I just arrived in Seoul and have never used the subway here?

The Seoul Metro is one of the best subway systems in the world and very foreigner-friendly. Every station has signs in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese. To ride, you need a T-money card which you can buy at any convenience store for 2,500 won and then load money onto it. Just tap the card when entering and exiting the station. A basic ride costs 1,250 won with T-money and goes up slightly for longer distances.

For navigation, the Kakao Metro app or Naver Map app will give you exact routes, transfer information, and real-time arrival times. The subway runs from about 5:30am to midnight, with trains coming every 3 to 5 minutes during rush hours. Color-coded lines make it easy to figure out transfers. Lines 1 through 9 cover most of Seoul, and the transfers between lines are clearly marked with arrows on the floor. One tip is to avoid Line 2 during morning and evening rush hours if you can because it is extremely crowded. Also, subway cars have priority seating sections that are pink colored and reserved for elderly, pregnant, and disabled passengers.