Yes, you can use Uber in Seoul, and it calls licensed local taxis. A regular Seoul taxi starts at ₩4,800 for the first 1.6 km, and it costs 20% to 40% more at night. VisitKorea, in a page from October 2025, says Kakao T needs a Kakao account and its visitor app k.ride does not. We read Seoul's fare page, Incheon Airport's taxi pages, Uber's Korea pages, VisitKorea and the Seoul Tourism Organization on 12 October 2026.
What a Seoul taxi costs
Price: Regular taxi: ₩4,800 for the first 1.6 km, then ₩100 for each 131 m, and ₩100 for each 30 seconds when you go under 15 km/h. Night: ₩5,800 for the first 1.6 km from 22:00 to 23:00 and 02:00 to 04:00, and ₩6,700 from 23:00 to 02:00 (Seoul fare page, modified 3 Apr 2026, read 12 Oct 2026)
Price: Deluxe and large taxis: ₩7,000 for the first 3 km, then ₩200 for each 151 m. Night: ₩8,400 for the first 3 km, from 22:00 to 04:00 (same page)
Price: Surcharges: 20% (22:00 to 23:00, 02:00 to 04:00) and 40% (23:00 to 02:00) on regular taxis, 20% on deluxe, 20% outside the city. The two together are capped at 60% on regular taxis and 40% on deluxe. A phone call to a taxi adds ₩1,000 by day and ₩2,000 at night (same page)
| Our calculation, daytime, no traffic | Regular taxi, metered |
|---|---|
| 3 km | about ₩5,900 |
| 5 km | about ₩7,400 |
| 10 km | about ₩11,200 |
These are our own sums from the official rates. Time charges, tolls and surcharges come on top, and we did not take a ride to compare.
Which app
| App | Sign-up | Foreign card | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uber | Your Uber account, in the Uber app | Pay in the app with the method saved on your account | Uber Korea page, 2026 |
| Kakao T | A Kakao account made through KakaoTalk | Pay the driver in cash, credit card or Tmoney, or use auto-pay | VisitKorea, Oct 2025 |
| k.ride | Phone number, Google, Apple or email | Register your own credit card | VisitKorea, Oct 2025; JoongAng Daily, 4 Jun 2024 |
Note: Uber: the Korea page lists Uber Taxi, Standard Taxi, Speed Call (₩3,000 service fee included), Green (₩1,000 fee included) and Deluxe. The Seoul page says you can reserve rides up to 30 days ahead, and that flat rates and minimum fees may apply (Uber Korea and Uber Seoul pages, read 12 Oct 2026)
Note: k.ride: English, Japanese and Chinese, with destination search in over 100 languages. In 2024 it offered only the higher-priced taxi types and charged an extra service fee (JoongAng Daily, 4 Jun 2024)
The Seoul Tourism Organization says Kakao T lets you save a foreign credit card, and VisitKorea says it needs a Kakao account. We could not settle that, and Kakao's own site said nothing about visitors. VisitKorea also lists TABA, TADA and MOVV, which we did not test.
At the airport
Note: Incheon Airport taxi page, updated 12 Oct 2026: standard taxis at stands 5C, 6C and 6D at Terminal 1 and 7C at Terminal 2. International Taxis at 4C (Terminal 1) and 3C (Terminal 2), phone 1644-2255, and a flat fare in Seoul. Deluxe at 7C and 8C (Terminal 1) and 7D (Terminal 2). The page warns that call vans posing as taxis are common, so use the stands
Note: An International Taxi is government licensed, and its driver passes a foreign-language test (Seoul Tourism Organization, updated 26 Jun 2026)
| Detail | One source says | Another says | What we use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incheon to central Seoul, standard taxi | Seoul Tourism Organization, 26 Jun 2026: ₩60,000 to ₩75,000 metered to Hongdae, with an ₩8,000 toll | Our airport guide, 9 Oct 2026: ₩65,000 to ₩100,000 plus the toll | Both ranges. Ask for a quote |
| International Taxi from the airport | Seoul Tourism Organization: ₩65,000 to ₩85,000 flat | VisitKorea, undated: ₩65,000 to ₩90,000 for a regular one, ₩95,000 to ₩130,000 for deluxe or jumbo | Not confirmed. Call 1644-2255 |
| Gimpo to the city | Seoul Tourism Organization: ₩25,000 to ₩35,000 | Our Gimpo guide, 9 Oct 2026: ₩15,000 to ₩25,000 | Both ranges |
| Night surcharge hours | Seoul fare page: 20% 22:00 to 23:00, 40% 23:00 to 02:00, 20% 02:00 to 04:00 | Seoul Tourism Organization: 20% 22:00 to 23:00, 40% 23:00 to 04:00 | The Seoul fare page |
| When fares last rose | Seoul fare page: 1 Feb 2023 | Seoul Tourism Organization: February 2024, with a small change in early 2026 | The Seoul fare page |
| Deluxe first distance | Seoul fare page: the first 3 km | Seoul Tourism Organization: the first 1.6 km | The Seoul fare page |
What is checked here and what is not
Checked on 12 October 2026: the Seoul fare page (modified 3 April 2026), Incheon Airport's two taxi pages, Uber's Korea and Seoul pages, VisitKorea's ride-hailing app page (updated October 2025), the Seoul Tourism Organization's taxi guide (updated 26 June 2026), and a Korea JoongAng Daily article of 4 June 2024 on k.ride.
Not checked: whether Kakao T takes a foreign card in the app today, k.ride's current coverage and fees, TABA, TADA and MOVV, the Seoul Tourism Complaint Center's service, and any real fare. We did not take a taxi or use an app.
