Taxis in Korea: Kakao T, k.ride, and Uber for Foreigners

Last checked: October 2026

Taxis in Seoul are metered and cheap compared with many big cities. You can hail one on the street or book one with an app. The hard part for visitors is the app: Korea's main taxi app, Kakao T, is built for Korean phone numbers and cards. This page covers fares, how to pay, and which app to use.

Base fare (Seoul)

4,800 won

Late night

+20% to +40%

App for visitors

k.ride

Complaints

Call 120

Quick answer

1. Install k.ride before you fly. It works with a foreign phone number and a foreign credit card.
2. On the street, wave down any taxi with a lit sign. Show the driver the address in Korean.
3. Pay by card, T-money, or cash. Carry some won in case your card is declined.
4. Keep the receipt. Since December 2025, Seoul taxi receipts show the fare in English.

Taxi types

A "call van" is not a taxi. Vans marked 밴 or 콜밴 are cargo vans with no meter, and they charge much more. Take a car with a taxi sign and a meter.

Fares (Seoul)

All taxis must charge by the meter. Charging more than the meter is illegal.

• The time charge applies when the taxi moves slowly, under about 15.7 km/h, as in traffic.
• Leaving Seoul adds 20%. With the late-night surcharge on top, the total surcharge can reach 60%. Trips between Seoul and Incheon Airport have no out-of-city surcharge, because the airport is in Seoul taxis' shared service area.
• Deluxe and large taxis: 7,000 won for the first 3 km, then 200 won per 151 m or per 36 seconds. From 22:00 to 04:00 they cost 20% more (8,400 won base).
• Expressway tolls are added to the fare.
• Other cities set their own fares. Busan and Jeju are similar but not the same.

Paying

• Card: taxis take credit cards, and most foreign cards work. If a card is declined, have another card or cash ready.
• T-money: tap your T-money card on the reader. The balance has to cover the whole fare.
• Cash: Korean won. Small notes help on short rides.
• In an app: k.ride, Uber, and TABA charge the card you register in the app.
• If the terminal asks, choose to pay in won, not your home currency, to avoid a conversion markup.

Street or app?

• Street: raise your hand to stop an empty taxi. There is no booking fee.
• Taxi stands are outside big stations, airports, and many tourist areas.
• App: easier late at night, in the rain, or when you can't say the address. The app sends the destination to the driver, so you don't have to speak Korean.

Taxi apps for visitors

k.ride

k.ride is Kakao Mobility's app for foreigners. It uses the same taxi network as Kakao T.

• Log in with your phone number, Google, Apple, or email. You don't need a Kakao account.
• You must register and verify a credit card before you can call a car. You can't pay the driver in cash.
• The app is in English, Japanese, and Chinese (simplified and traditional). Chat with the driver is translated automatically.
• It offers the higher taxi classes (Blue, Venti, Black, and deluxe), not Kakao T's basic general taxi.
• It costs a bit more than Kakao T for the same ride: every option adds a service fee, and cancelling costs a fee.

Uber

• In Korea, Uber books licensed taxis. Its local taxi service, UT, was renamed Uber Taxi in February 2024.
• Visitors can use the same Uber app they use at home.

TABA

• A taxi app for foreign tourists, launched in December 2023 with support from the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
• Sign up with a phone number or a Google or Apple ID, and register a card for automatic payment.
• It shows a fare estimate before you ride. You can choose a sedan, a van, or a deluxe taxi.

Kakao T

• Kakao T is the main taxi app in Korea. But it needs a Kakao account, which is set up through KakaoTalk with a Korean phone number.
• Foreign cards often fail to register. Choose to pay the driver directly instead, with a card, T-money, or cash.

Toll fees are shown separately. In January 2026, Seoul announced that k.ride and TABA would show the meter fare and expressway tolls as separate items in the fare estimate.

Telling the driver where to go

• Many drivers don't speak English. Show the address in Korean, not just the place name in English.
• In Naver Map or Kakao Map, open the place and show the Korean address or the map pin to the driver.
• Your hotel booking usually has the Korean address. Save a screenshot.
• Need help? Call the Korea Travel Hotline at 1330. It's open 24 hours with English interpreters.

What to say

More phrases you can show full screen: phrase cards.

Airport taxis

• Take a taxi only from the official stands outside arrivals.
• From Incheon Airport, the International Taxi charges a flat fare to Seoul, 70,000–95,000 won depending on the area. Book at least 24 hours ahead at intltaxi.co.kr or +82-1644-2255.
• International Taxis take Korean and foreign credit cards, transit cards, and cash.
• Stand numbers, surcharges, and other options: Incheon Airport to Seoul.

Problems and complaints

In Seoul, these count as refusing a passenger, which is illegal:

• Stopping, asking where you're going, then driving off.
• Refusing short rides or picking only long ones.
• Telling you to cross the road and take a taxi going the other way.
• Asking for extra money and making you get out if you say no.
• Not showing up after an app has assigned the taxi to you.

A driver may refuse a ride outside their licensed area or when the taxi's sign shows it is off duty.

Pay only what the meter shows. If the driver asks for more, note the car number and get a receipt. In December 2025, a Seoul driver charged a foreign passenger 56,000 won for a 32,600 won ride. Seoul treated it as illegal overcharging and took action against the driver.

• Seoul: call the 120 Dasan Call Center at 120 (+82-2-731-2120 from a foreign phone), 24 hours. The number is printed at the bottom of the receipt.
• Have the car number, the date, time, and place, and your receipt ready. A photo of the car or the driver's license card inside helps.
• At Incheon and Gimpo airports, Seoul hands out cards with a QR code for reporting taxi problems in English, Chinese, or Japanese.
• Outside Seoul: call the Korea Travel Hotline at 1330 for help in English.

Sources

• Seoul Metropolitan Government – taxi fares (updated October 2026)
• Seoul Metropolitan Government – taxi ride refusals
• Seoul Metropolitan Government – English receipts and app fare display for foreigners (January 2026)
• Seoul Metropolitan Government – QR reporting for foreign passengers (2025)
• Seoul Metropolitan Government – International Taxi
• Visit Seoul – taxi types
• VisitKorea – taxi apps for foreigners
• Seoul Metropolitan Government – TABA taxi app (December 2023)
• JoongAng Daily – k.ride for foreign travelers (June 2024)
• Korea Times – UT renamed Uber Taxi (February 2024)
• Incheon Airport – taxis