, so pedestrians walk on the road, which does not help.

To top it all off, you may find yourself behind somebody pulling some kind of cart, or blocked by some object in the middle of the road.  This next picture was taken one day when my GPS let me down and I ended up in a kind of busy market, behind a delivery truck that stopped every 100 feet, with pedestrians and boxes in the middle of the road. Not dangerous, but uncomfortable, so I'd rather not have to drive there.

Speaking of GPS, this , as well as some remarks on driving out of town, will be the topic of my next post. Yes, I have more to say about the idiosyncrasies of driving on Korea!

Driving in South Korea (2) - Intersections

Unprotected intersections:

I remember the first time I drove in Korea, several years ago. My main problem was to know who had the right of way at an unprotected intersection with no signs or traffic lights. And now that I drive regularly in Busan, I still have that problem. Even though there is fortunately less traffic at these places, which is why there are no traffic lights, I'm having an impossible time figuring out who has to go first. I have asked several people, and got various answers, none of which sounded really convincing (the first one to arrive has the right of way, the biggest road has the priority, the biggest car goes first, etc.). Basically, everyone seems to agree that you have to play it by ear. Usually, I simply let other drivers go first.

Let's say I want to go straight and some vehicles are coming from my left and/or right,  and a car is coming the other way, intending to go to my right, who should go first?  (To me, road markings tend to make things even more confusing).

 

Sometimes, there are flashing lights to help.  Flashing amber lights tell drivers to slow down , look, and go. Flashing red lights mean you must stop and look carefully before going.


 Protected intersections:

Even when there are traffic  lights, it can be taxing to find your way around when you get to an intersection. For instance, the Yeonsan intersection in Busan is known to be the most dangerous in the city.

 Source: https://www.hapskorea.com/where-are-the-most-dangerous-intersections-in-busan/

It is important to know that in Korea, the traffic lights are located after the intersection, like in the USA (not before the intersection, like in France). Overall, driving in Korea is probably easier if you have experienced driving in the United States.

 
Turning left

Most of the time, there are different traffic lights for drivers going straight ahead and those turning left. This can be a bit confusing when you are used to driving in Europe. When the light turns green, it doesn't mean drivers who want to turn left can go. They'll have to wait for a green arrow to appear before they can turn. I personally would like a red arrow to remind me that I can't turn when the light turns green, but that's just me.

Green light for cars going straight ahead, those turning left have to wait.

 

 

You may now turn left. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Signal_korea_3red_and_left_Turn.JPG

However, you may  sometimes turn left when the light turns green and there's no green arrow to wait for. There will then be a  비보호 sign indicating that you may turn very cautiously because oncoming vehicles have priority.

 

Turn left , but be very careful

Sometimes you can even see a combination of these two rules: you may turn when the arrow is green, but also when the arrow is off and the light is green for those going straight ahead, only if there are no oncoming vehicles. 

You may turn left if the arrow is green (which is not the case here) OR when the light is green, but be very careful because the light is also green for oncoming vehicles.

To complicate matters, it is sometimes impossible to turn left. In this case, for example, you have to turn right and then turn left twice, as explained in this sign.

Here's another way to go left when left turns aren't allowed (this one includes a U-tun):

An alternative to the left turn is the P-Turn, which reminds me of driving in Los Angeles, where it is notoriously difficult to make a left turn (but I don't think they use the term "P-turn" there). It means you have to go to the next intersection, turn right three times, then get to the street where you want to go.

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Korean_Traffic_sign_(Detour_P-Turn).svg

 

The P-turn can also be used when U-turns are not allowed:

 

U-turns

Like in the U.S., U-turns are part and parcel of city driving in Korea. The left lane at an intersection is often reserved for vehicles that are turning left or making a U-turn. While the "U-turn" sign is fairly easy to understand, it is often accompanied by messages in Korean that specify the conditions under which you can make the U-turn. Here are the different signs I have seen so far:

Update : I've seen a sign that combines 좌신호시 and 보행신호시, meaning you may make a U-turn both when the left-turn signal turns  green and when the nearest crosswalk signal turns green.

How do you make a U-turn ? The theory is that if several cars want to make a U-turn, they have to do it one after the other. In practice, even if it's forbidden, you will often see several cars turn around together as shown in this picture. So you have to be even more cautious.

Of course, driving in Korea is not just about turning left or turning around. You  also want to go straight ahead sometimes, but I don't have much to say about that. Except that sometimes your light turns green, but there's also  a "yield" sign, which means that there may be vehicles coming in from your left, and you have to let them go first, even if the light is green for you.

The light is green, but expect to see vehicles coming from your left.

 

Turning right

Like in some US states, it is often allowed to make a right turn on a red light. Of course, you can only do this when there are no vehicles coming from the left and no pedestrians are crossing. But if you're the one coming from the left, be prepared to see cars forcing their way in from your right even if the light is red for them and you have priority.
  

However, making a right turn on a red light is not always allowed. This sign indicates that you must wait for the light to turn green.

 

If you are in the right lane at a red light and intending to go straight ahead, be prepared to be honked at by the drivers who want to turn right. They expect you to move forward on the crosswalk to give them enough room to turn. You don't have to do that, though. To avoid this situation, I try to stay in the middle lane as often as possible. When that's not possible and I end up in the right lane, I try to keep to the left  as much as possible to let the impatient people who want to turn pass me.

 
TLDR

 1) The light is green for vehicles going straight ahead and turning right. You can't turn left, you would have to wait for a green arrow to the left (or you would need a 비보호 sign)

 

2) Green left arrow: you can turn left, but you can't go straight ahead. It is also possible to turn right, paying attention to pedestrians.

These illustrations are taken from this very good book, which I would find even better if it weren't written entirely in Korean. 😞

Long story short, intersections remain the most difficult point for me when I drive in Korea, even if I'm getting better. That and changing lanes, which will be discussed in my next post.