Seoul subway map, and how to actually ride it

Updated August 2026 · 6 min read

Seoul's metropolitan subway runs over 20 lines and carries millions of riders a day, but it's built around a system that's easy to read once you know it: every line has its own color, every station has a number, and the map itself is free to zoom into as much as you need. This page is the map, plus the details that don't fit on it — which exit to take, when the trains stop running, and the tap-out rule that keeps you from getting overcharged.

Reading the line colors and station numbers

The core lines a visitor actually rides:

Every station also carries a number built from its line — the digits count up as you move along the route, so Gangnam Station on Line 2 is 222, the 22nd station on that line. It's a quick way to gauge distance, and it's what shows up on tickets and signage when the English name alone would be ambiguous between similarly-named stops.

For a version that updates itself as new extensions open, and that can route you door to door, Naver Map and KakaoMap both draw it live — see our guide to setting them up in English.

Tap in, tap out — every single time

Tap your card or phone both when you board and when you get off — the gate on the way out, or the reader by the driver on a bus. Miss the second tap and the system has no record of where you left, so it charges a distance penalty on top of the fare as if you'd ridden to the end of the line. Subway-to-bus and bus-to-bus transfers within about 30 minutes are discounted, but only if both taps happen on every leg — skip one and the transfer discount is gone too. (Need the card itself first? See our guide to buying and charging T-money.)

Picking the right exit

Every exit is numbered, and at a large interchange station there can be more than 15 of them — the gap between the right one and the wrong one can be a ten-minute walk on the surface to correct it. Naver Map and KakaoMap both recommend an exit number once you've entered a destination, so it's worth checking before you climb the stairs rather than guessing from a sign in Korean.

Priority seats

Two seats at the center of each car, usually colored pink, are reserved specifically for pregnant women — Seoul introduced them in 2013 and they're meant to stay empty even on a packed train, not just offered up if asked. Separately, the seats at both ends of every car are general priority seating for elderly, disabled, and injured riders. Both are a real point of etiquette here, not just a suggestion — locals notice when they're taken by someone who doesn't need them.

First and last trains

Trains generally start around 5 to 5:30am and stop around midnight, but the exact time depends on the line, the station, and whether it's a weekend or holiday — there's no single citywide cutoff. Cutting it close late at night is a common way to get stranded; check the live timetable for your specific station in Naver Map or KakaoMap rather than assuming "around midnight" is precise enough.