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The Koro Field Guide
Volume 02 · Driving Manual
Right-hand traffic, narrow alleys, mountain tunnels, and a road system that runs on apps. What no rental counter will explain before they hand you the keys.
Before You Start
On the Road
Speed limits in Korea look generous on paper — 80 on urban arterials, 110 on most expressways — and brutal in enforcement. Section cameras measure your average speed across kilometers, not just at one pole. NAVER's warning chime stops being annoying about ten minutes after you arrive.
School zones drop to 30 km/h between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. and the fines are punitive. The sign is yellow and unmistakable. If you see one, lift off the throttle before you read it twice.
Tolls are paid two ways. Hi-Pass lanes — labeled blue and marked “하이패스” — read your transponder at speed. Cash lanes are slower but every rental car can use them; the attendant takes your ticket, you tap your card.
Practical Matters
The stuff between point A and point B that nobody warned you about.
Fuel
Self-serve fluency in three minutes.
Parking
Apps, payment, and which lots you can't enter.
휴게소 · Rest Stops
Hot dogs on a stick, real bathrooms, free Wi-Fi, surprisingly good kimchi.
After dark
Deer, fog, fatigue, and when to pull over.
If it goes wrong
English support is real — 1330 is the tourism hotline run by the Korea Tourism Organization, staffed 24/7. They will translate for police or ambulance if needed.