How to ride and transfer on Seoul’s subway

Incheon T1/T2 AREX photo checkpoints, Seoul and Hongik transfers, and branch-train directions. Match the line number and next station with current signs before boarding.

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Ticket gates at Myeongdong Station in Seoul
Myeongdong Station ticket gates. Tap at both entry and exit and check the numbered exit for the destination.
Photo informationLERK · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
ICN → AREX

Start at Incheon Airport

T1 or T2 → AREX → your Seoul transfer. Choose your terminal and train before following the photographs.

Arrival terminal
Train service
T1 · AREX · Find the AREX concoursePhotographed: · MNXANL ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗

Find the AREX concourse

After immigration, baggage and customs, follow Airport Railroad / AREX / Trains signs to the Transportation Center on B1. These photographs begin at the rail concourse, not at your individual arrivals gate.

Official route / station information · AREX ↗

Dated real-photo checkpoints plus operator route references. Not every stair, turn or accessible route has been photographed. Follow current signs and staff if the layout differs.

AREX 2

Follow the photos: AREX → Line 2

Hongik University · 홍대입구 · A03 → 239

Checkpoint pilot · Photos from June 2024. Not a continuous walking survey or live location. Signs may have changed; follow current station signs and staff instructions.

Start at Hongik University on AREX. Find the green 2 / Line 2 transfer signs. Do not follow an airport-bound arrow or an Exit sign to leave the station.

Green 2 + direction arrow, above the moving walkwayPhotographed: · ZKang123 ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗

Find the Line 2 transfer corridor

Look for the green 2 above the moving walkway. This photo's forward arrow points toward Line 2. Follow the Line 2 arrows where you are; the next photograph is on its platform. Intermediate junctions are not photographed.

The photo does not match / I am lost

Stop somewhere safe, away from platform edges. Return to the last sign you recognised if safe. Look for green 2 / Line 2. Do not exit a gate or guess a turn to match this photo. Ask station staff if the signs differ, a path is closed, or you need an elevator; this pilot does not verify step-free access.

Ask staff where to transfer to Line 2:

2호선으로 갈아타려면 어디로 가야 하나요?

Official AREX information ↗

AREX → 9

Gimpo Airport: AREX → Line 9

김포공항 · Gimpo International Airport · A05 → 902

One photographed checkpoint, March 2024. Applies only after leaving a Seoul-bound AREX all-stop train at B3, transferring to Line 9 toward central Seoul. The reverse route and airport-bound AREX platform are different. Follow current signs and staff; this is not a complete walking survey or verified step-free guide.

B3 shared platform: blue AREX signs and the Line 9 side beside the central escalatorPhotographed: · MNXANL ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗KRIC · AREX → 9 ↗
  1. Check B3 and the AREX direction toward Seoul / Magongnaru. If you are at B4 or travelling toward Incheon Airport, this checkpoint does not match your route.
  2. Find the Line 9 side across the same platform. For this transfer, stay on B3; the central escalator in this photograph leads toward other lines / exits. Confirm the 9 / Line 9 platform signs before approaching a train.
  3. Check the Line 9 train direction toward central Seoul and whether it is Local or Express. Express trains skip stations. Confirm that your destination is a stop before boarding.
The photo does not match / I am lost

If the platform or signs differ, stop safely and ask staff. Do not follow an escalator or go through a gate just to match the photograph. Ask for the Line 9 platform toward central Seoul:

9호선 서울 방향으로 갈아타려면 어디로 가야 하나요?

Photographed transfer stations

AREX → 1 Seoul Station · 서울역

Seoul Station · 서울역 · Arriving line · AREX · 일반열차 · All-stopPhotographed: · Striker9498 ↗ · CC0 ↗

Arriving line · AREX · 일반열차 · All-stop

Leave the train and follow transfer signs for the connecting line below. Use the line number/name as well as its color. Do not follow an exit number as your transfer route.

Choose your direction · next local stop → onward destination

Local next stops are shown. Express trains can skip them; check that your destination is a stop. On Line 9, check Local / Express separately.

Official route / station information ↗

Dated real-photo checkpoints plus operator route references. Not every stair, turn or accessible route has been photographed. Follow current signs and staff if the layout differs.

Same line, different destination

A matching line color is not enough. Choose where you want to go, then compare the branch and train destination before boarding.

Where are you heading?
5 · Gangdong · 강동Photographed: · Striker9498 ↗ · CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
5 · Gangdong · 강동First station on this branch · local service길동 · Gildong상일동 · Sangil-dong / 하남 · Hanam

Look for this destination / direction하남검단산 · Hanam Geomdansan

This branch will not take you there: 마천 · Macheon

Line 5 splits after Gangdong: Gildong → Sangil-dong → Hanam Geomdansan, or Dunchon-dong → Olympic Park → Macheon. Sangil-dong trains terminate before Hanam; for a stop beyond Sangil-dong, wait for a train whose destination covers that stop. A Macheon train never goes via Sangil-dong.

Local next stops are shown. Express trains can skip them; check that your destination is a stop. On Line 9, check Local / Express separately.

Official route / station information ↗

Dated real-photo checkpoints plus operator route references. Not every stair, turn or accessible route has been photographed. Follow current signs and staff if the layout differs.

Route references checked:

Steps

  1. 01

    Save the destination station name, station number, and exit number. At the entrance, match both the line color and the number inside the circle.

  2. 02
    Illustrated traveler checking subway line colors and train direction signs
    AI guide imageTap once at the gate. On the platform, confirm both the next-station name and terminal direction before boarding.
  3. 03
    Illustrated transfer corridor from Seoul Subway Line 2 to Line 8 at Jamsil Station
    AI guide imageAt Jamsil, after leaving a Line 2 train, ignore exit numbers. Stay inside the paid area and find the pink Line 8 and Transfer signs.
  4. 04

    Keep following the pink Line 8 signs through the corridor and escalators. If only Exit signs remain, return to the last junction and find the transfer sign again.

  5. 05

    At the Line 8 platform, choose the Byeollae-bound or Moran-bound side according to your destination. The same line number serves both directions.

  6. 06

    Tap out only at the destination, then follow the exit number saved before the trip.

Before you start

  • Save the destination station name, station number, and exit number.
  • Allow 10–15 extra minutes for long interchange walks.
  • Check the transit-card balance and last-train time.

Easy points to confuse

  • Following color without checking the line number
  • Mistaking a terminal name for the destination
  • Leaving the paid area during a transfer

Practical example

Example: at Jamsil, transfer from Line 2 by following the pink 8 and Transfer signs, not Exit 1 or another exit number. For Seokchon or Garak Market, check the Moran direction; for Mongchontoseong or Gangdong-gu Office, check the Byeollae direction. If you board the wrong way, get off at the next station and cross to the opposite platform; ask staff before crossing a gate.

Sources and review date · 1

Checked 2026-08-17 · Review by 2026-09-17