One reason is that it's cheap. When Margaret was teaching in 2000, a bus ride was 700 Won, and that took her just about anywhere in Kangnung (Gangneung) or Seoul. The basic fare has gone up since then and it's now also based on the length of the ride, which adds a bit of adventure to the mix. A typical local trip now costs 900 - 1200 Won. There are still plenty of riders.

Intercity buses are usually faster than the trains, and are surprisingly comfortable. On local buses, seats are catch as catch can and you may end up standing, but the express buses have assigned seats. A Seoul to Kangnung trip used to cost 13,000 Won. Now, thanks to higher fuel prices, it's close to 18,000. It's still a pretty decent value.

Warning! In the smaller cities, bus and train stations very often don't have signs in English. If you're traveling alone, you might want to have a Korean friend write the Hangul characters for your destination (and source!) before you go. This lets you match them up with the placards on the buses. If all else fails, show your ticket to the driver. If you're on the wrong bus, he'll usually point you to the right one. (Double check with the driver of that bus!)

In the States, seeing a taxi is a rare event, unless you're in New York. Korea, on the other hand, is fairly overrun with cabs. They must have one of the world's highest per-capita counts. Seldom do you have to wait more than a few minutes for a cab (at least during daylight hours). They're safe and clean. Even the exhaust is clean, thanks to the LP gas they burn.

Fares have gone up since 2000, but still are miraculously cheap by world standards. Meter drop used to be 1500 Won in Kangnung, and as of 2006 was 1800 Won. Other cities vary - we saw 2200 in Seoul and 2300 in Yulpo. A typical fare in Kangnung now will take 5000 Won or so out of your pocket. That's about $5 - try to find a cab ride for that price in any other first world city! Rates can be higher after midnight. Koreans never tip cab drivers, though I have when the service was really first rate.

Seoul has "deluxe taxis." These are the black cars with nicer interiors. They supposedly have older, more experienced drivers, but I've never noticed much difference, except in the price (which is about double).

Don't bother trying to speak English to a cab driver. Very few of them will understand. This is not a big deal though; all you really need to know is the name of your destination. If you can't pronounce Korean, have a Korean friend write it down and hand the paper to the driver. In Seoul you can supposedly say "Free Translation" to the driver and he'll put you on a mobile phone to a translator. We've never tried this -- never needed to. However, we have had our cabbie ring up the Korean friend we were going to visit, to get directions.

One note about destinations: addresses are of no use at all. Cabbies go by landmarks. Unless your destination is pretty well known, you'll need something nearby that is -- a big bank, office building, apartment complex, government building, park, or whatever. Hint: your hagwon is most likely not a familiar landmark. The old Best Language Institute was near the Kangnung police station downtown, though, and all the cabbies knew where that was.

Some western teachers have reported that big-city cab drivers are reluctant to pick up Western fares because they (the drivers) don't speak English. I have no idea what's up with this, since it's never been a problem for us. If you live in Seoul or Pusan and have such trouble, you might try wearing a face-concealing hat.

The practice of hapsung (cabbies picking up additional fares after one is already in the taxi) is supposedly illegal, but you may still run into it. Because of the complexities of fare computation (and some alleged crime risks in the larger cities), it's probably better not to get into a cab if the driver already has a passenger.

Korean cab drivers have a reputation for being aggressive drivers. In our experience they're seldom more so than any cabbie in any large city, and no worse at their trade than Korean drivers in general (OK, that isn't saying much). Actually, I've seen Korean bus drivers do more nasty and stupid stuff than cab drivers - tailgating, cutting cars off, and passing on two-lane roads with oncoming traffic.

Scam alert: If a Korean man approaches you in the airport and asks if you need a cab ride into the city, shake your head vigorously and say NO (pronounced "AHN-nee"). This nonsense has become common since Incheon Airport opened. These bogus cabbies will quote you a lowball price in the airport, but when you arrive at your destination it will suddenly develop that you "misunderstood" the driver.

Drivers without uniforms and without cab markings on their vehicles are NOT licensed cabbies. If you really want to take the risk and ride with one of these drivers, have him write down the quoted price on a piece of paper. Keep that paper in your pocket. Also, very conspicuously, note down his license tag. This ought to be enough to make him honest -- or to make him disappear.

But why bother? If you're going from Incheon Airport to Seoul, a cab will never be cheaper than the airport bus. Buy a bus ticket at the desk on the first floor of the airport. It'll cost you between 8000 and 13,000 Won, depending on where in Seoul you need to go. Buses run about every 20 minutes.