T-money Card
The T-money Card can be used for local buses and subways in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi-do area. By using T-money, you can get a 100-won discount off the basic cash fare. It provides you with even more of a discount when making transfers. Perhaps the biggest benefit of this particular card is that it allows you to avoid the hassle of buying tickets, and the balance on the card minus 500 won can be refunded at any time during its use. T-money is a pre-paid card and the card price is 2,500 won. Users of the T-money card can get mileage points, which can be converted into T-money.

Card price : 2,500 won.
Vendors : Nearly all convenience stores, including GS25, and subway ticket booths.
Use : To pay fares for buses and subways in the Seoul and Gyeonggi area and build mileage points based on the total of fares paid. The mileage can be used to pay fares later on. To do so, the 16-digit number printed on the back of the card needs to be registered at www.t-money.co.kr.
Recharging locations : Vendor locations Refund locations : GS25 convenience store

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/TR/TR_EN_5_4.jsp

Discount .... Discount .... Discount !!!

Who likes to travel within Seoul with FREE local transportation (i.e. free subway, free bus, sorry, tourist bus is not consider under transportation )

Ok, blessed are those traveling within the month of Aug & Sept 2011, for KTO is willing to offer FREE transportation money!
‘Korea Pass’ Event

☞ Description: Buy a Korea Pass card at one of the 11 sales locations, and automatically receive 10,000 won that can be used for transportation fees
※ Each person may purchase up to 2 Korea Pass cards.
※ Money can be added to the Korea Pass card balance at recharge machines located in subway stations.

☞ Period: August 1-September 30, 2011

☞ Sales Locations
 - INCHEON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: Hana Bank Currency Exchange Counter (B1-1F),
                                                            Airport Railroad Station Information Desk (B1-1F)
 - GIMPO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: Hana Bank Currency Exchange Counter (2F),
                                                        Airport Railroad Station Information Desk (B1)
 - SEOUL STATION: Airport Railroad Station Information Desk (B3)

☞ 1300 tt call center: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
☞ Korea Pass homepage: www.koreapass.or.kr/en
☞ Additional information on Korea Pass (English)

For strange reason, this is not show in koreapass website, but on KTO website, and this is widely discussed and got people excited at other travel forums too

Well, this is a special promotion for new sales counter, so you can ONLY get your free transportation fee reloaded into your card at the Incheon airport, Gimpo airport and Seoul station only.

If you get your KR pass in other outlets, there will be NO FREE transportation KRW 10,000 (this is almost RM30, and I worked out, if you are on backpack, this will easily means you get 4~5 days FREE subway tour) 

By the way KR pass is similar to a debit card, you can use at various shops, food outlets, tourist entrance fee, lodging, and don't forget, for those who is going to SHOP at Lotte, every KRW 50,000 you get KRW 5,000 discount.    Just remember to insist on the discount booklets that comes together.

From other forum, some of the vendor is really insisting to have the coupons AND the card before giving you the discounts, some not so fussy but there are people who are .... so let's just get it, and have fun at Seoul ^^

I rented 2 phones from KT SHOW (2000w /day) and it comes with a FREE T-money chip each phone. Just top up at the convenient store and you are good to go. The Iphone is FREE rental if you answer some questionnaires upon returning the phone. Iphone doesn't come with T-Money but the plus point is it has GPS with Google map.
I recommend to rent 2 phones because you can split the group to two in shopping complexes and save a lot of time.

I list down several halal makan place for our Muslims friends which mostly in Itaewon area:

Ssalam - Turkish dish
Mister Kebab - Turkish dish
Salam Bakery - Turkish bread/pastries
Dubai - Arab dish
Wazwan - Indian dish
Marrakech Night - Moroccon dish
Petra - Arab dish
Ali Baba - Egyptian dish
Alsaba - Pakistan dish
Muslim Mart - Supermarket selling groceries

Myeongdeong area
Myeongdong Andong Jjimdak & Bulgogi
Location: Myeongdong Station Exit 6 -2nd lane opposite Binsbean Cafe

Mr Pizza
Myeongdong Station Exit 6 - 2nd lane (selling seafood and vegan pizza)

Yukaney
Myeongdong Station Exit 7 - From Myeongdong main road straight to the junction until u see Nature Republic on the left. Turn right and then straight until you reach left junction. You can see Yukaney's signboard

Kebab at Namdaemun
Hoehyeon Station Exit 6 - u can see the shop from the main road

Dongdaemun
Jeonju Sikdang or Ikan Bakar
Dongdamun Station Exit 8 - walk straight until u see Daemyong building. Turn right and then turn left to the 2nd alley

Nami Island
Cafe Yeonga Jiga (Cafe Drama). This cafe located between Nami Historium and Winter Sonata Gallery.


Mosque
Seoul Central Mosque, Hannam dong, 732-21, Yongsan gu Seoul
www.koreaislam.org

Gyeonggi Gwangju Mosque
Yeogni,48-9, Gwangjus eup,Gwangju gun, Gyeongi Do

Daegu Mosque
Jamia Masjid Uthman Islam Centre Jukjeon dong,202-6,  Dalseo gu Daegu

Busan Mosque
Namsan dong, 30-1, Geumjeong gu Busan

Jeju Mosque
Daelim Apartment, 104-201,  Yeong dong, Jeju

If you rent a local Korea phone, the rates are:

-Rental Fee: VisitKorea member special rate - 1,700won/day
-Domestic call rates:90 won (0.07 USD)/10sec
-Charged by the airtime used
USA - 720 won (0.59 USD)/min
China - 960 won (0.78 USD)/min
Japan - 864 won (0.70 USD)/min
Calling Malaysia number should be <1000 won/min

The most cost efficient way for 4 person is

Rent 2 sets of call forwarding DID and 2 sets of Korea number. ie
Two person share one set each.

With this arrangement, you can split to two groups during shopping in complex without fear of missing. Korea to Korea domestic call is 90won/10sec.

I used these 2 Android Apps which I believe available for Iphone as well. Really help me during my trip.

Jihachul.

Korea subway on your phone, good for checking subway routes, distance and time taken. Not only Seoul, but Busan and other Korea cities as well.
I Tour Seoul

Basically an informative app which contains lots of info about Seoul, shows you how which subway station to reach a particular place.
Another app called Trip It, basically a travel app that allows you key in your itenary so you can easily refer on the phone. Sync with your flight itenaries as well. No need to carry so many papers to refer for flight info.

Trip It

waaah v3 now ah. so happening lah this forum

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Added on February 17, 2012, 3:56 pmhello2

Anyone been to Digital Specialist Mall in Yongsan? Worth buying? Planning to buy compact SLR Samsung brand there.

please don't... buy it here...

haha serious ah? even Korean brand oso?

can stimix post this on first post a?

rule 1 of buying things in korea: nothing is cheap there except skin care/beauty products/winter clothings/girls accessories(if you know where to find). i believe that's about it. 

waaah v3 now ah. so happening lah this forum

---

Added on February 17, 2012, 3:56 pmhello2

Anyone been to Digital Specialist Mall in Yongsan? Worth buying? Planning to buy compact SLR Samsung brand there.

I will compiled a list of "Can" buy & :Cannot" buy  based on more contribution here..Right now from what my experience and others,

Can & Cheap: Native products such as Food Nong Shim noodle, Ginseng, Soju, Cosmestic, Seaaweeds and lotsa porducts you find in Korean store in M'sia, slightly cheaper winter clothing, & .....(Plss add)

Don't & expensive: Smartphones, Notebook, computer, camera, souvenir shirts & ..(Plss Add

sept 13 still can see autumn leaves?

Hello all! Please give some link regarding hotel in Jeju island.
My budget is moderate, dont too high. PLease thanks all!!

try www.hostelworld.com

all budget there can get free skype credit too if still have 

OK my korean friend give me some website. and thanks ur info.
NOw i wanna know the transportation over there.
Any BUS? how the taxi rate? expensive?   
which hotel is best recommendation?

read from V1 and V2 and you will understand better.

OK my korean friend give me some website. and thanks ur info.
NOw i wanna know the transportation over there.
Any BUS? how the taxi rate? expensive?   
which hotel is best recommendation?

I will compiled a list of "Can" buy & :Cannot" buy  based on more contribution here..Right now from what my experience and others,

Can & Cheap: Native products such as Food Nong Shim noodle, Ginseng, Soju, Cosmestic, Seaaweeds and lotsa porducts you find in Korean store in M'sia, slightly cheaper winter clothing, & .....(Plss add)

Don't & expensive: Smartphones, Notebook, computer, camera, souvenir shirts & ..(Plss Add

I'm going to stay at a guesthouse near Itaewon from the 12th of June to the 18th.
Does anyone know the weather and temperature during that time ? I heard during summer, it's as hot as in Malaysia.
Anyway, I'm a Muslim and I wear a hijab, so I guess I have to start planning for the clothes to wear during my stay there.

Regarding the food, is there any restaurant that sells Korean food like bulgogi, jjangmyeong etc but using halal ingredients ?
Because I think it'll be more fun to actually eat their food instead of the Arab dish and all.

I hope you can help me. Thanks

I'm going to stay at a guesthouse near Itaewon from the 12th of June to the 18th.
Does anyone know the weather and temperature during that time ? I heard during summer, it's as hot as in Malaysia.
Anyway, I'm a Muslim and I wear a hijab, so I guess I have to start planning for the clothes to wear during my stay there.

Regarding the food, is there any restaurant that sells Korean food like bulgogi, jjangmyeong etc but using halal ingredients ?
Because I think it'll be more fun to actually eat their food instead of the Arab dish and all.

I hope you can help me. Thanks

I'm going to stay at a guesthouse near Itaewon from the 12th of June to the 18th.
Does anyone know the weather and temperature during that time ? I heard during summer, it's as hot as in Malaysia.
Anyway, I'm a Muslim and I wear a hijab, so I guess I have to start planning for the clothes to wear during my stay there.

Regarding the food, is there any restaurant that sells Korean food like bulgogi, jjangmyeong etc but using halal ingredients ?
Because I think it'll be more fun to actually eat their food instead of the Arab dish and all.

I hope you can help me. Thanks

Thank you for all the replies
I guess I'll do more research on the food since I still have a lot of time.
AA was having a good promo and it was hard not to purchase the tix, and mid of June is the only time my friends and I are free so summer it is.
I asked my Korean friend about the weather and she told me to bring a topcoat since it's a little cold during the night. Is it true ?

During the day, what is the most suitable clothes to wear ? Is it okay to wear a blouse and jeans ?
Just like people in Malaysia ?

Thank you for all the replies
I guess I'll do more research on the food since I still have a lot of time.
AA was having a good promo and it was hard not to purchase the tix, and mid of June is the only time my friends and I are free so summer it is.
I asked my Korean friend about the weather and she told me to bring a topcoat since it's a little cold during the night. Is it true ?

During the day, what is the most suitable clothes to wear ? Is it okay to wear a blouse and jeans ?
Just like people in Malaysia ?

Korean got Muslims also. Not neccesarily Pakistan/Indian Muslims but Korean Muslims. So don't worry about halal food.

yeah especially if you hang around the itaewon mosque. and malaysians are really welcomed there, as the mosque was build by our govt, during tun abdul razak era

...
Seoul - Namsan guesthouse
...

yes eastarjet or aseana(the name some sort like that).i can recommend things n hotel in jeju n attractions. just tell me what u expect from jeju..museum? hiking? scenery..?i have done all sort of thing in jeju...i even done one of the ole ole route which is about 17km by walking in jeju. and there r islands that most foreign dont gowhich i thinkis quite impressive.in seoul i not an expert cause i dun really like seoul except shopping cosmetic.other than that it is just a city, nothing much.. maybe u can spend a night in sokcho and next day morning hike the mt seroksan and visit  nami island. if u have an exratime maybe u can visit busan which i like more than seoul.

Namsan is very popular among Malaysians, though I've not stayed there. If booked up, try Seoul Hostel -- good location, walking distance to the two famous palaces too.

===

Thanks your recommendation, what about Jeju island? stay in jeju city or seowsipo?

Why nobody wants to go to GYEONGJU? Got Bulguksa Temple and the hilly royal tombs, all World Heritage Sites.

Thanks your recommendation, what about Jeju island? stay in jeju city or seowsipo?

this one maybe we need to wait until those kdrama use gyeongju as their main backdrop

imho in terms of history gyeongju is like the best you can get in whole korean peninsula

does any1 here know where i can book a recommended 1 day ski tour?

If you dunno how to ski, better do it like what I did..go there for FREE. Now even got MRT right till the entrance of the ski resort near Nami Island liao..There probably a free shuttle bus to the resort and just play abit of snow & snap photos can liao..Furthermore, can kill 2 birds wth a stone- bcos ypu can do Nami island in the Morning and afternoon go to the ski resort just to play snow for free haha

---

Added on February 21, 2012, 4:30 pmBefore you ask me how to go there, Well I dunno bcos last time the MRT not ready yet.. Yu probably want to chk 1st page on the Elysian ski resort posistion and also the MRT station near the entrance

Gapyeong conventional railway station to Nami island also around that distance..taxi rate ~ 3500won nia..less than RM10 haha..But lucky this time that MRT line goes all the way to Elysian ski resort. Last time, I took another taxi to Elysian ski resort..My heart keep on pumping seeing the meter increasing liek no tomorrow..I think I paid ~ RM50 for the taxi from Nami Island to Elysian ski resort Darmit

Gapyeong conventional railway station to Nami island also around that distance..taxi rate ~ 3500won nia..less than RM10 haha..But lucky this time that MRT line goes all the way to Elysian ski resort. Last time, I took another taxi to Elysian ski resort..My heart keep on pumping seeing the meter increasing liek no tomorrow..I think I paid ~ RM50 for the taxi from Nami Island to Elysian ski resort Darmit

I think mid-June is already Summer. Maybe chiller than in July-August. Try ask your Korean friend again to confirm.
If its Summer, I think you can wear like in Malaysia already. But normally Summer will have alot of rain. Do pack your rainy days clothes aswell, just in case. Umbrellas, raincoats, leather waterproofed shoes, extra pair of socks etc.

The Koreans call it "Chang-ma 장마", rainy season. Watch the video below to see how it looks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlPdVD0dlRo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHOi8aRa5Bo

Korean got Muslims also. Not neccesarily Pakistan/Indian Muslims but Korean Muslims. So don't worry about halal food.

Might be too early to ask this; anybody living/studying/working in S.Korea? Wanna meet up? I'll be in Seoul; July onwards.

ashcrimson, work or study? I wasnt that excited when my boss told me about it. It was either Brisbane or Seoul. But I guess Seoul is better than Brisbane?! Oh well. Whats done is done. Everything is well-prepared. Just waiting for the time.

im travelling to korea this september...want to ask, is the food ther very expensive?

LOL. Never been to OZ, only NZ. So I'm not really sure if the place is ok or not. Sorry if I offended OZ fans, I'm not saying OZ is bad etc. What I meant was culture wise.
Been to US, UK, Neds etc. So being surrounded by white ppl is already a norm. Even my boss also a Kiwi-an, a rugby diehard fan.

So for me, going to Korea, Japan is like a breathe of fresh air. I'm not really an adventurers type of guy. I'm very much a geek.

im travelling to korea this september...want to ask, is the food ther very expensive?

Food is standard 3 times KL...Just minus 3 zero & X3.. For eg..A bowl of ramen = 4,000 won = RM12

If I'm not mistaken McD set is ~4000 won lah..anyway still cheaper than those traditional Korean food restaurant wth avg 5,000-6,000 won.. The 4,000 won Ramen only in one of the restaurant I frequented during my few days stay there in dec 2010 haha.. Hard to find anything at 4,000 won actually except McD or cheaper option, buy those cup ramen in 7-11, GS mart/Family Mart..that way cheaper or just eat kimbap...I see lotsa Korean just order Kimbap during lunch too..poor man food

If I'm not mistaken McD set is ~4000 won lah..anyway still cheaper than those traditional Korean food restaurant wth avg 5,000-6,000 won.. The 4,000 won Ramen only in one of the restaurant I frequented during my few days stay there in dec 2010 haha.. Hard to find anything at 4,000 won actually except McD or cheaper option, buy those cup ramen in 7-11, GS mart/Family Mart..that way cheaper or just eat kimbap...I see lotsa Korean just order Kimbap during lunch too..poor man food

OK since you're on budget similar to most of ppl here..My recent trip of 6D4N can be used as guideline. I EXCLUDE hotels & air ticket bcos already paid in advance. You can prebook hotels using the link on 1st page (innotel, hostelworld or agoda)

Wth the AAX tickets & hotel excluded, I changed ~RM2170 cash into Won (well to USD 1st thereafter won). Yesterday, I changed back the whole US$218 available and got back RM680  So total spending only ~RM1500  AND this was for 3 persons!!    (Avg exchange rate at 2.85)

Rough idea of how I spent my RM1300 there (for 3 pax)"

- T-Money 33,000w X3 but got back 3600w X3 at the end of the day. (~RM260)
- Daily food for 3 X3 (Brunch & dinner - some meal simple convenience shop kimbap & drinks  ) ~ 12,000w X2 X3 X 4 nites (~RM820)
- Souvenir, entrance tickets, Taxi & etc  ~180,000won (RM520)

Honestly after comparing this Seoul trip and my recent Beijing/Tianjin trip even worse. I spent RM1800 there! Brought in RM2K and only managed to changed back RM200..

beijing now cost of living get higher gua...anyway they heard your slang is not from local sure chop you ... =x

i miss korea... i wan go japan..but once i see the first page of the jp thread...10k budget... i better go buy full frame body with that money ... 

I just reposted..I found out why liao..Too much fake shoppings in Beijing   

Well for Japan, after I done my bit & piece of research, also will not cost much wan.. I'm thinking only bring in RM300K for 3 person bcos from my calculation, we only need ~ RM800 nia for whole duration of my nxt trip haha..I just posted my Japan budget at the spending RM10K for Holiday" thread. I still kenot brain why ppl can still spend so much but no matter how I try also kenot reach RM1K per pax wan   

I just reposted..I found out why liao..Too much fake shoppings in Beijing   

Well for Japan, after I done my bit & piece of research, also will not cost much wan.. I'm thinking only bring in RM300K for 3 person bcos from my calculation, we only need ~ RM800 nia for whole duration of my nxt trip haha..I just posted my Japan budget at the spending RM10K for Holiday" thread. I still kenot brain why ppl can still spend so much but no matter how I try also kenot reach RM1K per pax wan   

For my JP trip, usually if say makan + transportation for 1 week also will not reach 1k. If say include shopping and high end makan confirm can be more than that.

I'll try to google on where to change from USD to KRW coz the rate here crazy, 2.95 for 1000won.... my fren say in lowyat plaza for shop owners 2.8. Still very high... their buy back is 2.52!!!! Difference is alot leh incase i got balance to change back.

Very good rate indeed. Last weekend BNM rate was ~ 2.71 and you're getting very close to market rate dy..No point changing to US$ if Ican get this almost marked to market rate haha

http://www.bnm.gov.my/index.php?ch=12&pg=629

Yeah..agreed.. The most important is how much lower you can get your flight ticket & hotel. If you can get these two at the lowest, Your overall traveling cost will not cost a bomb.

Transport mostly taken care by the reasonable MRT/Subway liao and food, just each whatever within your budget...Others..all depend on how much you wanna spend..For Seoul, I dun spend much bcos nothing is cheap to buy there except their local food stuff haha and I dun buy cosmestic, & those teenagers kpop stuff (Except my daughter lah haha)