Travel Tips

Practical essentials for visiting Korea — transit cards, subway, money and more

Thumbnail — orange background with the text “Chuncheon Makguksu Dakgalbi Festival”, “Oct 14–18”, “Gongjicheon 11:00–21:00 · PSY on 18/10 · Shuttle bus” and “2026 MakDak Festival”

Travel Tips

Chuncheon Makguksu Dakgalbi Festival 2026 (MakDak Festival): 14–18/10 at Gongjicheon, PSY & Lineup, Shuttle Bus, Prices, Coupons

The Chuncheon Makguksu Dakgalbi Festival (춘천막국수닭갈비축제), MakDak Festival (막닭축제) for short, runs for five days from Wednesday 14/10/2026 to Sunday 18/10/2026 along the Gongjicheon Stream walking path (586 Onui-dong, Chuncheon). It is open every day from 11:00 to 21:00, and on the last day, 18/10, PSY takes the Waterside Stage at 8:20 pm. At the festival, dakgalbi costs 9,900 won per serving and makguksu 6,900 won (as reported by Balpum News on 30/9). Outside the festival grounds, partner restaurants take 3,000 won off dakgalbi and 1,500 won off makguksu with discount coupons until 25/10.

Thumbnail — an airliner wing at sunset with “Korea fuel surcharge 10/2026 · 9/2026: level 21” over it

Travel Tips

Korea fuel surcharge 10/2026 — Korean Air, Asiana 9/2026 level 21; domestic 20,900~22,000 won

As of 15/9, the 10/2026 international fuel surcharge has not yet been announced by the airlines. The 10/2026 amount is set from the average Singapore jet fuel price between 16/8 and 15/9. The 9/2026 amount now in effect is level 21 per Asiana Airlines' notice, with one-way surcharges departing Korea at 48,000~354,000 won on Korean Air and 52,000~290,100 won on Asiana Airlines. The fuel surcharge is based on the ticket issue date, not the travel date, so tickets issued through 30/9 carry the 9/2026 amount. The 10/2026 domestic surcharge is already announced: 20,900 won one way on Korean Air, Asiana Airlines and Trinity Airways, and 22,000 won on Jeju Air, Jin Air and Eastar Jet.

Thumbnail — the Forest Bread Market poster next to the text “5th Forest Bread Market”, “Sun, Oct 18” (18/10/2026) and “Elysian Gangchon 10:00–16:00 · Baegyang-ri Station”

Travel Tips

5th Forest Bread Market 2026 at Elysian Gangchon: 18/10, Tickets, Shuttle Bus

Forest Bread Market (숲속빵시장) is a bread and dessert festival that Elysian Gangchon in Chuncheon holds in spring and autumn. The 5th edition runs for one day only, on Sunday 18/10/2026 from 10:00~16:00, around the Elysian Gangchon Camping Park. As of 14/9/2026, the admission fee and advance booking schedule for the 5th edition have not yet been announced. At the 4th edition last May, online advance tickets cost 5,000 won for adults and on-site purchase cost 10,000 won for adults, and visitors who arrived by suburban train and got off at Baegyang-ri Station entered free. The 4th edition drew 25,000 people in one day, and most products sold out around 2 PM. If you get off at Baegyang-ri Station on the Gyeongchun Line (subway), you can enter the resort on the free Elysian Gangchon loop shuttle bus.

Thumbnail — dark navy background with the text "When does the K-ETA waiver end", below it "2026.12.31." in large yellow letters, and at the bottom "2027 extension not announced · Fee ₩10,000 · Valid for 3 years"

Travel Tips

K-ETA 2027: Waiver Runs Until 31 December 2026 - How to Apply, ₩10,000 Fee, 3-Year Validity

The K-ETA temporary waiver operated by the Ministry of Justice runs until 31 December 2026. Whether it will be extended to 2027 was not announced as of 12 September 2026. K-ETA is an electronic travel authorization that foreign nationals entering Korea visa-free must obtain before boarding. The fee is ₩10,000 per person (about US$7-8), plus a payment fee of about 3%, and it is non-refundable. Review usually takes within 72 hours, and the authorization is valid for 3 years. This guide covers who is exempt, how to apply, and periods of stay.

Thumbnail — a photo of an iPhone held to a contactless reader at a cafe checkout, overlaid with "Where Apple Pay works without a Hyundai Card" and below it "Convenience stores, cafes, marts, department stores"

Travel Tips

Apple Pay in Korea 2026: Where It Works Without a Hyundai Card — Convenience Stores, Cafes, Marts

The only Korean card you can add to Apple Wallet is a Hyundai Card (per Apple's official list, posted 7 August 2026). But if you brought a card issued overseas and added it to Apple Wallet, it pays at the very same terminals — convenience stores like GS25 and CU, Starbucks and Mega MGC Coffee, Daiso, Olive Young and Homeplus marts, Lotte Department Store and duty-free shops all accept Apple Pay. You cannot ride the subway or buses with a credit card in Apple Pay; a prepaid T-money card is needed separately. This guide sorts out which checkout counters work and which kiosks do not, brand by brand.

The 3 routes for putting T-money on a phone and what each requires: Apple Wallet needs a Korean-issued card, the Mobile T-money app supports foreign-issued cards, Samsung Wallet uses the phone's USIM

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How to Add T-money to an iPhone in 2026 — Charging with Foreign Cards for Tourists, Apple Pay Transit Card Requirements, and Android Samsung Wallet

There are 2 routes for getting T-money onto an iPhone. If you create it directly in Apple Wallet, you need a credit or check card issued in Korea; if you create it through the Mobile T-money (모바일티머니) app, you can charge it with foreign-issued Mastercard, American Express, UnionPay, or JCB — Apple Pay handles it right inside the app. Visa is not on the app's charging list. On Android, the Samsung Wallet transit card charges onto the phone's USIM. This guide covers the registration steps, a comparison table of charging methods, what happens when the phone dies, how to buy a card at Incheon International Airport and Gimpo Airport, and what to do if you only have Visa.

Diagram of limits by charging method: cash 1,000–90,000 won, bank transfer 1,000–90,000 won, debit·credit card 10,000–50,000 won, maximum card balance 500,000 won

Travel Tips

T-money Card: Charging Limits, Refund Fee, and the 30-Minute Transfer Rule

Cash charging runs from ₩1,000 to ₩90,000 per transaction, and a single card can hold up to ₩500,000. The only places that take debit or credit cards are Woori Bank ATMs and GS25; everywhere else takes cash. You can get the remaining balance back at convenience stores, minus a ₩500 fee, but the card purchase price itself is not refunded. The transfer discount applies only if you board the next vehicle within 30 minutes of getting off.

Illustration of a sloping stone alley between walls, with layered hanok tiled roofs in Bukchon

Travel Tips

Bukchon Hanok Village: the 10am–5pm rule and the 100,000 won fine

Bukchon is a residential neighbourhood, not an attraction. Since March 2025 the alleys around Bukchon-ro 11-gil may only be visited between 10:00 and 17:00, and taking a photograph outside those hours carries a 100,000 won fine that applies to foreign visitors exactly as it does to Koreans. Here is which streets are covered, what counts as a violation, and where to walk instead.

Route diagram of the AREX Express from Seoul Station to Incheon Airport Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 with journey times and fare

Travel Tips

Incheon Airport to Seoul by AREX: Express vs All-Stop, Fares and Last Trains

AREX runs two trains between Incheon Airport and Seoul Station. The Express (직통열차) does it in 43 minutes from Terminal 1 for ₩13,000, and you must buy a separate ticket — tapping a transit card will not work on it. The all-stop train (일반열차) takes 59 minutes for ₩4,750 and does take a transit card. There is no foreigner discount on the Express, whatever you have read. All figures are as of August 2026.