South Korea: country facts, travel advice and health

Naver Map: maps with English search and turn-by-turn directions, since Google Maps cannot route here.KakaoMap: detailed local maps and route finding.KakaoTalk: the messaging app locals actually use; WhatsApp is little used.Kakao Taxi: book taxis without needing Korean and without being overcharged.Emergency Ready App: government app explaining the emergency alerts sent to phones.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Cards or cash

Mostly cashMostly cards

Step 4 of 5: Cards are taken almost everywhere, though a little cash still helps.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in South Korea

South Korean Won · ₩ · KRW

Visitors can get VAT back on leaving for purchases at shops with a tax-free or tax-refund sign.

Paying buses and subways with a T-money card saves ₩100 per ride.

Look for the special global ATMs that take foreign cards; ordinary ones often refuse them.

Carry your passport whenever you change money, at machines too.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Collect South Korean Won in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen

Public holidays in the next 12 months

Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day 크리스마스

Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day 새해

Sat, 6 Feb 2027 · Lunar New Year 설날

Mon, 8 Feb 2027 · Lunar New Year 설날

Tue, 9 Feb 2027 · Lunar New Year 설날

Mon, 1 Mar 2027 · Independence Movement Day 3·1절

Mon, 3 May 2027 · Labour Day 노동절

Wed, 5 May 2027 · Children's Day 어린이날

Thu, 13 May 2027 · Buddha's Birthday 부처님 오신 날

Sun, 6 Jun 2027 · Memorial Day 현충일

Mon, 19 Jul 2027 · Constitution Day 제헌절

Mon, 16 Aug 2027 · Liberation Day 광복절

Tue, 14 Sept 2027 · Chuseok 추석

Wed, 15 Sept 2027 · Chuseok 추석

Thu, 16 Sept 2027 · Chuseok 추석

Mon, 4 Oct 2027 · National Foundation Day 개천절

Mon, 11 Oct 2027 · Hangul Day 한글날

Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover South Korea say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

No travel warning

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Exercise normal precautions

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Level 1 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 27 May 2025 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

No advice against travel

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 14 May 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Scams to know

Fake K-ETA websites

If you need a K-ETA, apply only on the official government site, not a third-party one.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Routine shots; hep A if unvaccinated, hep B, and Japanese encephalitis for long rural stays. Malaria in parts.

Vaccinations

Be up to date on routine shots; hepatitis A is recommended for unvaccinated travellers, with hepatitis B and, for longer rural stays, Japanese encephalitis also advised. No yellow fever vaccine is required.

Malaria

In some regions

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

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Must-see · 1Seoul

Old palaces and city walls amid a fast, modern capital.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

Many Koreans believe sleeping in a closed room with a fan on can kill, so fans come with timers.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: Aegukga. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

17 World Heritage sites in South Korea, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $1.9 trillionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $36,227Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	integrated circuits, cars, refined petroleum, plastics, machine parts (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	51.7 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	47 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	83.4 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	Protestant 17%, Buddhist 16%, Catholic 6%, none 60% (2021 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2021 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	99,720 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter; cold wintersSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and southSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	presidential republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+82Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).