International Driver's License (car, motorcycle)

http://www.dla.go.kr/english/index.jsp
http://english.gg.go.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2003/03/11/200303110027.jsp
http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/how-to-get-your-korean-drivers-license

Here is some info on getting a Korean license if you need it as well as an international one.  It also gives you some of the rules and road sign meanings if you're unsure. It  gives you a little info about penalties/fines (definitely good to know about). Enjoy having wheels~! (When you get them that is.)

Just be careful with the information on the DLA. For some people it is not quite correct.

It doesn't say that if you are from some countries (e.g. NZ) you have to do a multiple choice test before you can exchange your licence. This is not too hard but where I went to get mine done it was not possible to do it on a Saturday so I had to take some time off work to do the test.

Other than that small problem getting a licence was pretty easy and straightforward and well worth doing.

What kind of questions are on the test?  Can you please give some examples if you remember.  Is there a site that has practice tests?

You know you're not allowed to hire a car in Korea for one year after exchanging the licence for your domestic one.

You know you're not allowed to hire a car in Korea for one year after exchanging the licence for your domestic one.

This is not true. I exchanged my licence about a week before hiring a car from Hertz. I had no problem whatsoever with hiring the car.

I don't remember the questions. However, the problem is that they are translated from Korean so the English is awkward and there are a lot of double negatives in the questions so you need to read the questions really carefully.

I couldn't find a site that had a practice test but I think there is a guide to the rules available. However, the rules are similar to American driving rules and the questions were pretty much common sense once I figured out what it was asking.

Do you need to take driving school if you want to get a Korean license (not exchange)?

I'm in Korea without an international drivers license but would LOVE to get one so I can rent a car and travel around. Does anyone know how you can get an international drivers license here? Is it possible?

Do you have your licence from back home?
If so it's easy to get a korean licence, all you gotta do is find a testing station, read the rules ( comes in English) and get 80% and your home and hosed

How much does it cost?

Check out this information posted from before.  There is a lot of info on driving here in the Life in Korea section, just look around.  However, if you're renting a car, check with the company first and see if you need a form from your school as I did.  I couldn't rent a car without it, basically like back-up insurance (someone's going to pay for an accident).  If you don't need one, great.  Have fun on your travels.

Thanks for the links.  I've checked them out however one issue contradicts itself:

for the actual driver's license, do we need - notarization? translation? or embassy proof?

Did you have to do any of this before going to the Driver's Office and getting your Korean license?

I called the Canadian Embassy in Seoul and was told we have to go to the Embassy in person to get proof from the Embassy it is a valid Driver's license.  Did you have to do this?

Hey,

Just to get proof (affidavit) from embassey was 60,000won & was a hastle but is a must; a more recent requirement since sombody started making fakes out here. Also, they stopped selling printed copies of the English study guide for sale; there is a link to a US Army base with a .pdf but it's not nearly as explanitory as the real one was. It should be enough to pass but the stupid exam took me 3 attempts to finally nail it. Also, know that you have to fork over your native license in exchange when you get your Korean one. It's good for like 10 years, much longer than the International, then you gotta show proof of a plane ticket in order to get back when leaving. No driving test required as long as your native license is valid. Hope this helps!

~Cheers and buckle up!

Do you have your licence from back home?
If so it's easy to get a korean licence, all you gotta do is find a testing station, read the rules ( comes in English) and get 80% and your home and hosed

Actually, when I took the test in Busan, all the paperwork in Korean said you need 60% to pass. The first time I got 50% cause the English was so confusing to me. Then I studied the CD-ROM they sold to me. It was 15,000won, but well worth it. I think there are over 600 questions, but they are the real questions on the test and they give the answers. All you need to do, in order to pass, is to study the key words in the questions. The second time I went back and got 95% or something like that.

Good luck to anybody taking it. It takes patience to get all the paperwork done, but it is well worth it.

If you are Canadian, it should be a matter of just rocking up to the DMV and exchanging your license.  I think I paid 5000-6000 won in 2009 for my medical (eyes and squat) test.  Things might have changes since then but I didn't have to confirm anything from the embassy.

However, I wasn't very keen about forking my license over, so the last time I was in Canada I went to the DMV said I lost my license and got a new copy.  I gave the old copy to the Korean DMV. 

I got my Korean drivers license a year or so ago, so I apologize if requirements have changed, but this is what I had to do...

visited the drivers office near Coex. As a Canadian I didnt have to do the test. I simply traded my Canadian one for the Korean one! the fee was about 10$.
They checked my eyes and I simply waited for my card. It was super easy. Done and done.
I didnt need anything from the embassy (again, this was just over a year ago)

I also was able to rent a car one month later (from a Korea company at that, not Hertz or another international company)

I do know that Americans had to do the test though. apparently Canadian driving laws are similar to Korean ones

Hi,

I'm thinking of getting a 125cc bike.
I was wondering what the general process is. Do people buy the bike first, practice with it, then take the test to get a license? Seems to me it would be illegal just practicing it without a license.

In addition are there any schools I can go to learn how to ride in Gyeongju?

im confused.  I was told if you had a 125cc bike or lower, you just needed a regular drivers license, not a motorcycle's license.  That being said, also if you do not have an international drivers license, but are a us citizen, you can get a korean license by just going to the dmv, filling out a form, and giving them your us drivers license(you supoosedly get it back when you surrender your korean license)

I've seen that as well, but search the internet enough and you'll find things that say otherwise. I'm Canadian so its probably the same process to get the Korean drivers license. So i'm not too sure about which one it is.

For a 125 cc you can pick up the bike, plates and insurance right at the bike shop. I would suggest finding a friend and getting your head around a scooter.

As for the license, for a 125 technically you need it but I have been riding for 8 years here and in this area (I am in Ulsan) I have only been asked once and that was because I was on a 400cc motorcycle with plates from Tokyo on it.

There are schools that you can learn to ride for your test, but they are all in Korean and cost a decent amount of $$. The main thing is to get your plates and insurance and then look at taking the test once you learn how to ride.

Also note that the test is on a 125 ~2500 cc motorcycle that is supplied. If you don't know how to ride a motorcycle (i.e. gears and shifting) you will have a tough time passing the test.