South Korea’s numbering system can be challenging to understand for those who are used to Western-style addresses, where there is a street name and number. While South Korea does have names for streets, a complete address will also include the Gu (구), and Dong (동). If South Korean addresses are something that confuses you, keep reading to find everything you need to know about addresses in South Korea!
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It’s important to understand that the overall order of addresses in South Korea is the opposite of how addresses are usually written in the West. Rather than starting with the house number and ending with the postal code, there is a completely different order.
Note: Both the old address system and the new address system are in use, so you will most likely see addresses written both ways! Below are some basics for addresses in Seoul.
Old address system: 서울시 마포구 상수동 23-1번지 (city, district, neighborhood, land lot number)
New address system: 서울시 마포구 와우산로5안길 54-18 (city, district, street name, and number)
The old system is land focused, whereas the new system is more building focused. There has been a negative public reaction to the disappearance of the dong (동) designation, with the new address system focusing on street names instead, and as such, the old address system continues to be used by many. However, official documents and government addresses use the new system, which focuses on street names. Since the new address system is more commonly used, this article will outline how to read the new format! The way an address is usually written is as follows:
This first part of the address is quite straightforward. It states in which city or province the address is located. This part is often omitted when sharing addresses within the same city. For example, on Kakao Maps, many businesses do not state that they are located in Seoul in their written address. However, if you use the navigation feature, it will show you that the location is indeed in Seoul.
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The district essentially refers to the area of the city where the address is located. In Western countries, there is not as much of an official focus on which area of a city an address is in. Rather, areas will usually have unofficial nicknames by which locals refer to them. In South Korea, however, recognizing an address by which district (구, gu) it is located is important for navigational purposes and, in certain areas, to show the status of a person’s wealth. A typical building in Seoul, for example, belongs to Seoul City (시), a particular district (구), and an even smaller area known as a neighborhood (동). The dong (동) designation was previously included in the old address system.
South Korean streets have names that typically end with -daero (대로, Blvd), -ro (로, Rd) or -gil (길, St). This naming system is decided by width; -daero (over 8 lanes), -ro (2-7 lanes), -gil (smaller streets).
Some streets ending in -daero and -ro might be named after a notable feature in the area such as Daehak-ro (대학로, University Street) if there is a university in the area, of after the neighborhood (dong) that the street is located in lie such as mangwon-ro ( 망원로, Street) which is in Mangwon-dong. The same name can also be re-used for many streets located in the same area, and simply be distinguished by unique numbers.
Other streets like -gil might be named after the main street name it diverges from using systematic numbers. There are three different types of numbering systems for these streets: basic numbering, serial numbering, and other numbering. The purpose of numbering streets is to make the position of the street names easier to predict.
The building number is based on a basic number that increases by 2 every 20 meters along a street, with odd numbers located on the left side and even numbers located on the right side. If a building number is hyphenated, it means that the house or building is located on a street or alley that is too small or short to have a separate name from the main road it diverges off of. In this case, all buildings on this street or alley have the same building number, followed by a hyphen in between, and then a different number afterward. For example, if a small alley branches off from the basic number 10, then the buildings in that alley would have addresses such as 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, 10-4, etc.
After the street name and number, the floor (층, cheung) number might be written, followed by the apartment or unit number (호, ho). It is possible that the floor number will not be written. In that case, either it is located on the first floor or, there will be a unit number that designates which floor the address is located using the first number as a guide. For example, 302호, 3 means the unit is located on the third floor.
This number designates the apartment or room number that comes after the building number and is designated by having the word ho (호) directly after the number, for example, 302호. Usually, the word 호 is not included in the address; only the number separated by a hyphen is written. If there is only one unit/business per floor, then 호 will not be used and instead, only the floor (층) will be stated.
The South Korean postal code format uses either a 3-3 number system or a 5 number system. They will look like this: 110-302 or 45097. This is not included in most addresses unless you are mailing a package. This number will also always be found at the end of an address, not the beginning.
Writing a South Korean address in English, you will have to follow a slightly different format. In a Korean address, the building number comes after the street name. However, when writing in English, the address will appear in reverse order (starting with the street and ending with the city), but the building number needs to be first, For example:
This address is in Korean with the building number at the end,
서울시 마포구 어울마당로2길 10
It would look like this in English:
10, Eoulmadang-ro 2-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
If the building address is put after the street name in an address written in English, it might be confused with the street number. This is useful especially when trying to input English addresses into navigation apps like Naver or Kakao Maps. If you do not follow this format, the app will not be able to locate the address.
If you are writing an address to be read as a mailing address, you will need to follow this order:
Country name
Address line
(From larger to smaller division, ex. city, district, neighborhood)
Recipient name
Postal code
It would look like this written in Korean:
대한민국
서울특별시 종로구 사직로3길 23,
304호
홍길동 귀하
30174
In English, it would be written like this:
Mr. Gildong Hong
Apt. 102-304
23, Sajik-ro-3-gil
Jongno-gu, Seoul 30174
South Korea
It can be a bit confusing to understand how to input your address on Korean shopping websites, but if you remember the formula (and with a bit of help from Google Translate if you are new to the Korean language) it’s relatively simple. Most often, you will have to click on the box that says “zipcode” and a popup box will appear where you enter some part of your address (this website asks specifically for the neighborhood name and building number OR the street and building number), once that is entered the rest of your address will appear, usually in both the old and new format, and you can choose one to select. The rest of your information will require manual input. In some cases, you will need to input all the information manually yourself. You will also need to know your address in Korean for online shopping.
In this example, the address below would be entered like this:
서울 종로구 윤보선길71, 03061 (71, Yunboseon-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03061)
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If you get lost, don’t panic! Make sure you download Korean navigation apps and try to understand how to use them before arriving in South Korea. Inputting the address into Google Maps is not a very reliable option, and your iPhone Maps app will not work here. If you can’t use your phone, you can check the signs around you to see if you’re in the right district, or try to ask someone around you for help! Most people in South Korea speak some English and are willing to help you if you are lost.
While it may seem overwhelming at first, you will get familiar with the Korean address system very quickly with a little practice. While the learning curve may be a bit steep for people used to Western-style addresses, learning to read and memorize this address system will help you enjoy your time in South Korea and help you get a better feel for the city and its different neighborhoods.