How late does the Seoul subway run?

Most lines run from roughly 05:30 until around midnight, with the last train leaving terminals slightly earlier than that. Check the last-train time for your specific line rather than assuming midnight.

Why do Seoul subway stations have so many exits?

Large stations sit under major intersections and have exits on every corner and often mid-block. Exits are numbered, and Koreans give directions by exit number because choosing the wrong one can mean a ten-minute walk back.

Do I need to tap out on the Seoul subway?

Yes, always. The fare is distance-based, so the system needs both taps to calculate it, and tapping out is what qualifies you for the free transfer window.

Is there a rule about which side of the escalator to stand on?

Standing on the right is the convention in Seoul, leaving the left free for people walking. It is followed consistently enough that standing on the left will get you noticed.

The Seoul Subway: How to Use It Without Getting Lost

Seoul's subway is fast, clean, cheap, and covers almost everywhere you would want to go. It is also, for the first week, quietly disorienting — not because the network is complicated, but because a handful of conventions are never explained to visitors and everything depends on them.

Here is what those conventions are.

The basics that actually matter

Lines are numbered and colour-coded. Line 2, the green circle line, loops around the centre and touches most places a visitor wants. If you learn one line, learn that one.

Fares are distance-based. A short hop costs a little over ₩1,400 and the fare rises with distance. This is why the system needs you to tap both in and out.

Trains are frequent. Two to five minutes at peak on major lines. If you miss one, wait rather than run.

Announcements are in four languages — Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese — on most lines, and every station has an English name and a number.

Exits: the thing nobody warns you about

This is the single biggest source of first-week frustration.

A large Seoul station may have fifteen or more numbered exits, spread across an intersection and sometimes several hundred metres apart underground. Coming up the wrong one does not put you slightly off — it can put you on the opposite side of an eight-lane road with no crossing in sight.

Because of this, Koreans give directions by exit number. "Exit 6, then straight for two minutes" is the normal format, and it is precise. When someone gives you a meeting point, ask for the exit number. When a restaurant lists an address, look for the exit number on its page.

Practical habit: check the exit number before you get off the train, not after. The platform signage lists which exits are at which end of the station, and walking the right way underground is much easier than resurfacing and starting again.

Transfers and the discount

Tap out at the end of every journey, without exception. Two reasons:

The fare needs both taps. Failing to tap out triggers a penalty on your next journey.
The transfer window. Tap out and tap in again on another line or a bus within about 30 minutes and the transfer is free or heavily discounted.

That second point is worth real money over a month, and new arrivals routinely lose it for weeks because nothing tells them. The T-money card guide covers the mechanics and the refund process.

Physically, transfers within a station can be long — some involve several minutes of walking and multiple escalators. Budget for it when you are timing a journey.

The app you need

Google Maps transit directions in Korea are unreliable, because of national restrictions on exporting mapping data. This surprises people who have used it everywhere else.

Use Naver Map or KakaoMap instead. Both have English interfaces, both give accurate subway routing with platform and exit numbers, and both tell you which carriage to board for the fastest transfer at your destination — a detail that sounds excessive until you use it in a station the size of Gangnam.

The unwritten rules

None of these are posted. All of them are followed.

Stand on the right of escalators. Left is for walking.

Let people off before boarding. Queue markers on the platform show where to stand.

Priority seats stay empty. The clearly marked seats at the ends of carriages are for elderly, pregnant, and disabled passengers. Sitting in one while an elderly passenger stands is a genuine social breach, not a technicality — and the carriage will notice. Regular seats are fair game, though offering yours to an older passenger is normal.

Phone calls are avoided. People text constantly and talk on the phone rarely. Nobody will tell you off, but you will be the only one doing it.

Backpacks come off in crowded carriages and get held in front or at your feet.

For the wider set of conventions like these, Korean etiquette mistakes foreigners make covers the ones with real consequences.

Practical details

Last trains. Most lines stop around midnight, with the final train leaving each terminal earlier than that. Missing it in central Seoul means a taxi, which is available but priced accordingly late at night. Check your line's last-train time rather than assuming.

Rush hour is genuinely intense. Roughly 08:00–09:00 and 18:00–19:30 on the busiest lines. Line 2 and Line 9 express are the worst. If your schedule is flexible, shifting by thirty minutes changes the experience completely.

Toilets are inside the gates at most stations, free and generally clean — useful to know before you tap out.

Wi-Fi and mobile signal work underground, including in tunnels, on every line.

Luggage. No restrictions, but rush hour with a large case is unpleasant for everyone. The airport lines have space designed for it.

Official route maps and current fares are published by Seoul Metro.

Verified August 2026. Fares and operating hours are adjusted periodically — check the operator's site for current figures. Corrections welcome via contact.