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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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I-am-me
Joined: 21 Feb 2006
Location: Hermit Kingdom
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 Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Make a big stink so they dont keep your license. If you go home on vacation you will need it to drive. Its your property. |
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Bibbitybop
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 6:04 pm Post subject: |
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| I-am-me wrote: |
| Make a big stink so they dont keep your license. If you go home on vacation you will need it to drive. Its your property. |
No, follow the mandated procedure, let them keep your license, and when you need it back for traveling, show up with your plane ticket and request to get it back, which is mandated procedure.
Or, order a second copy from your home country. |
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b-class rambler
Joined: 25 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 7:47 pm Post subject: |
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Also, I'm pretty sure that in most countries it's not your property, but the property of the department of your government responsible for issuing it and they can and will take it off you if you break certain rules. The same government that will have made the agreement with Korea enabling you to get a Korean licence.
And for the majority of people, there isn't anything to make a stink over. Compared to many other countries Korea is fairly relaxed on this. They initially keep your home country licence but give it back pretty easily and don't chase you up once you return from your trip back home.
Quite a few other countries ask that you immediately surrender your home licence when you exchange it for a local one and they promptly send it back to home country's licensing agency. In some cases I've heard of, that meant the person involved having to re-apply for their home licence, which they found difficult when out of the country. |
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I-am-me
Joined: 21 Feb 2006
Location: Hermit Kingdom
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| Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2010 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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I got both in my wallet and I am a happy camper.  |
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daemyann
Joined: 09 Nov 2007
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| Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 4:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Xylox wrote: |
You need to hit the embassy and get them to confirm your license is real. Then take that + a small amount of money, like 10k won or something to the license place and they will hook you up. From what I understand, no test is required. |
I just got mine like a month ago.
The policy has changed recently( a few months ago), and yes, Canadians, Brits and Yanks alike (all foreigners) have to have their licenses validated by their respective embassies first.
This means that in order to get a K license you need:
1. A signed/stamped slip from your pare-..er...embassy vouching for the authenticy of your license. (the Canadian one cost me around 50,000)
2. All your ID.
3. A valid license from your home country to trade in.
4. A bit of money when you hit the DMV (located throughout Seoul, eg. Dongmak, World cup stadium area etc.)
5. Complete the rigerous two-step test for eyesight and physical mobility(basically nothing).
They'll issue it about 30 minutes later, and you'll be good to go.
@ the guy who took a test. I'll assume you didn't want to trade your former license in. |
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atomicdeathmonkey
Joined: 09 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 6:32 pm Post subject: |
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| shibainu6969 wrote: |
| how easy is it to trade the license? mine is a euro one |
I'm Irish hence euro too,
I exchanged my license, did a basic sight/medical test for reaction/condition and paid a fee to get my Korean license. It's valid for the same amount of time as my euro license. I also supplied an embassy cert stating the license was real - 50k won i think for this and 8k for the license and physical - I'm not too sure of the prices.
All you have to do is apply for re-exchange giving 5 days notice should you need your original license back.
The exchange system works on the premise that a Korean will be treated in the same manner if they were working/living in your home country. There is a list of countries for which this particular system is applicable.
edit: exchange countries below"A list of countries who recognize a Korean driver�s licence. Those holding a driver�s license issued from a country that recognizes a Korean driver�s license you are exempted from all the tests but a physical exam.
Asia: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Vietnam
Americas: Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Panama, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Uruguay
Europe: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Romania, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Switzerland, Spain, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, the United Kingdom
Middle East: Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen
Africa: Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cape Verde, Cote d�lvoire, Republic of the Congo, Demoractic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Republic of South Africa, San Tome and Principle, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zimbabwe"
Source:http://www.koreainsider.com/expat-help/korean-drivers-licence/ |
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Heli Mike
Joined: 26 May 2010
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| Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| I have my US drivers license as well as my international driving permit. Do you think I could trade in my permit instead of my drivers license? I really wouldn't care if they kept my permit forever. |
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b-class rambler
Joined: 25 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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| I-am-me wrote: |
| I got both in my wallet and I am a happy camper. |
Better hope you don't lose your wallet then
I just keep my Korean one in my wallet and my home country one at home. Why the hell would anyone need my home country one when I'm driving here? |
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b-class rambler
Joined: 25 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 6:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Heli Mike wrote: |
| I have my US drivers license as well as my international driving permit. Do you think I could trade in my permit instead of my drivers license? I really wouldn't care if they kept my permit forever. |
No, you can't trade in your IDP. All the IDP is effectively is a translation into various languages of your home country licence and that's why it's only valid when supported by said home country licence. (Although, in practice, many rental companies and the like will just photocopy your IDP and won't bother asking for your real licence as well.)
So you can only get the Korean licence based on your original licence from back home. But, as I said earlier, for most people it's not really anything to worry about at all that they keep your licence initially. When you plan to go home, all you have to do is show them your plane ticket and you get it back immediately. An e-ticket is fine. |
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Heli Mike
Joined: 26 May 2010
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| Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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I read somewhere I need to be living here for 6 months until I can get a license. Is this true?
I have an IDP, can I buy a used car and get insurance, registration with an IDP and not get a Korean license? |
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nathanrutledge
Joined: 01 May 2008
Location: Marakesh
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| Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Also, if you are here on anything other than a tourist visa, an IDP is not acceptable. The odds of getting in trouble for it are very, very slim, but it is technically illegal to use an IDP if you are not a tourist. Trade it in to be 100% kosher. |
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Ruthdes
Joined: 16 Oct 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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| daemyann wrote: |
| Xylox wrote: |
You need to hit the embassy and get them to confirm your license is real. Then take that + a small amount of money, like 10k won or something to the license place and they will hook you up. From what I understand, no test is required. |
I just got mine like a month ago.
The policy has changed recently( a few months ago), and yes, Canadians, Brits and Yanks alike (all foreigners) have to have their licenses validated by their respective embassies first.
This means that in order to get a K license you need:
1. A signed/stamped slip from your pare-..er...embassy vouching for the authenticy of your license. (the Canadian one cost me around 50,000)
2. All your ID.
3. A valid license from your home country to trade in.
4. A bit of money when you hit the DMV (located throughout Seoul, eg. Dongmak, World cup stadium area etc.)
5. Complete the rigerous two-step test for eyesight and physical mobility(basically nothing).
They'll issue it about 30 minutes later, and you'll be good to go.
@ the guy who took a test. I'll assume you didn't want to trade your former license in. |
I'm Australian, I got mine in June, they kept my card AND I had to do the written test. It seems like it will depend who you get on the day you go in. I traveled abroad last month and got my Oz licence back, so now I have both again.
As mentioned on other threads, the test is written in Konglish and is kinda hard b/c of it. Here are some resources to help you study:
http://8tharmy.korea.army.mil/g1_AG/Programs_Policy/PublicationsRecords/Publications/USFK_Pam_385-2__Guide_to_Safe_Driving_in_Korea_English.pdf
http://eng.rota.or.kr/Eng/Main/main.jsp
The army one is good b/c it makes sense. The Korean one is good because it doesn't make sense. It uses the Konglish you'll see and have to use in the test (should the person on the desk that day make you take it).
The good thing about getting a licence is that it's very cheap. In fact, getting my home licence certified by my blood sucking, extortionist embassy (sorry, that's a rant for another thread!), cost much more than all the other costs combined.
One more tip: If you're going to hire a car, take a copy of your home licence so you can prove to the hire company that you've been driving for more than a year. I nearly couldn't hire a car on Jejudo b/c there was no proof that my Korean licence wasn't my first.
Good luck  |
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b-class rambler
Joined: 25 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Heli Mike wrote: |
| I read somewhere I need to be living here for 6 months until I can get a license. Is this true? |
Unless things have changed recently, then, no, that's not true. I got mine within a couple of weeks of moving to Korea. A Japanese acquaintance also got hers earlier this year very soon after she arrived in Korea.
| Heli Mike wrote: |
| I have an IDP, can I buy a used car and get insurance, registration with an IDP and not get a Korean license? |
Most definitely not something I would risk, but I've heard of people doing this. There was a guy on here not long ago who said that for several years he'd been able to get insurance on an IDP and that his insurer had said it was fine.
HOWEVER....it also seemed that he'd never ever had to make a claim on that insurance. Lots of insurers will surely be happy to tell you that "it's no problem" when they're taking your money. But the real acid test is whether it'll be ok when you need them to pay up. You could be in some serious deep excrement if you find out that (a) you've paid for insurance that doesn't actually cover you and (b) you've effectively been driving illegally without insurance.
Back to the same bottom line IMO - the risks of not doing it all properly considerably outweigh the relatively minor inconveniences of doing so. |
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machoman
Joined: 11 Jul 2007
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| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2010 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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| daemyann wrote: |
| Xylox wrote: |
You need to hit the embassy and get them to confirm your license is real. Then take that + a small amount of money, like 10k won or something to the license place and they will hook you up. From what I understand, no test is required. |
I just got mine like a month ago.
The policy has changed recently( a few months ago), and yes, Canadians, Brits and Yanks alike (all foreigners) have to have their licenses validated by their respective embassies first.
This means that in order to get a K license you need:
1. A signed/stamped slip from your pare-..er...embassy vouching for the authenticy of your license. (the Canadian one cost me around 50,000)
2. All your ID.
3. A valid license from your home country to trade in.
4. A bit of money when you hit the DMV (located throughout Seoul, eg. Dongmak, World cup stadium area etc.)
5. Complete the rigerous two-step test for eyesight and physical mobility(basically nothing).
They'll issue it about 30 minutes later, and you'll be good to go.
@ the guy who took a test. I'll assume you didn't want to trade your former license in. |
do you need to bring in any photos for the new korean id? or is there no picture on it? |
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dedede
Joined: 10 May 2010
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