Teaching in Korea: Mass Transit

One of the first thing I did when I made the decision to come to Korea to teach was sell my beloved Toyota 4Runner. now I will be the first to admit, that I loved that thing. I took it everywhere and in seven years managed to put on over 150,000 miles and never had any trouble with it. So ditching my very mode of transportation and coming to Korea scared me a little, since I wasn't sure I'd be able to get around as easily as I did back in Arizona.

The truth of the matter is, I love not having a car and don't miss it one bit. Sure there are times when I'd like to have a car or motorbike when I go shopping (especially in the show or rain), but that is a rare occasion. Here in the Seoul metro area, I can get anywhere I need to be with the use of one of, if not, the best mass transit system in the world.

Since I live in the Seoul area that's what this post will focus on. That being said, the rail and inter-city bus system can get you anywhere you need to go around the country. Furthermore, most cities have some sort of transportation system as well.

Now let's get back to Seoul... I was recently on the phone with an old professor friend of mine and he shared with me he was in Washington, DC and loved being able to get around on their metro system. He asked me if there was anything like that here in Seoul, and I honestly laughed. The Seoul metro system is massive. Larger than anything I was prepared for when I first got here.

As you can see, the system is sprawling and connects every inch of Seoul together. Furthermore, there's an amazing system of local, city, inter-city, and express buses that enable one to get anywhere. Even more, there's no shortage of taxis available for a direct route from A to B should you want to go that route.

There are some drawbacks though.

First, the system shuts down around midnight. This means that if you're going into Seoul for a night of partying, you need to make the decision to either go home at 11:30pm or stay out all night until the first buses run at 5:30am the next day. That's the second drawback. Since the system closes so early in the evening, 5:30am is a late start in my opinion. 4am would be a better call.

One thing that is great, is that users can load up their T-Money cards (actual cards, chips in their cell phones, or key fobs) and ride the system. The fare is automatically deducted and calculates when and where you used the card. This is important, as sometimes you'll start off on a bus and then transfer to a subway to get to your final destination. Not only do you get a reduced fare for using the card, but your transfers are free. Some banks even can tie your debit card into the system, thus eliminating the need to ever recharge the card.

So put your fears to rest. There's never any problem with getting around in Seoul.

Music used with permission from Kevin MacLeod.

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[bcmariano08]

so I'm interested in teaching english at korea. just wondering which recruiting agency you went through

[qiranger]

@bcmariano08 I used a company called DreamWorks when I came to Korea in 2008 and 2009. Then I found my own jobs.

[darkalelkw]

How much is the average fair?

[qiranger]

W1000 is the basic fare...

[thizizliz]

We could learn so much from them. Marvelous stuff!

[qiranger]

We can learn a lot from many cultures... but Korea and Japan are the bomb when it comes to mass transit!

[imxpnsv]

Yes, Seoul is the best city that has amazing public transportation system!

[fehquig]

I grew up in Montreal, and even though I lived in the suburbs I could get on a bus or two and be on the Metro system which could get me almost anywhere if I transferred to another bus from a metro station. ..

I could even go downtown by taking one bus and transferring to a train... I missed that when I got to Victoria, BC and have always had a car while living here...

That Metro map shows an infrastructure that puts Montreal's to shame...

[cgkitti]

the 5:30 start up is such an ass-kick after a long night. i did 2 saturdays in a row of an all nighter. the GOOD thing about seoul is...there are so many things to do that you will find something to do to pass the time. bars stay open late...if that's not your deal, see a late night movie, get some coffee, get some dinner, play billiards, go to a DVD room...etc. but damn the sometimes 1 1/2 hour ride back to incheon woninjae station kicks my BUTT

[qiranger]

Yup. I miss my 4Runner!