8 Common Things You Can See At the Subway Stations of South Korea

If there’s one thing I love about Korea, it’s the transportation. The subway system is very amazing that even first timers and  those who could not understand Korean language can travel alone without getting lost, and if ever you get lost in the subway, you don’t need to worry about  the fare because you  will not be charged  unless you go out of the subway station. So it’s ok if you transfer from one station to another figuring out the right way to your destination without actually getting charged. The subway stations across the country are interconnected by railways, though extensive, they were able to manage to connect and come up with a subway map that can be easily read and follow.

If you see something like this, there’s a subway station that exist underground.

You need to literally go deep down under to ride a train.

Travelling via train is smooth and fast. You can definitely do what you want inside the train until you reach your destination. It is very comfortable and you can just feel like you are at home. You can sleep, you can read, you can play with your mobile device or you can just sit and relax just like what these Filipino commuters do.

If you are wondering what’s inside the subway station, I will share to you the 8 common things you can see in most stations here in South Korea.

1. Ticketing Machines

There are a lot of ticketing machines installed everywhere in the subway station eliminating the long lines and providing convenient paying of fare for commuters. To ride a train, you must have a T-Money and this is where you can reload your T-money if it is running out of cash.

2.  Waiting Area

While waiting is definitely not a trend here as everything goes so fast, subway stations never fail to provide benches while waiting for the train. You could also wait beside the railway which is protected by grills for the passenger’s safety. These Filipino commuters even posed on the waiting line.

3.  Touch Screen Monitors

If you wish to check which line you need to follow to reach your destination, just touch these monitors installed on the wall of the station and you will get a very large subway map for easy reading. For standby mode, advertisements will show up, so there’s a little bit of business included here.

4. Payphones or Freephones

Running out of load and you need to call someone? Don’t worry, while payphones are becoming obsolete, Korea’s subway still believe that there’s a need for this. I have read somewhere that you don’t need money to call because it’s free, I was not able to confirm this though.

5. Emergency devices

If something happens like fire or accidents, these handy devices can help you call for authorities’ attention.

6.  TV Monitors

Information like the name of the station, the date, the time and the current location of the train can be seen here. Just look above and you will see these TV monitors.

7. Vending machine

For quick fix for growling tummy and dry throat, you can have some coffee, chocolate drinks or some cola from these vending machines. Some stations have actually food stalls and convenience stores if in case you need to buy something without getting out of the station

8. Signage and Information Board

Every station is full of bulletin boards and signage. If you look everywhere, you can see all these signs and information translated in English which is a very big help for travelers.

I guess, the subway stations of Korea have been properly planned and designed because I just think that everything seems to be perfect. This is what we called efficient transportation, no wonder some prefer commuting than taking their private vehicles because aside from a not so expensive fare, you can travel seamlessly, and of course the sight of beautiful Korean passengers is a plus.