The metro is genuinely one of the best in the world and also weirdly easy to look like an idiot on. Notes from someone who did.
T-Money card: just get one at any convenience store (GS25, CU, 7-Eleven). 4,000₩ empty, top it up at the kiosk in the subway station. You can also use a foreign contactless credit card at some gates now, but it's slow. Get the card.
Transfers are free within ~30 minutes. Tap in when you enter, tap out when you exit. Between subway and buses too. Don't tap out and tap back in — that resets the transfer window.
The 'flow' rule: Stand on the right, walk on the left (like anywhere). But: on some stations they've reversed this to encourage 'both sides standing' for safety. If you see a sign that shows two people standing side by side, follow it. Otherwise right side.
Priority seats: the pink or purple seats at the end of each car are for elderly, pregnant, or disabled. Do not sit in them even if the train is empty. Locals notice.
Line 2 (green): the busiest line. Rush hour on 2 between Sinchon and Gangnam is a full-body experience. Consider walking + Line 6 or a taxi if you can.
Buses connect what the subway doesn't. The blue/green/red bus color system feels arbitrary but blue = long routes across the city, green = short local routes, red = long-distance to suburbs.
Kakao Map or Naver Map — do NOT use Google Maps for transit in Korea. Google literally doesn't have the walking directions data. Kakao is my pick.
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