Renting a Car to Drive in Jeju Island and Navigating Jeju Island with Onboard Korean GPS: What to Take Note of for a Safe, Fun and Affordable Self-Drive Jeju Trip
28 June, 2014Unlike Seoul with its extensive subway/metro/MRT system to many attractions around the city, Jeju island’s public transportation system is largely served by buses and not all attractions on the island are linked by public transport. It is possible to explore Jeju island by public transport i.e. buses but it will take some time (time spent waiting for buses and bus journey time – although the latter is more constrained by the speed of the bus rather than traffic conditions since Jeju traffic is generally quite light). You should be prepared to walk or/and take some taxis along the way too as buses do not reach all attractions on Jeju island. This is the cheapest way to explore Jeju island (e.g. the intercity bus from northern side of Jeju (Jeju City Bus Terminal) to southern side of Jeju (Seogwipo Bus Terminal) cost 3,000 won and the journey will take about 1 – 1.5 hour). Much about travelling around Jeju by public transport in the next blog post.
There are other options available to explore Jeju island – go on a organised Jeju tour or engage a taxi driver for a private tour of the island or rent a car to drive around the island.
Deciding Between Taking Up a Organised Jeju Tour or Engaging Jeju Taxi Driver for Private Tour or Renting a Car to Explore Jeju by Ourselves
We decided on renting a car to drive around Jeju island as this is the first time we are visiting Jeju for the first time and we want to get as many Jeju attractions as possible without the constraints of tour timings/schedule and have the freedom to end as late as we want to.
Factoring in promotions and discounts (e.g. 60% birthday discounts) when booking our rental car with KT Kumho (I think it is co-branded with Hertz – the reputable car rental company around the world) and the fact that we are travelling in a group of 4, renting a car does not seem too expensive after all – and comparable with cost of engaging a taxi driver. More on how to book your rental car at KT Kumho with a huge discount at the next blog post. For now, let me share on some tips of what to take note of when driving around Jeju.
Getting a International Driving Permit from AAS Singapore (Automobile Association of Singapore)
First thing first, before even booking your rental car online at KT Kumho website, get your International Driving Permit from AAS first. While we did not encounter any traffic police checks on our license or International Driving Permit during our trip in Jeju, you will need to input your International Driving Permit number when renting a car online and the first thing they want to see when you arrive at the KT Kumho counter at the airport is your International Driving Permit.
The Koreans are very strict on this – even when you want to rent an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) on Udo Island (a small island 15 minutes by ferry from Jeju – a must go place for Jeju tourists), you will need to produce your International Driving Permit; some shops at Udo Island even require you to show your International Driving Permit (IDP) to rent electric bicycles – basically any motorised vehicle! Manually operated bicycles are ok to rent without an IDP 🙂
To apply for an IDP in Singapore, you must, of course, hold a valid Singapore driving licence. Singaporean applicants must present BOTH a valid driving license, NRIC and two passport size photograph. Do note that AAS is the only authorised organisation to issue IDPs in Singapore. Cost of an International Driving Permit: S$20
You can apply online but do note that the minimum processing time is 5 working days from date of application (factor in additional 3-5 working days for delivery of your IDP): http://www.aas.com.sg/index.php?show=content&showview=8&val=460
But if you are in a rush to get your IDP (e.g. you are flying off to Korea in less than 1.5 weeks), go down to one of the following AAS counters. More info here:Â http://www.aas.com.sg/index.php?show=content&showview=8&val=458
AA @ GB Point – 535 Kallang Bahru #01-08 GB Point Singapore 339351 (Tel: 6333 8811)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday – 8.30 am to 5.30pm, last submission at 5.15pm, Saturday – 8.30am to 1pm, last submission at 12.45pm; Closed on Sunday and Public Holiday
AA @ 51AMKÂ – 51 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 #02-02 51@AMK (Next to AMK Hub, above Mcdonald and S11 coffeeshop) Singapore 569922
Operating hours: Opens daily from 10am to 10pm, last submission at 9.15pm
You will be issued with your International Driving Permit on the spot! But be prepared for queuing time.
Book your Jeju Rental Car Online Before You Fly (Earlier if Possible)
There are about 3-4 car rental companies at the airport – KT Kumho/Hertz being one of them – just follow the signages upon clearing customs (no passport clearance required for domestic flights e.g. from Seoul Gimpo) to their counters. I do not encourage you to book your rental car upon arrival at Jeju airport – book it online at least a week before you fly to Jeju (and once you have your IDP). When we arrived at the KT Kumho/Hertz car rental counter at Jeju airport, we were informed that all vehicles have been booked (not a problem for us since we already booked online). I think during peak tourist season, most vehicles at all these companies will likely be unavailable for on-the-spot booking too – so I repeat: book your Jeju rental car online as early as possible before you fly to Jeju.
We did a random market price test with one of the other Jeju rental car companies and find that KT Kumho rental car prices are very competitive (i.e. cheaper) especially after factoring in the 60% birthday discount promotion. When you try to book over the counter for your rental car, you are given a large sheet with a wide selection of cars and their corresponding rental fees.
Cater Time For Rental Car Pick-up at an Off-site Location (Not at Jeju Airport Carpark!)
You will not be picking up your rental car at the airport. All the rental car companies are located a few minutes drive away from the airport – there are shuttle buses that can pick you up from the airport and send you to where your rental car is located. This is a similar arrangement for your trip back to the airport – return your car where you pick it up and take the shuttle bus back to the airport. The shuttle bus (or rather van) is quite spacious and there are lots of space to put your luggage. There is no fixed timing for the shuttle buses – they typically wait a reasonable amount of time (about 10 – 15 minutes) for any customers who need this ride before departing and there is always a next shuttle bus around.
This is the KT Kumho rental car office where the shuttle bus will drop you off – registration is straightforward and takes about 10 minutes (if there is no queue); take your queue number, wait for it to be called, sign a few papers and you are good to go!
Select the Right Rental Car Size – take into account Lugagge Sizes
This is what we rented – a mid-size SUV Hyundai Veracruz for 431,700 Korean won (inclusive of 89,300 Korean won of Loss Damage Waiver & after 60% discount) – 4 full days of car rental ==> about 108,000 KRW (or US$108) per day.
This is why we needed a SUV – to accommodate our big luggages which will likely not fit within a normal sedan car. Thus, if you are travelling in a group of 4 who are bringing a big luggage (26″ to 29″) of their own – you might want to rent a SUV.
Budget Price of Petrol/Diesel for Your Rental Car in Jeju
First – find out what type of fuel does your car use. Then budget for it – you will need to return the car to the KT Kumho office with a full tank (failing to do so could mean additional charges to your bill when you return the car). We paid 50,000 KRW (about USD 50) to top-up the tank (diesel) – quite reasonable considering that we have been driving around Jeju island extensively (from early morning 7am to almost 8-9pm daily and four to-and-fro journeys from Jeju City to Seogwipo City) for 4 days.  So our total Jeju car rental cost add up to USD 480 = about USD 30 per day per person for this Jeju trip. Not too bad 🙂 considering we are not constrained by any tour schedule or booked driver timings and we can drive around to do the most mundane things e.g. shopping at supermarket, eating breakfast at Paris Baguette in Seogwipo City.
Using Onboard Korean-language GPS Navigation System to Explore Jeju
Upon collecting the car keys, you will be shown to your car where a KT Kumho staff will go through a visual inspection of the car to check for defects. He will provide you with a quick demonstration of how to use the onboard Korean GPS navigation system – it is not very common for Jeju rental cars to be equipped with English GPS navigation system (sometimes they come at an additional cost). This Korean GPS is included with the rental and is surprisingly very very easy to use – you do not need to understand a word of Korean (although you might pick up a few while driving around Jeju with the GPS commands being repeated every other minute) or know how to type Hanggul (the Korean alphabet).
Don’t bother with Google Maps on your smartphone or iPad – they won’t work here on Jeju island because you will have to type the exact name or address in Korean for the directions to make sense on Google Maps.
To use the onboard Korean GPS navigation system, you can input the last 7 digits of the phone number of the destination you want to go and it will draw up a route to guide you towards your destination. I have compiled below a list of phone numbers to key attractions on Jeju island – I suggest that you note down 2 very important phone numbers on a notepad and put it permanently in the car (at least for the duration of your trip) – your hotel phone number + KT Kumho rental car office. You need the latter to return your vehicle – it is found on the invoice/receipt issued to you – check with the KT Kumho staff to confirm.
Besides phone numbers, you can also type in the name of the attraction in English – I have to admit I only tried this function with places that have obvious English names such as Tous Les Jours or Paris Baguette (for our daily breakfast!) and it worked – it will propose a list of Paris Baguette with approximate distance so you can pick one and drive towards it.
The interface is very straightforward – see picture below – on the top right, it informs the driver that he is still 60.3 km from the destination and he will reach the destination at 19:18 (or 7.18pm). The current time is indicated on bottom right (5.14pm) so that means the journey will take 2 hours. Do note that the GPS is quite conservative in its estimate and you will usually reach your destination in less time than what’s estimated (e.g. for such a long distance, you can reach in about 1 hour 15 minutes as opposed to the 2 hours you see estimated on the GPS interface) even if you keep within the speed limit.
On the top left, the yellow arrow means the direction the driver has to drive now i.e. drive straight for 28.8km and the green arrow means that after driving straight for 28.8km, the driver will next encounter a roundabout and he will have to drive straight for the next 25.9km after this.
Watch Out for Speed Cameras! Follow Instructions of GPS with regards to Vehicle Speed near Speed Cameras
The speed is shown on the bottom left. There are a lot of speed cameras along Jeju roads – the speed limit is typically kept at 70 – 80 km/hour. The GPS will prompt the driver with loud warnings only if he is speeding towards a speed camera – at all other times, it does not bother the driver at all regardless of the speed driven.
Check out the video below for a quick overview of how just by using phone numbers of attractions/restaurants in Jeju, you can find your way around Jeju Island and also the helpful warnings that the onboard GPS with your KT Kumho/Hertz rental car gives you to alert you of speed cameras ahead:
When driving in Jeju, you can key in the phone numbers of the attractions you planned to check out and the onboard GPS (in Korean) will guide you there. There is no need to meddle with Hangul alphabets to enter the address in Korean. I have compiled a few phone numbers that could help you in getting around Jeju. Do note that these are not complete phone numbers – just the last 7 digits which is sufficient to instruct the GPS to guide you there but might not be complete if you intend to call these places (if i am not wrong, you can just add a 064 in front to make the call).
I have also included the inaccurate phone numbers for reference in case you found those phone numbers online and was planning to use them. We did not go to all the attractions so the phone numbers of those attractions are not verified – Use at your own risk. Click here for more South Korea (Seoul/Jeju) trip planning tips to save time and money.
++++++++++++++++++++++
GPS Coordinates to Jeju Attractions in Seogwipo City
Cheonjiyeon Waterfall (often misspelled as Cheongjiyeon Waterfall – this is the waterfall near Seogwipo City): 7331528
Jeongbang Waterfall: 7331530
Cheonjeyeon Waterfall (often misspelled as Cheongjeyeon Waterfall – this is the waterfall at Jungmun resort): 7381529
Feliz Telcon Hotel (we stayed at this hotel): 7492008
Seogwipo Five Day Market: 7630965
Seogwipo Olleh Daily Market: 7621949
Alive Museum (a version of Trick Art Museum at Jungmun Resort): 8050888
Black Pork BBQ place (popular among locals): 7628588
Recommended Ginseng Chicken place near Feliz Telcon Hotel: 7623319
GPS Coordinates to Jeju Attractions in Jeju City
Yongduam Rock (Dragon Head Rock): 7283918
Black Pork BBQ Street (this leads you to one of the restaurants but you can check out others): 7217869
Raw Fish Street (this leads you to one of the restaurants but you can check out others): 7583945
Pork Ramen Street (also known as noodle street – i recommend the restaurant that this number goes to): 7277056
Dongmun Market: 7523001
Jeju NANTA theatre: 7238878
GPS Coordinates to Other Jeju Attractions
Hello Kitty Museum: 7926114
Loveland: 7126988
Mysterious Road: 7103314 (This number is NOT accurate – to get to the road – key in the number for Loveland: 7126988 and then when you are nearing Loveland, follow road signages saying Mysterious Road and follow big tour buses and vans – they will likely be going there)
Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak): 7830959 or 7107923
Recommended Lunch Place near Seongsan Ilchubong (Black Pork Tofu Kimchi Hotpot): 7841794
Manjanggul Lava Cave: 7834818
Gimnyeong (also spelt as Kimnyeong) Maze Park: 7829266
Ferry Terminal to Udo Island: 7825671 (This number is NOT accurate – instead, use this number 7843136 which leads to a local produce shop just beside the ferry ticket office)
Seopjikoji (All-In filming location): 7604251 (This number will NOT bring you to Seopjikoji and will bring you to the middle of nowhere so just drive in this direction and then follow the roadsigns pointing towards Seopjikoji; this number 7820080 might get you there – unverified)
We didn’t go to these attractions but if you are interested, here are the phone numbers (we have not verified their phone numbers – use at your own risk):
Yeomiji Botanic Garden: 7351100
Jusangjeolri (Jungmun and Daepo Coast – Columnar Jointed Lava or called Jungmun Cliffs): 7381521
Mount Sanbang: 7942940
Oedolgae Rock: 7328027
Chocolate Land: 7381197 (this is located at Jungmun Resort)
Chocolate Museum: 7923121
Teddy Bear Museum: 7387600 (this is located at Jungmun Resort)
Teddy Bear Safari: 7994820 (this is NOT the Jungmun Resort Teddy Bear Museum – it is nearer to Jeju City)
Sangumburi Crater: 7839900
Hallim Park: 7960001
Jeju Folk Village: 7874501
Jeju Glass Castle: 7727777
Comments (94)
Jeju 4 Days 3 Nights (4D3N) Self-Drive Itinerary – What to See, Do, Eat and Jeju Trip Planning Tips | Singapore Travel Blog
6 July, 2014 at 12:10 am[…] See this link for more info on renting a car for self-drive holiday in Jeju and driving around in Jeju. […]
Having Fun with Optical Illusions at Jeju Alive Museum Jungmun Resort (A Version of Trick Art Museum) | Singapore Travel Blog
12 July, 2014 at 10:16 pm[…] GPS coordinates (for input by phone number into your Korean onboard GPS) for Jeju Alive Museum at Jungmun Resort: 8050888 […]
Korea Travel Money Saving Tips – Up to 60% Discount for Jeju Car Rental with KT Kumho | Singapore Travel Blog
2 August, 2014 at 5:31 pm[…] an earlier blog post where we shared about our Jeju self-drive holiday experience, we mentioned that we rented a mid-size SUV Hyundai Veracruz at a huge car rental discount of 60% […]
May
19 September, 2014 at 11:27 pmThanks a lot!! Ur blog is a total saviour! Exactly as U said, there’s no English GPS in Jeju & I was worried that we’ll get lost tmr! Ur video is superb! Tq tq!!
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
20 September, 2014 at 7:55 amHi May – glad that this is useful for you 🙂
Yongduam Dragon Head Rock (Jeju City Sightseeing) | Singapore Travel Blog
20 September, 2014 at 3:47 pm[…] the Dragon Head Rock. The Yongduam rock is situated at the northern end of Jeju city. To find the location in Jeju using GPS onboard your rental car, key in this phone number 7283918 for Yongduam Rock (Dragon Head […]
Luigi
5 October, 2014 at 11:46 pmHi! Thank you so much for the very informative blog entry!
One question though, if I’m going to rent a car for more than a day, do I still have to return it to the Car rental company by end of day? Or just park the car in the hotel’s parking lot?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
7 October, 2014 at 8:54 amHi Luigi
You will need to return it to the car rental company at the end of your rental period. After all, if you are renting a car in Jeju, you will need to fly off from Jeju airport anyway (and the KT Kumho car rental office is nearby).
Kel
7 October, 2014 at 1:57 amThis post is incredibly useful for my trip to Jeju-do in a couple of weeks. Thank you so much for the time you put into it.
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
7 October, 2014 at 8:53 am@Kel – thanks for your comment 🙂
Yaner
15 October, 2014 at 4:04 pmHi there,
Your blogs are Fantastic!! With almost all the details and information needed.
But regarding to the input of tel numbers into the GPS, the numbers you provided are different from this website http://english.jeju.go.kr/index.php/contents/Tour/TouristAttractions?cat=TU06
I am not sure which to copy but Really appreciate if you can help.
Many thanks!
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
15 October, 2014 at 7:59 pmthe GPS coordinates on my blog post for the 2 waterfalls – jeongbang, cheonjiyeon waterfalls are correct – I have been there myself using those numbers
I cant confirm for cheonjeyeon waterfall – i took the number from cheonjeyeon official tourist brochure so i assume it is correct.
Do let me know if you have went to the waterfalls and have any updates on the GPS numbers
suez
26 October, 2014 at 12:38 amJuz wondering why the registration notif kept stating “check for duplicate id” i am at my wit’s end figuring wht id to put in..help!
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
26 October, 2014 at 9:05 amI did not have this problem when booking a vehicle with KT Kumho. You might want to email them to help you out.
Vanessa
27 October, 2014 at 12:20 pmHi suez, i did the online registration and had no problem with the registration. Maybe u could change a new id?
Savouring Jeju Pork Ramen (Gogi-Guksu) at Jeju City Noodle Street (Guksu Geori) | Singapore Travel Blog
27 October, 2014 at 12:16 am[…] driving around Jeju, the most useful info is the restaurant’s phone number: 82-64-727-7056 as I can use the last 7 digits as coordinates to locate the restaurant and directions to get there usin…. So to locate this restaurant, key in 7277056 in your Korean […]
Review of Feliz Telcon Hotel Seogwipo in Jeju South Korea | Singapore Travel Blog
19 December, 2014 at 10:49 pm[…] we found one that cost only about S$100+ per night (for 2 persons) – Feliz Telcon Hotel. The Jeju GPS coordinate for Feliz Telcon Hotel is 7492008. Driving from the Jeju airport to Feliz Telcon hotel will take about 1+ […]
Brandon
31 December, 2014 at 12:02 pmAwesome tips for travelling around Jeju…thank you so much! Will be heading there on 3-6 Jan! 🙂
Vanessa Koh
17 February, 2015 at 11:57 amFriends,
You are just great to go into all this trouble for people you don’t even know. And I am so very grateful! We are going for a holiday to Jeju in March and will depend on your phone numbers for the GPS. Many thanks!
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
18 February, 2015 at 5:24 pmH vanessa – thanks for the encouragement. happy travels 🙂
prexamaple
23 March, 2015 at 12:12 amHi,
Just like to check if you paid any deposit / prepayment upon online reservation.
Cos I expected some payment required but there was no prompt.. does this mean my reservation is confirmed?
ks singaporean feeling insecure >.<
Thanks!
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
23 March, 2015 at 9:02 amThere is no prepayment or deposit made at online reservation. You will receive an email confirming your reservation. Upon arrival at KT Kumho office, you will make your full payment for the car rental.
Joshua
14 April, 2015 at 10:32 pmHi!
Thanks for the really informative post 🙂
My friends and I will be going down to jeju soon but we read online that there is a minimum age of 21 + minimum 1 year driving experience requirement in order to rent a car. However, not all of us are 21 yet (by date of birth)/have minimum 1 year driving experience :/ Do you have any idea if the rental companies follow the age requirements strictly, and for the minimum age of 21, do they go by DoB or will they just follow the year (e.g. 1994)?
If we can’t rent a car, are there other affordable + reliable alternatives that you can recommend?
Thanks so much! 🙂
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
14 April, 2015 at 10:40 pmif you can apply for an international driving permit here in singapore, then you can rent a car – that is all they look at. different rental companies may have different rules – please check with them directly.
An affordable alternative for a group of 4 is to rent a taxi driver service in Jeju – he will drive you around Jeju to the main sights (you can agree upon the sights via email before your trip). You pay for 8-hour tour rates.
Joshua
4 May, 2015 at 7:39 pmThanks Zhiqiang and Tingyi! We just got back from Korea, and thankfully everything went well with the car rental 🙂
Thanks so much for all your tips on getting around in Jeju as well, especially the usage of the GPS and the list of phone numbers. They came in really handy 🙂
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
5 May, 2015 at 9:59 pm🙂 glad we helped in your trip planning
Li Kuang
1 October, 2015 at 8:19 pmHi Joshua,
I’m planning my trip to Jeju somewhere next week.
As I understand from your post, you’re not 21 yet by the time you travelled to jeju.
In that case, how’d you manage to rent a car and under which company, and if you’d reserved the car before hand (do you write them an email?) or on the spot.
Hope to hear from you!
Cheers!
🙂
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
6 October, 2015 at 8:15 pmHi Li Kuang – you might have posted at the wrong blog – I am not Joshua and was more than 21 when i travelled. Anyway, i booked via KT Kumho – see more details here: http://www.passportchop.com/asia/south-korea/kt-kumho-jeju-discounted-car-rental/ – though note the booking process on the post is no longer valid – pls proceed to the KT Kumho website for more details.
Cecilia
27 April, 2015 at 11:58 amHi there,
Thanks for the great post!
Any issues with left-hand driving in Jeju, since we are right-hand drive in SG?
Appreciate any advise/tips 🙂
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
27 April, 2015 at 10:28 pmJust takes getting used to the left hand drive but its ok after you get a hang of it. No tips in particular – jeju roads are quite ok – maybe practise driving around the rental company roads first.
Cindy
11 May, 2015 at 10:35 pmHi there! Love your blog, very useful guide when planning my upcoming Seoul & Jeju trip.
You mentioned that all rental companies’ pickup areas are located away from terminal? Is there any that is reachable within the airport or within walking distance? Will be with a child and a senior and will prefer not to have to transfer to shuttle bus…
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
11 May, 2015 at 10:55 pmI only know for sure that KT Kumho is located away from terminal – but I saw signages at the shuttle bus pick-up area indicating shuttle services for other car rental brands. I assume that all of them are located away from terminal.
The shuttle bus transfer is actually quite ok – you need not wait long for each transfer – they typically leave when the bus is about 70-80% filled and the buses are more like bigger vans than the conventional buses.
Cindy
12 May, 2015 at 7:44 pmOkok thank you! Will check out the rental companies : )
Chris
16 June, 2015 at 5:23 pmHi, it is useful article for me to plan my incoming jeju trip, and some problems goes into my mind, what if i stay at guest house, and how to locate back my guesthosue with code ? thanks for replying
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
16 June, 2015 at 11:54 pmask your guesthouse by email for the GPS number (by telephone number). they should know it – you can direct them to my blog post if they dont have an idea of what you are talking about.
Joe
17 June, 2015 at 10:19 amThis is one awesome description and list for the scenic spots. Thank you very much! After reading this, I did not hesitate to rent a car anymore. The only problem I had, was that the GPS could not find my hotel … I chose a location nearby and drove the rest according to google maps print out for the hotel 🙂 …
Tina
19 June, 2015 at 9:30 amVery helpful post indeed. Planning to visit Korea this September. Thanks a lot.
Driving on the right in jeju - www.hardwarezone.com.sg
27 August, 2015 at 5:29 pm[…] Good choice with starting out in Jeju, where at least the traffic is not going to be very heavy. Really useful resource for coordinates to places: http://www.passportchop.com/asia/sou…-driving-tips/ […]
SY
11 September, 2015 at 7:30 pmI am trying to book via the link. I have registered and I am the member, but the reservation page is not the same as yours. and when I filled the dates and location, there is no option displayed. Do you know why?
SY
11 September, 2015 at 7:32 pmI am trying to rent a car in Nov. Registered as member but when I tried to reserve a car, nothing displayed after I entered the date and location. Do you know why?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
11 September, 2015 at 11:12 pmI think ktkumho had updated their website. Looks like they have changed their branding to https://www.lotterentacar.net/eng/short/short_main.do
From my end, it looks ok. I am using Firefox. Do note that there are 2 tabs – “Book a car” and “Jeju book a car” – choose the “jeju book a car” before you enter in your dates and location.
brid
17 September, 2015 at 2:34 amMy brother suggested I might like this web site. He was entirely right. This post actually made my day. You cann’t imagine just how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!|
Pung Li Kuang
2 October, 2015 at 11:00 amHi!
I’m traveling to Jeju next week, and I’m just wondering if I’m able to rent a car there, as I’m only 20 years old this year! I’ve passed my probation period.
However, as I checked online, the minimum driving age in Korea is 21.
Do I still be able to rent a car? Even if I have an IDP?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
6 October, 2015 at 8:16 pmIf the law in Korea is that the minimum driving age is 21, then i think they will enforce it strongly. They are very law by law.
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
8 October, 2015 at 10:59 pmanyway i just checked: Driving license in South Korea. Driving licenses in the Republic of Korea may be attained at age 18 for cars and 16 for motorcycles. This is from wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_license_in_South_Korea so not sure how accurate this is
York
8 October, 2015 at 5:46 amHi, just wanna check.
I’m only 19, had my driving license for about 8 months now.
Will I be able to rent the car?
I know legal age in Korea to drive is 18.
But I saw their requirement is minimum 1 year of driving experience.
Any idea?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
8 October, 2015 at 11:03 pmI suggest you email the car rental company to check on this. Remember to apply for an International Driving Permit in Singapore.
Yasin
20 November, 2015 at 5:25 pmHi,
Stumbled upon your blog. Very informative. Will be heading there from 8th to 10th December. Still considering whether to rent a car or hire a taxi. Thanks a lot though.
Asuri
30 December, 2015 at 10:01 amHi Both,
Thanks so much for gathering all these important information that would make many travelers’ trip much easier. I just have a question regarding the returning of the rented car.
Is there a fixed location (e.g. at the place where we collect it) where we have to return the car? As I’ve only planned to rent the car for the first 2 days in Jeju and was thinking of staying at Seogwipo area. As such, I’m wondering if there’s any location within Seogwipo area that we could return the vehicle?
Thanks so much,
Asuri
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
30 December, 2015 at 10:35 amYou need to return where you collect the car. Dont think there is a location at Seogwipo to return the vehcle (at least for KT Kumho) – most car rental companies are near the Jeju airport (at Jeju city)
Gene
30 December, 2015 at 11:02 pmHi!
Your website is really useful!
Can I check if carparks are easily available in Jeju and do you need to pay any parking fees and how to pay them if there are any?
Thank you!
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
30 December, 2015 at 11:48 pmmost are streetside parking in most part of Jeju (outside Jeju city) and typically free – in jeju city, there are public carparks available, you typically pay an attendant at the entrance after you have parked your car – for some carparks, you are required to surrender your car keys in exchange for a parking ticket.
Adzam Abdul Wahab
6 January, 2016 at 3:36 pmHi ! Awesome travel blog you have here. Just one quick question is google maps really that useless? Cant we just type in the english name for the attractions?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
6 January, 2016 at 8:15 pmabsolutely useless in Jeju. The names on the map is in Korean and because most of Jeju is in rural areas, so sometimes all you see is one big patch of grey when there is supposed to be an attraction there
elin
6 January, 2016 at 7:20 pmHi..!
Your post is soo informative. Thanks a lot! If you can help, may I know the operating hours for ktkumho?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
6 January, 2016 at 8:16 pmI am not sure – you might want to try booking and see if they allow you to pick up after office hours
YY
20 February, 2016 at 1:46 pmHi
I cant seems to find your post on public transport, can you provide me with the link?
Thank you in advance!
Which type of transportation would you recommend if it’s 2 person? We are going jeju next month and we can’t decide whether to rent a car or to use the public transport. There isn’t much information about jeju’s public transport online thus we can’t decide.
Thank you!
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
20 February, 2016 at 10:00 pmyou can engage a taxi driver on a per day basis to drive you around. dont rely on jeju public transport
Emm
25 February, 2016 at 1:37 pmHi,
Where can I see what vehicles KT Kumho/Hertz offer? I cant seem to find any description or what type of vehicles they offer from their website.
Thanks
E
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
29 February, 2016 at 11:11 pmwhen u click thru the booking dates and pick up location, they will show u the vehicles available for rental
LRS Formula
3 March, 2016 at 7:02 pmThank you very much for sharing this post ! In all likelihood, you save my life ! Thank you for the tips 😉
LS
10 June, 2016 at 4:17 pmGreat blog! What about road directional signs? Are they in English? And is parking convenient?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
11 June, 2016 at 8:56 amYes – most have English. parking in Jeju city, you usually cannot do streetside parking and need to find dedicated carparks (easy to find). for outside Jeju city, you can just park by the roadside.
xxchris
15 June, 2016 at 12:29 amhi, would you recommend driving around or private taxi transport? which is more budget friendly. must i really rent the car in advance before going, or can i rent it when i reach jeju? thank you
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
17 June, 2016 at 9:27 pmdefinitely rent it before you go jeju if you want to enjoy the best price savings and ensure you get the car you need. Do the self-drive if you can – price comparable to taxi transport and you get a lot more flexibility
Sharon
28 August, 2016 at 3:45 pmReally loved your blog and it is very informative for me! I would like to ask if the cars are provided with a GPS system or do I need to pay extra charges for a GPS system?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
28 August, 2016 at 8:57 pmyes – our car was provided with a complimentary GPS.
Yan Ting
30 September, 2016 at 8:38 pmthank for your informative post!
meanwhile, may I check if the driving journey is very far from point to point.
eg. jeju city to o’sulloc tea museum, jeju city to sunrise peak, jeju city to cheongjiyeon falls
and what is the cutoff time to return the car?
i’m deciding between 2 options.
1) return the car the night before, cab back to hotel, cab to airport, fly to busan next morning.
or 2) return the car at night, take the latest flight out at 20:00+
thank you for your advise!
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
8 October, 2016 at 9:09 pmdriving journey is about 2-3 hours – from Jeju city to the falls is about 3 hours+
Yan Ting
30 September, 2016 at 11:14 pmhi, thank you for your informative post. may I check if rental of vehicle in jeju is in blocks of 24 hours?
meaning, can I rent the car on Day 1 1pm, and return on Day 2 9am, and be considered in the 24 hours block?
Thanks.
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
8 October, 2016 at 9:08 pmYou tell them when you start and end and they calculate cost accordingly.
Elaine
3 October, 2016 at 12:46 pmHi,
Do your accept Malaysia Driving License?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
8 October, 2016 at 9:06 pmIt is not for me to decide whether to accept the license – it is the Korean authorities. Anyway regardless of country, you still need to apply for International Driving Permit
Drea
3 November, 2016 at 11:05 pmIt’s an awesome piece of writing designed for all the internet people; they will take advantage
from it I am sure.
Jesslin
21 November, 2016 at 2:41 pmHi,
Can I check from you the transmission of the car at Jeju is it auto or manual?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
21 November, 2016 at 3:01 pmYou can choose
James Limo
2 January, 2017 at 11:26 pmwow this rental company is very awesome as I was searching for transport services, You really helped me out
Scott
5 January, 2017 at 6:59 amWe will be arriving to Jeju via Cruise Ship – how far is the airport from the Cruise Ship port? And is there any kind of shuttle service from this area to the car rental area?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
5 January, 2017 at 8:23 ami have not taken that route before so i couldnt advise on this.
Mac Tan
9 February, 2017 at 3:48 pmHI, chance upon your blog, is really very useful. Thank you for all the information, making me excited to drive around in Jeju too. However, may I ask, how much (approx.) does parking cost in Jeju, and what are the mode of payment (i.e cashcard in sg) and are the fuel expensive?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
13 February, 2017 at 12:39 amParking is free in most parts of Jeju. Parking in Jeju city (esp the city centre) will likely be paid – you just take a receipt from the parking attendant after you have parked your car in the designated parking area. You will also need to handover your car keys to them for safeguarding – you get it back when you come back and pay them. All in cash.
Fuel is more or less the same as in Singapore – although for a short trip 4D3N trip, we only topped up once – just before we return the car. So fuel cost is not really an issue.
Jasmine
13 February, 2017 at 12:05 pmHi, your blog is really good!! Been using it for as reference for planning my upcoming Jeju trip. Since you rented a car, I was wondering how old do you think the cars are? I am planning to rent a car from AJ. They wouldn’t rent out really old cars, would they? The model i saw on their site was a Kia Sportage 4WD 2000 AT and when i googled the picture it was a model of at least 8 years! Also, what was the CDW policy like for Kumho (now Lotte rental)?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
13 February, 2017 at 9:03 pmi dont know how old the cars were. My car looks new to me. i am not sure abt the CDW – i think it is normal as per typical car rental policies.
Jasmine
16 February, 2017 at 1:18 pmThank you.
Ning
2 March, 2017 at 10:51 pmHi, I would like to mention that your Jeju Island tips have really been helping me as I am planning for my trip! Thanks a lot for all the tips that you are giving! Really grateful to be able to find tips on not just itinerary but also in-depth on renting car! Cheers! 😀
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
2 March, 2017 at 11:20 pmGlad to hear that our tips helped 🙂
Jasmine
6 March, 2017 at 4:58 pmHi there,
I have another question. You mentioned that you could rent a car and drive around with an International Driving Permit but I have seen a few sites asking for the International Driving License. Even the Korean Road Authority website mentions that we can drive around with the IDP as long as the country is a member of the Geneva Convention. So now I am a little confused.
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
6 March, 2017 at 8:50 pmI do not understand your question. To drive in Jeju, you need an International Driving Permit – that is all. Car rental companies will not recognise your country’s driving license without an International Driving Permit.
Jasmine
7 March, 2017 at 1:48 amHi, I finally got the matter solved. To them, the international driving permit IS the international driving license. Some of the car rental companies were asking for international driving license which had me confused as what I had was the International Driving Permit.
Thank you!!
Thomas
4 September, 2017 at 5:57 amGreat post! Have nice day ! 🙂
Mely
14 March, 2018 at 3:01 amHello,
Thanks for the effort of sharing your experience. Much appreciate!
One of my Korean friends who lives in Seoul told me to use a Taxi tour instead of renting a car because it isn’t easy to drive to attraction places, is that the case? How is the road condition there? i.e. a lot of winding road, traffic, signage not clear?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
14 March, 2018 at 9:48 pmIt is very easy to drive if you can get used to the left hand drive. Signage is clear, Traffic is good (better than Singapore), straight roads
sun
2 April, 2018 at 10:53 pmThe remote control includes 3 different frequencies, and you can operate the car from up
to 8 meters. Be smart and savvy when negotiating the interest rate for new cars
and don’t just sign on the bottom line. 00 per gallon, depending
on market prices, but that is a good benchmark.
Hiroshi Bangladesh
4 April, 2018 at 1:47 pmvery informative post.we know about car GPS by this post.thanks for sharing your experience. -Toyota car Models