Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dazzed]

I want to get a bike and I don't have my license from back home. Do you still need a license to operate a 50cc scooters or bikes in Korea?

Yes i've tried to using the search engine.

[SuperFly]

No

[Bibbitybop]

Yes you do. You need a drivers license to operate a motorbike in Korea. It can be a car drivers license for anything up to 125cc. Over that, you need a motorcycle endorsement on your license.

You have 2 options: Get a Korean drivers license. For this, you temporarily trade your home license and pay a small fee. This is, however, not done for MC licenses. The other option is to use your home license in combination with an international drivers license.


There is a thread in off topics called "the official motorcycle/scooter thread." It's long, but all the legal questions have been discussed on there, and I added links to back up the information I just gave you.

[IlIlNine]

[pocariboy73]

You DEFINATELY need a license. I asked the Korean police station about that very same question.

[SuperFly]

Damn! Times have changed

[RACETRAITOR]

I found out when I was pulled over by the cops recently. You need a driver's licence, yes. But whenever you hear people say you don't need a licence to operate a scooter under 100cc, they mean you don't need a licence plate.

[bassexpander]

I sold my 125cc recently, and purchased a zippy little 50cc bike, because I don't have to register it or get insurance, so I won't have issues with my Korean private health care.

Do you need insurance for a 100cc? Or registration?

[stretchio]

not sure about 100cc, but for a 50cc.......you definitely don't need any license or insurance......FACT

[RACETRAITOR]

The cutoff is 100cc, so a lot of bikes will be sold as 99cc.

[Bibbitybop]

[SeoulFinn]

[IlIlNine]

How is this thread still going?

To put it as simply as possible:

0~49cc:
- driver's license
- no insurance
- no plate

50 - 124cc
- driver's license
- insurance
- plate

> 125cc
- motorcycle endorsement on your license
- insurance
- plate

The scoots advertised as 50cc fall under the 49cc and under category because their actual engine displacement is actually just under 50cc - similarly for the 125cc bracket.

[bassexpander]

So having a 99cc bike puts you in the same category as up to 129cc? Ok. That's what I needed to know.

I bought a little 50cc down the corner for 600,000, and it is very zippy, but only up to about 40km/hr.

Hey, does anyone know if the 50cc bikes have a limiter on them? I get around fine, but when heading to Itaewon from Chungmuro, and I go up that long hill that goes past the National Theater, I sometimes stall either going up it at 50kmh and high revs, or going down as I get somewhere past 60 to 65 kmh. I thought maybe I was overheating the thing having it rapped-out for so long, but it hasn't been hot lately. It's a Daelim ATS.

Also, there is this little red dot on my speedometer around 45km/hr or so. Does that mean I'm supposed to keep it under that speed or something?

Fat chance of that!

[Bibbitybop]