10 Must have Apps for Korea

As I have mentioned before I will almost always travel with a smartphone in my pocket and internet access where ever I can get it. Something that has to be said is that different apps have made traveling around much easier. Booking hotels, and looking up directions to that fantastic hot spot and the best tourist attractions can all be done from your phone.

If you happen to be in Korea and Seoul specifically here are my top app picks.

Kakao Talk

This one is kind of a no-brainer, if you have a smartphone and don’t have Kakao you are doing something wrong. Kakao is the number one messaging app in Korea, and virtually everyone uses it. You can message, and make voice and video calls all for free from within the app. Almost no one in Korea sends regular text messages and in fact, might think something is wrong if you send a regular text and not a Kakao message.

Yogiyo

I absolutely love this app. You can order food from almost any restaurant that delivers through this app. The biggest downside is that everything is in Korean. I simply had a friend input my address, which is now forever saved within the app. I can just hit a receipt button and reorder what I got last time. The menus also have a lot of pictures which makes deciding what you want all the easier.

The best thing about this app is that using it also does not cost you anything, versus just calling the restaurant.

Kakao Taxi

Kakao has a whole host of other apps besides Kakao Talk, and this is one of them. If you happen to live in a place where not many taxis drive by or find it difficult to hail a cab, then this is the app for you. In fact, this app is almost the same as Uber, except now it is a legitimate taxi. One downside, however, is that it is all in Korean.

Naver Maps

Here in Korea, google maps is not that good, and Naver Maps reign supreme. While you can still actually use Google maps, it is not very good when it comes to looking things up, especially if the name of the business is all in Korean.

Subway Korea

If you spend any time in Seoul, you will learn that the subway system is fantastic. It is also very simple to navigate and get around but it's always better to get a helping hand.

Memrise

When I get on my various Korean learning kicks, this is my go-to app. It’s essentially flashcards on your smartphone but with a big twist. They take the different words you are trying to learn and turn them into a kind of game. This app can be used for any language and not just Korean. While you can input your own words using a computer, it also has many premade lists that correspond with many popular books.

HelloTalk

This is a great app for finding language exchange partners. I have met many people through this app, and many of them have become excellent friends.

HappyPoints

Lots of things in Korea can actually be kind of expensive. Getting a Happy Points account is something that I highly recommend. You simply signup for an account, and at any merchant that has Happy Points, you can either get an immediate discount or start to build up points that can eventually be used as real money.

XE

I love this app for traveling. This is a currency exchange app that will tell you the current exchange rate. It can even store the exchange rate from the last time you checked the app for quick reference when you do not have data or wifi access.

Skype

I have always liked Skype; using it on my phone is great. I don’t really need to go into details about this one.

What apps do you recommend for living in Korea or traveling in general?

Cheers!