I came here 5 months ago. 1 month ago a teacher at the school kindly asked me if I had ever taken the subway before. Uh, what? What do they think I do? Sit at home every day? That I have never been anywhere but my apartment, school, and presumably a grocery store? I think they also think I have no friends. Whenever I tell a story, like "I was in Hongdae this weekend...", someone always asks "Were you alone?" Then I have to explain how I have friends. Anyway I am really getting off-topic here. What I want to talk about is public transportation in Korea!
Pub trans in Seoul really is fast, cheap, easy, and safe. All you need is a T-Money card, which you can buy at all convenience stores and I don't even know where else. Basically anywhere. The card costs 2,500 won to buy (so like a little over $2) and you can recharge it at convenience stores or at any subway station. Some of them look like this.
I bought mine at GS25 and it has a cute colorful picture of people buying groceries and riding buses in a city with lots of trees and stuff. It reminds me of Where's Waldo? But actually, a lot of people have T-Money cell phone charms that they scan instead of the card. The charm was more expensive and I figured I didn't want to risk losing my phone AND my transportation card at the same time, so I opted for the card. Plus now I have more room for cute Rilakkuma charms on my phone! I just keep the T-Money card in my wallet or coat pocket. You use it to scan in and out of each station you visit.
To re-load your card with money, just go up to this machine. You can select English if you want but the pictures are pretty self-explanatory. Put your card in the red pocket, select the amount to re-load, insert your cash, and wait for the transaction to finish. So easy!
At first the Seoul subway map looks terrifying. Seoul is a huge city in terms of both size and population. Proof:
But once you've used the subway a few times, you will start to move by instinct. If I'm asleep, I always wake up at the stop before my station. But sometimes, if I'm going somewhere really far away or transferring at a new station, I do get kind of confused!
There's a funny sort of subway protocol that you will instinctively act out if you spend enough time here. The six seats at the end of each car are for elderly, pregnant, or handicapped people only. If you sit here, even if you are the only person on the train, you are a horrible person. The best seats are at the end of the row. If the person at the end seat gets off, you must automatically slide over to the vacant seat. If you have to stand, you must face the window and not the center of the train. If someone near you is about 60+, it is polite to offer your seat to them. Even though everyone on the train is staring at you because a) you are white and they think you are exotic and possibly beautiful or b) they hate you and think you are a Russian prostitute, avoid eye contact! You shouldn't talk loud because only foreigners and drunk ahjussis talk loudly.
Sometimes I don't like to take the subway, though, because, unless you're in an out-of-the-way area, you're underground and can't really see anything. Even though buses sometimes take more time, I prefer taking them. You can usually find a direct route on a bus, and the odds are higher that you will get a seat. Just make sure you know where you're going! The local bus that runs from my apartment to my station only makes announcements in Korean. Bus stops will have all the stop names listed, but it's usually only in Korean. Sometimes major stops, like subway stations, will be listed in English as well. I love the subway ride from Gangnam to my apartment because you can see so many lights and you cross the Han River. I also like the bus ride from my apartment to Hongdae/Sinchon but it is really slow. I like it because it goes by Wedding Town where there are lots of cute wedding shops. If you can't find a seat on the bus, good luck, because drivers in Korea are crazy and you will probably stumble around a lot. One time I fell on an old man. He was not amused.
So, is public transportation in Seoul really that safe? I think so. The only problems I've ever had on public transportation was being harassed by American military jerks and creepy Indian guys who have white girl fetishes. The subways are impeccably clean and very quiet. No one really talks on the subway (quite different from Hong Kong- the subways there were super-clean and new, but LOUD.) Usually everyone is watching TV on their phones or sleeping. Or looking at their reflection in the reflective windows and fixing their hair (this goes for men as well.) Sometimes salespeople will set up a cart and give a speech about whatever polar fleece muffler or panty hose sock product they are trying to sell, but they don't bother you and quickly move on. Sometimes blind beggars will walk slowly up and down the car holding out a bucket for money. Sometimes they have music blaring out of their body (hidden speakers?) which always makes me laugh and then feel horrible. Usually it's weird American country music or traditional Korean music. If they have a cane, that sucks, because they might whack you accidentally. And sometimes they might touch you (like, caress up and down your back) because they are feeling where to go.
In summary, the bus is good for Seoul-watching, and the subway is good for people-watching. I have seen so many great things on the subway, like a girl using an oil absorbing sheet on her boyfriend's face, and met random cute old Korean men who just wanted to say "HellO" to an American and then quickly walk away and even a crazy man who kept ranting in Korean, walked up to me, cupped my face in his hands, and yammered somethin about me being beautiful before he got off the train. Yay public trans!
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