Go, but pay attention.
No major changes since yesterday.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about South Korea
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Go, but pay attention.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Don't fall for it
Scams to know
Fake monks
Individuals dressed as Buddhist monks solicit donations on the street in exchange for blessings. These people are not affiliated with any order; donate only via official temple boxes.
Cultural studio scam
Strangers may approach you to teach Korean culture or traditions in a studio. They will eventually demand money for the experience after initially appearing friendly.
Don't do this
Laws that jail tourists
Theft of lost items
Picking up items dropped on the street can be legally classified as theft. Avoid handling property that does not belong to you.
Public smoking fines
Smoking is restricted to designated areas only. Walking while smoking can result in a fine.
Self-defense legal liability
You may face legal consequences if an attacker is injured during a fight, even if you did not initiate the conflict.
Drone flight restrictions
Using drones to take pictures is prohibited in most of Seoul, particularly in areas north of the Han River, as they are restricted flight zones.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
- • Global Measles
Vaccines
Required: Yellow Fever
Recommended: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Japanese Encephalitis, Malaria, Measles, Rabies, Tick-borne Encephalitis, Typhoid
Source: CDC Travelers' Health →Getting in
What you'll need at the border
Foreign visitors to South Korea are required to obtain a visa from one of the South Korean diplomatic missions unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries, in which case they may apply for a Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) instead.
Source: Wikipedia →Real, not invented
Terrorism
Although there’s no recent history of terrorism in South Korea, attacks cannot be ruled out.
Source: UK FCDO →From people who've been there
Local know-how
Staying safe
- •Crime: South Korea is a very safe country, with crime rates much lower than in the U.S.
- •If you do happen to encounter any trouble, police stations are located in every district, usually in walking distance from subway entrances and bus stops.
- •Especially in Korea, there is a ritual of not touching other people's things, so if you go to a cafe or on the street, you may see people leaving their expensive laptops and cell phone bags on the seats to use the restroom.
- •Be careful when picking up lost items dropped on the street, since the legal system here can regard that as theft.
- •Racism: South Korea is one of the most ethnically homogeneous countries in the world, and for many South Koreans, this is a point of pride.
- •In South Korea, lighter skin has historically been associated with beauty, purity, and higher social status.
Staying healthy
- •South Korean healthcare is known for its excellence in both research and clinical medicine, and most towns will be able to offer a high quality of healthcare.
- •South Korea is especially known for having a thriving plastic surgery industry, and the vast majority of South Korean celebrities have undergone cosmetic surgery to one degree or another.
- •Most South Korean doctors can communicate well in English: indeed, many studied in the United States.
- •One thing that surprises non-Koreans is that you cannot simply go to a hospital's emergency department and expect to get treatment.
- •Traditional Chinese medicine, along with traditional Korean medicine (한의학 hanuihak or 향약 hyangyak), is highly regarded in South Korea and involves many traditional methods including acupunct…
Adapted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA — edited by travelers, not us.
Right now
In the news the last few days
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Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
C / F · 220V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 112 / ambulance: 119 / fire: 119
Tipping
Tipping is not expected anywhere in South Korea and is not practiced by Koreans. It could be considered an insult between Koreans as it is regarded as giving someone charity, although people generally know of American tipping culture and would be understanding of a foreigner doing this.
SIM / Data
4G LTE is available in Korea. While 5G is also becoming available, providers have only so far made it available to select postpaid plans or inbound roaming agreements; prepaid users purchasing a local SIM in South Korea will not have access to 5G (as of August 2021).
Cash vs. Card
The currency of South Korea is the South Korean won, denoted by ₩ (ISO code: KRW) and written 원 (won) in the Korean language.
Zoom in
One South Korea city on SKETCH.WORLD
Real, resident-submitted Numbeo crime data at the city level — the same national picture above, with crime swapped for what people who actually live there report.
Show the receipts (9 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-09-09
- uk-fcdo — observed 2026-09-09
- ca-gac — observed 2026-09-09
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-09-09
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-09-09
- cdc-health — observed 2026-09-09
- wikivoyage — observed 2026-09-09
- reddit — observed 2026-09-09
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-09-09