When using Naver or Kakao Map for car navigation, I keep getting rerouted through extremely traffic-dense areas that I don't want to drive through?

I totally understand the frustration. Korean navigation apps love to reroute you constantly. Here's how to deal with it:

Kakao Map (KakaoNavi)

• Before starting navigation, tap the route options and choose your preference: fastest time, free roads, shortest distance, etc.
• When it shows 3 route options, manually pick the one that avoids the areas you don't want.
• If it reroutes mid-drive, you can often ignore the suggestion and keep driving your preferred route. It will eventually recalculate back to your path.

Naver Map

• Go to Settings > Navigation > Route preferences to set your defaults
• Use the "Frequent Routes" feature to save preferred paths for regular commutes
• You can adjust rerouting sensitivity in the navigation settings

T-Map (recommended alternative)

• T-Map generally has the best real-time traffic data in Korea
• It offers more granular rerouting settings
• You can set it to prefer highways, avoid tolls, or stick to main roads
• Download it from the App Store or Play Store (free)

General tips

• During rush hour, all navigation apps will try to reroute through side streets. If you know the area well, use the nav just for ETA and follow your own route.
• Waze also works in Korea and some expats prefer its rerouting behavior.
• For highway driving, all Korean nav apps work well. The rerouting issues are mostly in city driving.