Korea, without the filter.
Straight answers from people who live here. Every price and rule is checked against official sources and dated, so you know what's still true.
People usually ask
Trip tools that answer one question each
See all tools- Which transit card should I buy? Four questions, then the cheapest card for how you'll actually travel. Pick my card
- Where should I stay in Seoul? Five quick questions, then two neighborhoods with honest downsides. Find my area
- What do I need to sort out before I fly? A tick-box list that remembers your progress on this device. Open the checklist
- How do I say this in Korean? Tap a phrase and it fills your screen, ready to show. Open phrase cards
Latest checked guides
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2 days in Busan: an area-by-area plan that ends near the station
East side and the coast on day one, old Busan on day two, and you finish two subway stops from your train home.
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Bringing medication into Korea: what's allowed and what needs paperwork
Most everyday medicine is simple. Anything Korea classes as a narcotic or psychotropic drug needs a government permit before you fly, and that's where travelers get into real trouble.
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Is a jjimjilbang worth it? An honest guide to Korean saunas
Cheap, warm, very Korean and more relaxing than it sounds. The nude bath part is real, though, and the famous old spas in the guidebooks have mostly gone.
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3 days in Seoul for first-timers: a realistic itinerary
Three days is enough for Seoul's highlights if you stop crossing the city twice a day. Group by neighborhood and the subway time mostly disappears.
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Emergency numbers in Korea: who to call, in English, for what
Save four numbers before you land: 112, 119, 1330 and your embassy. Everything else on this page is for the slower kind of trouble, like a phone left in a taxi.
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Is Korea expensive? Real daily costs in 2026
Getting around and eating simply is cheap. Barbecue, cafes and taxis are where the money goes, and they add up faster than you'd think.
Each guide is fact-checked against official sources before it goes up, and re-checked when the rules change.
How to read our verdicts
- Worth it. Go, buy it, book it. We'd do it again.
- Depends. 케바케, case by case. Right for some trips, wrong for others, and we tell you which.
- Skip it. Overpriced, overhyped or not worth the queue. We'll suggest what to do instead.
Browse by topic
- Travel Airport transfers, transit cards, paying with a foreign card, where to stay and honest itineraries for Seoul, Busan and Jeju, each checked against official sources and dated. 2 guides
- Living K-ETA and entry rules, bringing medication, hospitals and pharmacies, emergency numbers and the etiquette that actually matters, explained by people who live in Korea. 2 guides
- Honest Takes Is it worth it? Straight verdicts on Myeongdong, Nami Island, jjimjilbangs, theme parks and what Korea really costs, from people who live here and don't sell tours. 2 guides
Who's behind this
Korea No Filter is run by Cho, from Seoul. A lot of English guides to Korea are written once and never checked again, and the rules here change fast. So every guide here shows when it was last verified, links to where the facts came from, and says plainly when something isn't worth your time.
About the editor