Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Kimchifart]

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but couldn't find a decent discussion on it via search.

I've read a lot of stuff regarding the road 'laws' and the no fault aspect of Korean law. Essentially it seems the law is washing its hands of the matter by making it utter madness not to 'privately settle' out of court. In short the law seems to be a total ass when it comes to driving.

That's the theory as I see it, but how many on these forums have been driving for years and have been involved in accidents? How did the process go? What's the day to day reality of driving here?

I'm a new, very inexperienced driver in my home country (been driving a couple of months) and the US road system the Koreans partially emulate is pretty alien to me, although it does seem simpler than the UK system. I'm thinking of giving driving in Korea a crack, but want to hear if you think I'm mad to do it or not. If any Brits have some decent driving experience here I would be glad to hear how it compares to the UK system.

[Dodge7]

driving in korea scares the living daylights out of me (as my English Grandma would say.)
I'm American, and yes, the Koreans drive on the right side of the road, but it's just "different" here.
I know for one, in USA you can turn left on a solid green light, but here you can't, and you have to wait until you have the green left arrow (which also appears in American traffic lights), so there's a bit of confusion.

The U-turns also have me confused.

Frankly, I'd sooner have my wife drive me around everywhere, and when she can't, I'll be more than happy enough to take the bus or subway.


Screw driving in this country. I'll be here for the next 10-15 years, but I ain't getting behind a wheel, that's for sure.

[Kimchifart]

[CentralCali]

You can't turn left on most solid green lights because the solid green is only for traffic proceeding straight. For left turns, there is a green left turn arrow. As I said, that's for most cases. You can turn left on a solid green light if there is a 비보호 (biboho/unprotected) sign.

U-turns are permitted in designated areas. Those areas also have signs indicating if the U-turn is permitted with a green U-turn light, a green left turn light, or even on a red light. Personally, I'm happy with the U-turn and left-turn rules here.

[denverdeath]

u'll b fine. i've been driving here since about 2001. started with a scooter, then went on to a car. have been in two, very minor, fender-benders since then - both of which were the other driver's fault.......granted, they were both called as 70/30 splits even though they would've been a no-contest 100/0 in canada. heard brits often give a little toot of the horn for correcting the other drivers' problems? well, u'll find that to b quite different here. the honking is usu because ur not going fast enough, arent close enough to the car in front of u, or ur car is smaller and less-pricey than the honker's one. if ur on a scooter, just stay where u are and let the idiots pass u - better than u politely swerving to the side to have them cannonball u into oblivion. insurance? get a black box, have ur smartphone for pics, and some paint for spraying the area if u have to get out of the way for other traffic. most(all?) koreans have the cops come and make a visit to the hospital for extra compensation if they know it's in their best(monetary) interest - (sad but true). the biboho mentioned by cali means "at ur own risk".

[PatrickGHBusan]

You get used to it and frankly once you do its not that bad.

You do have to adapt your driving style to the local traffic and conditions and understand how it all works here.

In Busan I drove on occasion and got used to it. Frankly speaking your challenge will be city driving because outside the cities driving in Korea is a piece of cake.

[detonate]

When I started to drive the Korean way, things got easier (Who has the right of way? ME!).

Wouldn't taking the taxi back after shopping be fine for you?

[coralreefer_1]

Agree with Patrick. It's not all that bad assuming you actually know how to drive, and go in expecting that people around you will and often do perform movements or actions that are dangerous. So long as you expect this kind of behavior and plan ahead/drive defensively...then other than the traffic, driving should not be much of an issue.

[Kimchifart]

[drydell]

I'm a Brit - and I drive all the time in Busan- the home of Koreas worst drivers. You'll get used to it quick enough like the others say... Just got to realize that using the indicator is a signal to other Korean drivers that they should try their damnedest to not let you go where you need to on the road.
Oh and you should indicate left at a right turn to join a flow of traffic...

[12ax7]

I've been driving in Korea since the 90's. Driving here used to be a very scary experience. But, things have gotten much better since then. The roads are wider (many of the highways hadn't been built yet back then) and drivers are much more careful (more experience and they drive nicer cars).

Long story short, driving here isn't so bad. Just relax and enjoy.

If you get a car, I recommend you get your insurance through a large company like Samsung, and get full coverage (no deductibles...you're not saving a large amount of money. In fact, you'll be losing quite a bit more if you just scratch someone's bumper).

Now, I'm not saying this will happen, but the odds that it does are probably higher than in your home country...If you're involved in an accident, don't panic. I can't stress this enough:always call your insurance provider right away and ask them to send an agent. They are extremely efficient. They can pinpoint your location from your cellphone signal. They'll have an agent on the scene in 5 to 10 minutes who'll take care of everything and tell you what to do.

Don't ever accept responsibility unless your insurance company says you're liable for the accident. For one, you probably won't be 100% liable even if you are absolutely certain that you are. Also, your rates won't shoot through the roof like they do back home (you might see a small increase after your second claim). Basically, you'd be a fool to try to settle things without contacting your insurance company.

[Kimchifart]

[motiontodismiss]

People drive theoretically in practice here.

Couple more things-try to stay as far as you can away from large, black sedans, Matizes and Mornings. A lot of bad driving comes from those people-the black sedans are usually rich ajummas who obviously don't have any peripheral vision, and the other two are usually beginning drivers who just got their license. And just assume that everyone else on the road is a complete moron and will do the most dangerous, stupid, senseless maneuver known to man (and NEVER, EVER signal) and drive accordingly. I've had guys in heavy trucks try to run me off the road for no apparent reason.

It also goes without saying that Busanites are the worst drivers in the country.

[jonpurdy]

[Drew345]

Even though they drive on the right side of the road here, just like the US, I find that matters little. The thing is, in the US, I can see a "snapshot" of the road and know just what each car on the road is going to do. Here I can see a car on the road and have no idea what the car is doing. For example, I live on a one way street. OK, of course I expect the occasional car to be going the wrong way on the street. But I have seen cars facing forward, but driving backwards (wrong-way), and cars facing backwards but driving in reverse to be going right-way. Even those are understandable; but when you see a car at a 45 deg angle with 3 wheels on the sidewalk and one wheel on the road giving no indication of if they are going forward or backward, it is like "what on earth?"
Anyway, it is all about being able to naturally "predict" what the other cars are doing, and conversely, driving in a way that other drivers "know" what you are doing. In Korea, do far, I don't have that ability.