The first thing you have to decided when getting a drivers license in Korea is whether you’ll be exchanging a valid drivers license from your home country, or if you’ll be getting a Korean license from the beginning. I personally fell into the second group because I didn’t have a valid license to exchange (my American license expired and wasn’t renewed correctly). If you want to know how to get your Korean license, keep reading for my detailed explanation of the process or check out the official Korean Driver’s License Exam website for more information.
What to Prepare:
- ~100,000₩ in cash
- Your ARC Card (alien regestration card)
- Application form (available at test center)
- 3 passport photos
Step 1: Preparation
Prepare the necessary materials and plan ahead. The process took me from 9am ~ 5pm. You can finish the whole process in 1 day, but you can also split the process up if you feel you need more time to prepare, or if you don’t have enough time to spare a whole day. So, plan ahead with all of your necessary materials and do your studying ahead of time.
Step 2: Plan your Arrival at your Local License Test Center (운전면허시험장)
If you plan on finishing your license in 1 day, plan to arrive 30 minutes to 1 hour before the first Traffic Safety Video of the day. For example, if you are a Jeollabuk-do resident, you would arrive at the Jeonju test center around 9:00~9:30 for the first showing of the Traffic Safety Video at 10:00am. The driver’s license testing center in Jeonju is located here.
Step 3: Get the Application Form
There will be a help desk just inside the building with an attendant that usually speaks English. Tell them you are applying for a license, and they will give you the correct form to fill out. Usually, they will even circle or mark the areas you must fill out and help translate any sections you don’t understand. Fill out the form, then sign and date it. When you’ve completed the form, ask which line you need to be in to register for the Traffic Safety Video.
Step4: Health Exam
After paying for the traffic safety video, you will have time to complete your Health Exam. The health exam is a simple eye test (you must read the eye chart on the wall and cover your eyes). After passing the eye exam, you will wait until it’s time for you to watch the traffic safety video.
Step 5: Traffic Safety Video
Find the room that the video will be shown in. Most likely, you’ll have a group of people waiting with you to watch the video. It’s required for all people aquiring new licenses as well as any one that has had driving infractions. The video is only 50 minutes log, and models both good and bad driving behaviors to watch out for when driving. Once the video is finished, go back to the front counter and pay for the next exam, the written exam.
Step 6: Written Exam
The written portion of the license exam is done in a computer lab, most likely next to the traffic safety video room. Once you have paid for your exam, you can go to the computer lab and take the written exam. The exam is a multiple choice, timed exam. There are 40 questions you must complete in 50 minutes. It can be given in English, though some questions are worded a bit oddly.
To pass, you must score at least a 70/100. If you pass, you can continue on to the next exam, the car functions practical exam. If you don’t pass, you can go back in 3 days and retake the exam.
Step 7: Car Functions Practical Exam
After passing the written exam you will get the appropriate stamps from the attendant in the exam room, and should go back to the front desk to pay for the car functions practical exam. You’ll most likely have to wait for everyone taking exams that day to gather together for the functions exam. Before the exam starts, you will watch an English subtitled instruction video which details the skills you’ll need to display in the exam. Then, the exam attendant will demonstrate all of those skills for you one more time. When it’s your turn, you will get in the car with a computer system set up on the passenger side dashboard. It will display the prompts and alert you with beeps when it requires you to display a driving skill. Driving skills include:
- Turning on the car
- Putting the car into drive and then back into park
- Turning on your headlights and brights
- Using your windshield wipers
- Driving slowly in a straight line (under 20km/h)
- Using the brakes to execute an emergency stop
- Using your hazard lights
To pass, you can only miss a total of 20 points, with different issues accounting for different deductions in points (all explained in detail at the exam in Korean). If you pass, you can continue on to the last exam, the on-road driving exam. If you don’t pass, you can go back in 3 days and retake the exam.
Step 8: On-Road Driving Exam
The final stage of the tests is the on-road driving exam. Remember to get the appropriate stamps from the attendant in the main office. They will check to see that you passed your function test, and you’ll pay for the stamps needed to take the on-road driving exam. With your paper in hand, you’ll head to the driving exam office (in Jeonju, its the building to the left of the main building). You can give your paper to the office attendant and sit down until the designated starting time.
Once all of the participants have arrived and turned in their papers, on of the attendants will come out and give a full presentation on what is expected of you during the exam. You can miss a total of 30 points during the exam. The exam attendant will go over in detail what constitutes as a deduction in full during the exam (in Korean). If you don’t speak Korean and have trouble following along, you can ask for a printed copy of the rules and regulations that lead to deductions (in English) from the attendant.
The failing criteria is as follows:
| examinee quits the test or the examinee is unable the start the vehicle after 3 failed tries |
| showing ineptitude in vehicle operations such as the engine stalling and stopping over 5 times due to inexperience in clutch/gear operations or sudden braking over 5 times |
| involved in or the cause of a potential or actual traffic accident |
| ignoring the directions of the evaluator in situations of dangerous traffic environment |
| ignoring the safety and rights of pedestrians, ignoring and violating traffic lights and signs, crossing the center line, or driving dangerously near a school bus |
| not wearing a seat belt from the start to the finish of the exam |
Any of these violations will result in a failed examination. If you fail the exam, you must wait 3 days before attempting the exam again.
The driving exam will go as follows:
- Before entering the car, walk around the car and “check to make sure there’s nothing wrong”. My attendant seemed annoyed that I did this thoroughly and asked me to get in, but other attendants may be sticklers about this rule and can dock you points if you forget to do it.
- When you get in, put on your seatbelt. You will fail immediately if you don’t do this. Wait for your attendant to buckle up (as well as a passenger**, if you have one), and wait to turn on the car until your attendant give you the go ahead.
- Now, follow the audio cues. Remember to always signal, not speed, not tailgate, and all the other rules you’re probably stressing over.
- Once you’ve made it back to the exam location, your last task is to parallel park. For parallel parking, you have a 1-2 minute time limit and you MUST NOT cross over the designated lines of the parking space. But don’t stress too much, its a fairly large space and you’re not driving a huge car. It’s essential to know how to parallel park in Korea, hence the inclusion of it in your test.
**Note: The driving exam will be administered with a Korean driving attendant in the car, but they will not comment while you are driving (but they will take notes in their computer system). Instead, a computer will tell you driving directions in somewhat broken English. You may also have another person in the car with you. They’re also there to take their test before or after you.
Step 9: Pass!
Congratulations! Whether you pass on your first, second or fifth try, you did it! Now, take your paper with the passing stamp back to the main office. Give the attendant your completed application, cash, passport photos, and your ARC Card to the attendant and wait for 10-15 minutes for your new license to be processed.
Be safe out there… there’s a whole new world of driving available to you now!
Korea In My Pocket 