How to Take a Taxi in Seoul: Apps, Fares and the Night Surcharge

Here's what I'd tell a friend landing in Seoul this week: these days you basically can't get a taxi without an app. Okay, "can't" is a bit strong. You can still stand at the curb with your arm out, and sometimes a cab even stops. But on a rainy evening, or near any subway exit after 11 at night, you'll watch one taxi after another slide right past you, already booked by somebody two blocks away who just tapped a phone.

The good news? Taxis here are cheap if you're used to New York or London, the meter is honest, and nobody wants a tip. The bad news is that everyone knows this, so they all want a cab at the exact same moment. Here's how I'd go about it, in order.

1. Install two taxi apps before you flyKakao T is the one Koreans use, and Kakao Mobility says it takes Visa, Mastercard, Amex and JCB cards issued abroad (in your own name). The phone check at sign-up is where some visitors get stuck, so grab a backup too: k.ride, Uber or TABA, more on those below.
2. Get your destination in KoreanCopy the Korean name or address out of Naver Map or Kakao Map and paste it into the app. English often works. Korean just takes the guessing out of it, for you and for the driver.
3. Look at the taxi type before you tapThe regular taxi is the cheap one. Black deluxe (mobeom) and large taxis start at 7,000 won instead of 4,800, and app-only premium rides like Kakao Black or the Venti vans run on their own fares, often with surge pricing. Make sure you didn't pick the fancy option by accident.
4. Match the plateWhile you wait, the app shows the car number and color. Check it before you open a door, because outside a big station several taxis can pull up within a minute of each other.
5. Or flag one down the old wayA lit red 빈차 sign in the windshield (it means "empty car") says the taxi's free. Step to the curb and raise a hand. Away from nightlife areas and outside rush hour, this still works fine.
6. Buckle up in the backRear seat belts have been required on every road since 2018, short hop or not.
7. Pay and get outCard, a T-money tap or cash all work at the meter, and if you booked with a registered card the app simply charges it. No tip. Rounding up isn't really a thing here either.

What a ride actually costs

These are the city's own rates, in force since February 1, 2023 and still the ones on Seoul's fare page (last updated this April). A regular taxi is 4,800 won for the first 1.6 km (about 1 mile). After that it's 100 won every 131 meters (about 430 feet), or 100 won every 30 seconds when you're crawling along under about 15.7 km/h (about 10 mph). So yes, the meter keeps ticking in a jam. This is Seoul, so there will be jams.

Night is where people get surprised. From 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. there's a surcharge: 20% from 10 to 11 and again from 2 to 4, and 40% in the middle stretch, 11 to 2. The flag fare jumps to 5,800 or 6,700 won to match. Leave the city limits and another 20% kicks in (night plus out-of-town tops out at 60%), and any expressway toll is on you. Black deluxe and large taxis charge 7,000 won for the first 3 km (about 1.9 miles), then 200 won per 151 meters (about 495 feet), with a flat 20% added at night. Don't mix them up with Kakao Black, an app-only premium service that starts at 6,000 won with no free distance and can add a surge multiplier.

Coming in from Incheon with two suitcases and no sleep? Seoul's International Taxi has drivers who speak English, Chinese or Japanese, and a flat airport-to-Seoul price by zone: 70,000 to 95,000 won in a standard car, 100,000 to 140,000 in a deluxe or large one, expressway tolls included. Book online at least 24 hours ahead, or walk up to their info booth in Terminal 1 or 2. Inside the city they run on the meter plus 20%.

And then there's the robot taxi. On weekday nights, 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., self-driving cabs work a zone of about 20.4 square km (about 7.9 square miles) in Gangnam, and you call them through Kakao T. Since April 6 it's one flat fare however far you go: 4,800, 5,800 or 6,700 won depending on the hour. A safety driver still sits up front, it takes three passengers max, and the fleet went from 7 cars to 19 on August 20. Fun if one shows up. I wouldn't plan my night around it.

When you just can't get one

Friday, somewhere between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., around Gangnam Station or Hongdae. That's the worst window, and it's no accident it's also the 40% window. If your app keeps spinning, walk a block or two away from the crowd and try again. A corner where fifty other people are holding up phones is about the worst pickup spot in the city.

This is also where the second app pays for itself. k.ride is Kakao Mobility's app for foreign visitors, out since June 2024: you sign up with Google or Apple plus a phone number, pay with an overseas card and chat with the driver through live translation. The catch is it only books the pricier cars (Blue, Venti, Black, deluxe) and tacks on a service fee and a cancellation charge. Uber runs in Seoul with licensed taxis, on the account and card you already have. TABA, backed by the Seoul city government and T-money since December 2023, takes foreign cards as well. When one app says no cars, the other sometimes finds you one a minute later. Annoying, but true.

A driver refusing to take you is actually illegal in Seoul, and the city has run year-end crackdowns on it. If something goes wrong, or your phone stays behind on the seat, the receipt or the trip record in the app is what you want, since it has the car number. Complaints go to the city's 120 Dasan Call Center.

Local tipSave your hotel's Korean name in your phone on day one. It's the address you'll type most, usually when you're tired.

Official info

Fares, apps and service hours change, so check before you go (details as of 2026-10-15).

• Seoul city: taxi fares and surcharges
• International Taxi (Seoul-designated, airport zone fares and booking)
• Seoul city: Gangnam late-night self-driving taxi

More from this blog

• How to Ride the Bus and Subway in Seoul: Cards, Transfers, Bus Lanes
• Driving in Korea as a Foreigner: IDP, Rental Cars and Local Rules

Have you tried a taxi app in Korea yet, or are you still a curb-and-wave person?

Top photo: an orange Seoul taxi from above (door decal and plate softened). Photo: Ryoji Iwata / Unsplash

More ways to get around Seoul

For the cheaper everyday network, start with the Seoul bus and subway guide. If you are building a daytime itinerary, the Seoul royal palaces guide and the Han River picnic guide are two easy stops to combine with either option.