Essential Apps For Teachers In South Korea: Your 2026 Digital Survival Guide

Moving to South Korea – basically the other side of the globe – can be overwhelming, especially for those who like to plan everything ahead and be fully prepared. I’m not that type, though. 

Over the years and through various experiences, I’ve realised that going with the flow works so much better for me. 

Why worry before I even arrive? “Let this be future Timi’s problem.”

When I moved to South Korea, I didn’t plan much ahead either. Except for the documentation, of course, and my accommodation. “I’ll just go with the flow,” I thought to myself. But not long after I arrived, I realised there were more challenges than I expected. 

People barely spoke English, signs weren’t even in an alphabet I recognised, and the translator apps didn’t always translate accurately.

I remember that even though I love exploring, I took my sweet time before venturing outside the small city where I lived, Yeongtong-dong, in Suwon. I was worried I’d get lost. Think about it: I couldn’t rely 100% on the translator, I couldn’t understand the street signs, and people didn’t speak much English. 

So, if you’re on your way to South Korea, to help you prepare, here are some of the best apps for expats I wish I had in my pocket when I travelled there.

Read more: How To Deal With Culture Shock

Must-have apps for navigating daily life

KakaoTalk: More than just a messaging app

Similar to Zalo in Vietnam or WhatsApp in the UK, South Korea’s go-to communication app is KakaoTalk. As a TEFL teacher, all our communication happened there, as Koreans generally don’t really use WhatsApp or other international platforms for daily communication.

You can even link your phone number to your electricity and water providers and pay bills directly through the app after completing a few security checks. It made life so easy! I’d receive my bills on paper, scan the QR code, and transfer the amount instantly. 

You can send money to friends through KakaoPay, which is also built inside the app. KakaoTalk has evolved into an all-in-one “super app”, so it’s now used for everything from messaging to banking, payments, and transport.

You can also find local group chats! Search “expat” to connect with others in your area. Super helpful when you’re new.

For email communication, don’t worry; a simple Gmail account works fine, as most schools and agencies use it when contacting international teachers.

Naver Maps or Kakao Maps: Google Maps alternatives

Many people say Google Maps doesn’t work well in Korea. I respectfully disagree, as it helped me out many times! At first, I downloaded both Naver Maps and Kakao Maps as advised, but I found them tricky to use – but maybe that was because I wasn’t used to the interface.

In the end, I often used all three of these apps, just to be sure I was going the right way!

Papago: The king of Korean translation

Papago is the recommended translation app since Google Translate doesn’t always get Korean right. 

Papago is more optimised than many general-purpose translators for Korean language patterns in mind, so in many situations it picked up expressions, signs, or menu items more naturally than Google. It also has helpful features like image translation, voice translation, and even a conversation mode, just like Google Translate – all of which can be lifesavers when you’re trying to communicate with someone who doesn’t speak English at all.

That said, it had its limitations too. 

Sometimes the translations sounded a bit strange or overly formal, and occasionally it struggled with slang or handwritten text. Because of this, I often switched between Papago and Google Translate, depending on which one made more sense in the moment. Having both really helped me get through daily situations more smoothly.

Read more: How Can I Teach Abroad Without Speaking The Local Language?

Setting yourself up & the second-hand economy

 다방 : Deciphering the real estate market

If you don’t have accommodation yet or you’d prefer to find your own place, this one is a really useful app for browsing housing options in South Korea. I only used it out of curiosity, especially during a phase when I wasn’t completely happy with the accommodation provided by my employer. 

I never reached the point of actually booking anything through it, but it was helpful to see what was out there and understand my options.

Karrot: Furnishing your apartment on a budget

Karrot was one of my favourite apps toward the end of my stay in Korea. It’s basically a local marketplace where people in your neighbourhood buy and sell things within a small radius. It is designed to be a community-focused platform that fosters trust through features like phone and address verification and encourages in-person transactions via chat to reduce the need for shipping and prevent scams. 

When I decided to leave Korea, I realised I had accumulated a lot of things in just 6 months. Karrot helped me a lot. I sold almost everything through the app in my last week. People would message, we’d meet nearby, chat a bit, and the item was gone. It made the whole moving process feel much lighter, both physically and emotionally.

It’s like the community quietly helping you declutter before you say goodbye. <3

Note from the editor: This app would be really useful for when you arrive in South Korea, too. No need to buy everything new when this app is around.

Surviving as an expat: Food, money and travel

Food

myHomeplus: Mastering the “mart” culture

Live like a local and sign up for one of Korea’s biggest supermarket apps, myHomeplus. This one really made me feel settled, especially when I showed my QR code at the checkout and the cashiers gave me that little surprised look, as if I was saying, “I’m not just a traveller, I actually live here.” On top of that, you can collect points and get discounts just like any other local shopper. 

If you are one of those people who won’t say no to a loyalty card, you don’t want to miss out on this one either. 

Money

Shinhan SOL Global : Managing your Korean bank account

My employer opened my bank account at Shinhan, so this became the banking app I used throughout my time in Korea. Now, Shinhan has several different apps – honestly, way too many – so if your employer does the same, know that there is an app called Shinhan SOL Global, which has an English menu. The simple Shinhan banking I first downloaded doesn’t, so when I found Global, it felt like a small win for me.

From what I know, you can pay through the app, too. However, I mostly used it just to check my balance and keep track of my payments. For everyday payments, I usually relied on my physical card or KakaoPay when I transferred to friends.

Travel 

KorailTalk: Your ticket to weekend getaways

I used this app to book tickets for Korea’s fastest train, the KTX. It’s a simple, straightforward app where you can search routes, choose your seat, and, if I remember correctly, you can pay directly on your phone. I first used it to travel from Suwon to Busan during a public holiday, and it honestly made the whole process much easier than trying to figure out ticket machines.

Extra tip: Make sure you book your tickets in advance. They sell out very quickly, especially on holidays, and as a last-minute person, I learned this the hard way. I booked a one-way ticket, and at one point, everything was sold out. I thought I wouldn’t make it back to work!

But we all know cancellations can happen, and the system updates during the night (somewhere between 2-5 am), so I woke up early, refreshed the app, and hoped someone had cancelled their seat. And guess what? They did. My calculation worked well, and I managed to secure my ticket back to Suwon. Winning! 😊

NOL, Agoda and Trip.com: Regional travel staples

While Booking.com works fine, these apps often list more hotels, especially across Asia. Comparing prices across all these three platforms can save you quite a bit, especially for longer stays.

NOL didn’t have an English menu when I used it (hopefully that’s changed), while Agoda and Trip.com were very user-friendly. Trip.com also offers eSIM cards, which I’ve used multiple times in Thailand, Malaysia, and even back in Europe.

Lesson planning for teachers

Twinkl: The ultimate time-saver for lesson planning

Twinkl was one of the tools we used the most at school to support our lesson plans. I’m still not sure if there’s an app version, but the website had so many useful worksheets and colouring pages for kids of all ages.

The school had a subscription, so we’d often hop on there to download materials whenever we needed something extra for class. It became one of those resources you don’t think much about but rely on constantly; simple, practical, and always there when you need it.

Read more: Classroom Culture In South Korea

Retail therapy

Coupang and Gmarket: The Amazon of South Korea

Coupang is South Korea’s largest e-commerce platform, often compared to Amazon for its vast selection of products and focus on fast delivery. It’s an online marketplace that offers everything from groceries to electronics and has its own logistics network, known as “Rocket Delivery”, similarly to Amazon, for same-day or next-day shipping. 

Coupang became my go-to shopping app in Korea, even though getting started wasn’t as easy as it sounded at first. Korea takes security very seriously, so going through all the verification steps felt like trying to unlock a secret vault. But once it was finally set up, it was easy to use.

Gmarket is another option, really popular and full of everything from clothing to cosmetics to K-pop merch. But personally, I kept returning to Coupang because it just felt more convenient and usually cheaper.

Adapting to life in Korea takes time, but apps like these make the whole process a lot easier. Make sure you download them before you arrive; they’ll help you settle in and feel more confident from Day One.

Author Bio

Written by

Timi Palfi

Edited by Kirsten Colquhoun

Timi has been drawn to new places and unfamiliar experiences, especially those that involve learning from the people around me. She moved from a small town in Hungary to living and working in different parts of the world, including living in London for almost a decade. Over time, her idea of success changed and she realised her life was no longer aligned with her values: sharing Korean BBQ in South Korea with local and international friends, followed by a funny karaoke night, drinking Bạc Xỉu in a local café in Vietnam, and getting to know the people and the culture, is more meaningful than rushing through the most famous tourist spots or life in general. She is currently living the life she could only have dreamed about, and she’s learned that work-life balance is achievable if you’re willing to take the risk. Read Timi Palfi's story →