Although the subway connects most of Seoul, there are some areas, such as the popular I-t'ae-won district, which aren't near a subway line. If you feel adventurous, you may want to take a bus. While the subway signs are marked in both Korean and English, the bus signs are exclusively in Korean. The fare, as of January 1999, is 500 won; exact change only!
The buses have a speaker system that announce the current stop and the next stop. As with buses all over the world, it sounds something like this (loosely translated): "This stop is mumble-mumble. The next stop is mumble-mumble-mumble." You will simply have to keep your eyes open and hope that someone on the bus can assist you in finding the right stop the first time you ride a particular bus line.
Even if you never ride the bus, it's quite amazing to go to a bus stop which serves several lines in the early evening rush hour. There you can see what I call "the dance of the buses;" buses pull out of traffic to stop at the loading zone, pick up passengers, and head back into the lanes, weaving an intricate pattern of traffic that is wondrous to behold.
Subway
Transportation