Korean Job Discussion Forums

eschoonard · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Location: CT, USA

So i may be interested in getting a scooter...

I do realize the craziness and perhaps stupidity that involves...

However I was wondering about the legality of them.

What type of DL do I need?
What type of roads can I drive them on?
Helmet laws?

Thank folks

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

lorenchristopher · Joined: 25 Dec 2007

I drive a 125cc and have a regular Korean Driver's License. However I drove it for months without any proper ID. I still don't have it registered or insured, which I know....is stupid. I've never been stopped by the cops other than a routine breathalizer point stop (just blew into a straw and drove on) but I believe the consensus is that unless it's a serious accident or something, cops don't want to deal with foreigners or speaking English so they will be very easy on you.

You're not allowed to drive on the expressways (Olympic Expressway, etc) and you must wear a helmet. Technically I think you're not allowed to just park it anywhere on the sidewalk, but people (including myself) do it all the time and the police don't really enforce that. If you use a little discretion as to where you park you'll be fine (i.e. not blocking an entrance or flow of pedestrian traffic).

Anyway, I was nervous and apprehensive about getting mine, but it has turned out to be the best investment I've ever made here aside from Korean classes.

And as the previous poster said, check out the Motorcycle/Scooter sticky. Although back when I asked for advice on their no one responded. Crying or Very sad

Troglodyte · Joined: 06 Dec 2009

A problem with the stickies is that they very quickly become HUGE and after a while some information becomes out dated. And with 100+ pages, that's a lot to read through, especially when people go off on a tangent.

The only way that the stickies are usually useful is when, instead of people posting replies, people post links to other relevant threads.

The other big problem with the stickies, is that once one has been established, the mods discourage (often prevent) people from creating a new threat if it's in some way related to a sticky.

My opinion, it's better that this guy posted his own threat with the questions that HE wants answered. A quick search of the old threads would be useful as well. If sticky topics were SO important, they would have their own forum folder. As they are now, it's like an old woman's cupboard full of so much junk that she can no longer find anything in there.