Download Naver Map before your first trip to South Korea. It can help you find a restaurant, check its hours and plan the walk from the subway. KakaoMap is a good second option, especially if you want to check a bus arrival or see the entrance in Road View. Keep Google Maps handy for places you have already saved.
Which app should you use?
| App | When to open it | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Naver Map | Finding a place and getting there on foot or by public transit | Match the Korean address if several branches come up. |
| KakaoMap | Checking a bus arrival or seeing what the entrance looks like | Open Road View where available and confirm the address before following the route. |
| Google Maps | Looking up a saved place or checking whether transit directions are available | Confirm that it offers the travel mode you need for that specific trip. |
Naver Map: start here if you’re installing one app
Naver Map is widely used in South Korea. The Korea Tourism Organization lists English support and directions for walking, public transit and driving. A place listing can also show business hours, reviews and photos where available. That makes it a practical first choice when you need to find a place and work out how to get there.
Before you leave home, try searching for your hotel by name. If the results are ambiguous, paste the Korean street address from your booking confirmation and match the street number. Then check the directions from the nearest subway station. You’ll have the address ready if you need to show it to someone.
KakaoMap: check the bus or look at the entrance
KakaoMap also offers English support and walking, transit and driving route search. Its real-time bus information is useful when you’re deciding whether to wait at a stop or take another route. Road View lets you preview the street around a destination, which can help when the entrance is down a side alley or the storefront sign is in Korean.
You can use KakaoMap as your main app if you prefer its interface. For a short trip, start with one Korean map app and add the other if you want a second way to look up a route.
Does Google Maps work in Korea?
Google Maps can still be useful for looking up a place and revisiting pins you saved before the trip. Check the directions separately. On November 5, 2026, a desktop Google Maps lookup from Myeongdong Station to 29 Myeongdong 10-gil offered a transit option, but walking and driving were unavailable for that route.
South Korea’s land ministry announced conditional approval of Google’s detailed map data export request in February 2026. That decision and what you can select in the app are separate things. For an upcoming trip, check your route in the app and have a local map ready if your travel mode is missing.
Try it with a restaurant address in Myeongdong
The MICHELIN Guide lists Myeongdong Kyoja at 29 Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul. It’s a useful address for trying the same lookup in each app. Search for 서울 중구 명동10길 29 and match the number before choosing directions. If you’re actually going to eat there, confirm the branch and opening hours first.
- In Naver Map, enter the address and select walking directions from Myeongdong Station. Look for the exit and the last turn after leaving the station.
- In KakaoMap, search the same address and check Road View if it’s available. Look for a sign or a nearby corner you’ll recognize from the street.
- In Google Maps, open the same address from your saved list or search it. If walking is unavailable, copy the address into your local map app for the last stretch.
Save your hotel’s Korean address somewhere you can open quickly. It’ll help you find the right entrance at the end of the day, whichever map you use.