Korean Job Discussion Forums

[emush]

hey does anyone have a korean driver's license who:
- did not get it by exchanging a foreign license?

i don't have a valid foreign license. i am eligible to get a korean license at this point in time.

my question is what is the written test like? is it pretty easy that i could just study for 30mins before hand at the test center? i am looking for knowledge about that.

thanks

[Jammer113]

I got my license by exchanging my foreign licence. I had to take the written test (I'm assuming it's the same written test.) It was a very easy test*. The only questions which I had trouble with were questions about punishments, fines, etc. such as "If an officer pulls you over and you tell him he can go to *&^%, what happens**?"

Most of the questions were along the lines of "If a car stops suddenly at a green light, can you legally run into it?" The test is more of a gentle reminder for good driving behavior than a serious inquiry into your knowledge of Korean driving laws.

My biggest problem with the test was that it was a rather cumbersome translation from the Korean test. The grammar was correct but painful to read. There were many double negatives, and perhaps some triple negatives... "What shouldn't you not not do?" Some of the words were a little odd. In one case, it was bad enough to make the question ambiguous. Normally I'm an extremely fast test taker, but I had to spend several minutes per question parsing the questions out.

The test was 20 questions, and I believe 60% was passing, but don't quote me on that. I got 75%. I'm sure I missed every single question about penalties. There were no books at the testing center for me to study (that I saw). I did glance at the websites online before going.

If you're getting your license for the first time, you'll also have to take a driving test. The place I went to (Incheon) had a driving range. You'll also have to take a vision test and a basic (very basic) health test. If you can sit down and hold a pencil in both hands, you pass.

The whole process took me about one and a half hours. It'll take you longer if you have to take a driving test.

Final note: Unless you're comfortable filling out numerous forms and discussing complex topics in Korean, take an interpreter. The test is offered in English (and a variety of other languages) but many of the numerous people you will speak to there are likely not going to speak English. Also remember to take pictures. In fact, just read the Korean website on the requirements. I'm sure someone will post it.

Final final note: I just drove in Korea with a rental car for a few weeks, but my general impression is that it isn't very easy for new drivers. I had no problems, but there were a number of times where I had 2 inches clearance on either side of my car... with people honking at me to move.. as well as some unpredictable behavior such as people stopping on the highway (no shoulder) to let someone out of their car.... and then exiting their car on the left side... inches from incoming traffic. Pedestrians walked in front of cars without even looking.

Most drivers were rather unagressive and I could change lanes easily enough.. even in rush-hour.. but I can also read traffic very well. A newbie would be scared (and rush-hour is like... all afternoon long). I did see a couple of woefully unskilled drivers. Most were decent. Buses were agressive, but they also let me merge when I needed to (and they were very very good drivers). Parking can be tight, and if you've never driven before, you might have some serious trouble figuring out how to maneuver your car into a parking space.

*I've driven in the USA for years and know USA laws backwards and forwards. It theoretically could be a difficult test if you didn't know anything at all about driving. As in.. you didn't know what a red light was.

**I made up the questions, but that's really what they were like. All questions were multiple choice or true/false.