How to use Naver Map (and KakaoMap) in English

You open Google Maps outside your hotel, type in a cafe two kilometers away, and get a subway route with a dotted line at each end and no idea which way to turn when you come up the stairs. That’s not your phone. It’s how Google Maps has worked in Korea for years, and in late 2026 it still mostly works that way.

Everyone who lives here uses Naver Map or KakaoMap instead. Both work in English, with some rough edges worth knowing about before you need them.

The short version

Install Naver Map before you fly, switch it to English, and use it for anything that involves walking, buses or finding a specific shop. Keep Google Maps for reading reviews in your own language if you like. When an English search comes back empty, paste the place’s Korean name or address. KakaoMap is a reasonable backup, especially if you’re already using Kakao’s apps for taxis.

You’ll need mobile data for all of it. See our eSIM guide.

Why Google Maps still falls short

Korea restricts exporting high-precision map data, and for nearly two decades that kept Google from offering full navigation here. On February 27, 2026, the government gave Google conditional approval to export 1:5,000-scale map data, with security conditions attached.

That hasn’t changed much on your phone yet. As of late August 2026, Google Maps in Korea offered place listings, reviews and public transit directions. Walking sections inside transit routes showed only as dotted lines, and there was no turn-by-turn walking or driving navigation. Google says full features including turn-by-turn directions are coming, but it hasn’t given a date.

Locals voted with their thumbs long ago. In April 2026, Naver Map had about 29.3 million monthly users, KakaoMap about 12.8 million and Google Maps about 9.1 million.

Setting Naver Map up in English

Naver Map has offered English, Chinese and Japanese since 2018.

1. Install Naver Map (publisher NAVER Corp.) from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Open your profile icon, then settings, then Language, and choose English.
3. Allow location access, or the walking directions won’t know where you are.

Once you’ve switched languages, a BE LOCAL tab appears at the top with recommended spots for visitors. Some labels stay in Korean regardless. Exit numbers, platform numbers and bus numbers are numerals, so they read the same in any language.

You don’t need a Naver account to search or get directions. You need one to save places.

Searching in English vs Korean

This is where most visitors give up, and they shouldn’t.

English search works well for big landmarks, subway stations and chains. It’s weaker for small restaurants and shops, because many owners enter their listings only in Korean. When Herald Economy tested the English version in April 2025, a search for “emergency care” turned up an underground shelter instead of nearby hospitals, and shop names showed in Korean until you tapped each one.

What works better:

• Paste the Korean name. Copy it from Instagram, a blog, a booking confirmation or a friend’s message.
• Paste the road-name address. A Korean address (도로명주소) copied from your hotel confirmation finds the exact building.
• Try the romanized spelling. If that fails, switch to Korean.
• Use the share link. If someone sends you a Naver Map link, open it in the app and you skip searching entirely.

Our phrase cards help when you need to show a taxi driver or shopkeeper where you’re going.

Transit, walking and buses

Tap the directions button, enter where you’re starting and where you’re going, and choose transit. You’ll get several routes with total time, transfers and walking distance. Tap one for the step-by-step version.

What makes Naver Map better than Google for getting around:

• Real walking directions, including from the subway exit to the door.
• Exit numbers. Big stations have many numbered exits. The directions tell you which one to take, and the numbered signs inside the station match.
• Live arrivals. The app shows minutes until the next train, and live countdowns for buses at each stop.
• Get-off alerts. The app can warn you before your stop. On iPhone you need to select the specific train you boarded.

Pay for the ride with T-money or a Climate Card pass. Our transit card guide explains which.

Saving places, booking and the passport check

Saving places to a list needs a Naver account. Naver has expanded its overseas login options, which makes signing up easier for visitors.

The bigger change came on June 4, 2026. Foreign visitors can now verify a Naver account with a passport issued outside Korea, on a smartphone, with no Korean mobile number. Once verified, you can use Naver Booking and Naver Order through Naver Map: reserve a table, book a service, order ahead and pay. Before this, those buttons were a dead end for most tourists.

One catch to watch for. A July 2026 post on Koreabridge reported that businesses can now switch off bookings for users the system classes as foreign. If the booking button won’t work for a particular place, that may be why, and walking in or phoning is the fallback.

KakaoMap, compared

KakaoMap is Naver Map’s main rival, and it’s a solid app. Its App Store listing shows Korean and English, and English is its only foreign language. It displays subway and bus positions right on the map and ranks popular places nearby.

For taxis, Kakao’s k.ride app for visitors works in English and other languages and takes overseas cards, which is a reason some people keep both map apps.

Mistakes that catch visitors out

Trusting the dotted line. On Google Maps, the walking bits between transit and your destination aren’t real directions. Switch to Naver for the last stretch.

Typing English into a Korean-only listing. No results doesn’t mean the place doesn’t exist. Paste the Korean name.

Ignoring the exit number. Coming up the wrong exit at a big station like Gangnam or Hongik University can leave you on the wrong side of a wide road, a long walk from where you meant to be.

Landing without data. The apps need a connection for routing and live times. Sort out an eSIM before you fly.

Assuming you can’t book. Since June 2026 you can, once your passport is verified.

What we’d do

First trip to Seoul: install Naver Map at home, set it to English and try a search for your hotel’s Korean address before you leave. Use it for everything on the ground.

Food-focused trip: verify your Naver account with your passport early in the trip, so restaurant bookings work when you need them.

Already a Kakao user, or relying on app taxis: keep KakaoMap as your backup and k.ride for taxis.

Short layover or one-day stop: Google Maps for transit routes is fine. Add Naver Map the moment you need to walk somewhere specific.

Questions people ask

Does Google Maps work in Korea in 2026?

Partly. It shows places, reviews and public transit directions, but as of late August 2026 it still had no turn-by-turn walking or driving navigation. Korea approved Google's map data export in February 2026, and Google says full features are coming, with no launch date yet.

Do I need a Naver account to use Naver Map?

No. Search, directions and live arrival times work without signing in. You need an account to save places, and a passport-verified account to book or pay inside the app.

Naver Map or KakaoMap: which is better for tourists?

Naver Map, for most visitors. It supports English, Chinese and Japanese, has more users, and now lets foreigners book and pay with passport verification. KakaoMap is a decent English-language backup.

Why does my English search return nothing?

Many listings are entered in Korean, and English searches can match the wrong place. Copy the Korean name or the road-name address from a website or message and paste it into the search box.

Can I use Naver Map offline?

Don't plan on it. Transit routes and live arrival times need a data connection, so sort out an eSIM or roaming before you land.

How we checked this

Change log

• October 9, 2026 First published.

Sources

1. The Korea Herald: Google builds Korea team for full-functioning Maps service (2026-08-25)
2. TechCrunch: South Korea opens the door to let Google Maps operate fully (2026-02-27)
3. 9to5Google: Google Maps is finally going to bring turn-by-turn navigation to Korea (2026-08-27)
4. NAVER Corp.: NAVER introduces passport verification for foreign visitors (2026-06-09)
5. NAVER Corp.: NAVER Map launches the 2026 BE LOCAL campaign (2026-06-10)
6. SBS Biz: foreign tourists can use Naver booking and payment with passport verification (2026-06-09)
7. Herald Economy: Naver and Kakao map services still fall short for foreigners (2025-04-18)
8. News Tomato: foreigners get easier access to Naver Map and Kakao T (2025-01-02)
9. Kakao Corp.: Kakao Travel Pack for foreign tourists (2025-10-01)
10. Apple App Store: KakaoMap listing (languages) (checked 2026-10-09)
11. Seoul Start: Naver Map guide (checked 2026-10-09)
12. Koreabridge: Naver Map's new foreigner setting (2026-07-16)

Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.