Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Tschingu]

Last week I succesfully finished the written test/physical examination at a driver license office here in Seoul. Now I want prepare for the actual driving test.
Even though I have never taken any proper driving lessons I have had many driving opportunities and am confident about my driving skill. But I am concerned that I might not understand the Korean instructions during the test.

If you have taken this test;
How was your experience?
Was it difficult to understand the instructions?
What basic terms should I memorize/understand?
Can you recommend me a driving school/academy?

I will appreciate your comment

[nathanrutledge]

Don't worry about it.

They'll show you a video. My gf told me that they change the course up, but when I did it in Yongin, the video they showed was the exact same route that we did. Either way, just drive the car and you'll be fine.

Wear your seatbelt the whole time. Be a courteous, but aggressive driver. I was letting a bus pass me to merge behind and the instructor told me to speed up and cut him off.

I came to a light that was turning red and i had to speed through it. We fishtailed (it was raining and it was a metal road) through the turn.

In the end, I got a 100%.

Specific answers -

1. My experience would have failed me in the US. The testing guy had me speed, cut off a bus, turn without a signal, etc... Other test guys might be better or worse, i don't know.
2. Instructions are easy. They'll point, they'll be very understanding with you, as long as you know what you're doing. If you don't know how to operate a car, they might be cranky. Personally, I had my US license and about 250k miles under my belt in all sorts of vehicles. Be ready to be aggressive - driving in Korea is not for the faint of heart OR will.
3. Basic terms? None that I can think of. Like I said, it was lots of pointing. But I also know a lot of Korean to begin with, so might be something useful that I am overlooking?
4. Don't waste your money on a driving school, unless you really don't know how to drive. If that's the case, find one that actually goes out in real traffic, not just a course to pass the test.

Any other questions, specific or otherwise, PM me.

[Tschingu]

I can't pm because I have to few posts..
My girlfriend told me that I have to prove I took a minimum of 6h driving lessons before being allowed for the test. She doesn't have a license herself so she might as well be wrong, but just to go sure.
You haven't taken any lessons in Korea?

[nathanrutledge]

I got my license last June/July, and I didn't need to do anything except go to the DLA, take the tests, and pay the fees. Prior driving experience was not required.

I have heard rumors that the law has changed, but I don't know anything about that.

[Mr. Peabody]

[nathanrutledge]

Peabody -

I DID NOT TRADE my license. I EARNED my Korean license.

I refuse to pay the pirates at the embassy 50 bucks to validate it, so I paid 50 bucks to the DLA to earn my K license.

AFAIK, the procedure for trading a license is the same. Validate, pay, trade, done.

[Mr. Peabody]

[jamesy]

I took my test at a driving school in Incheon. It was incredibly easy, and I think anyone with the remotest sense of coordination would be able to get through it. I did between 10 and 15 hours of lessons on the driving school course and got 100% for the test. I then did about 10 hours on the road and got 100% for that also.

I didn't find the language too much of a problem - a lot of the terms my instructor used were either similar to the English word or he pointed while he said it, so it stuck with me for the following lessons. I took the test a couple of years ago, so have forgotten most of the words.

A lot will depend on the instructor, so if you have problems with one, just ask for another. Good luck and try not to worry too much about it. Just take your time, and do things at your pace.