Catherine & Renato CASCIANI: Somebody has to collect it

Before you go

• Jjimjilbang for the First Time: What Happens at the Door, in the Bath, and on the Floor at 2 a.m.

  A jjimjilbang is a public bath with a living room attached. You are naked in the bath, dressed in the house pyjamas everywhere else, and the 24-hour ones let you sleep on the floor. Prices, hours and house rules from Spa Land in Busan, Aquafield in the Starfield malls and Sparex in Dongdaemun, and the two famous Seoul names that have closed. Checked 17 September 2026.

• T-money: Where to Buy It, How to Top It Up, and Which Foreign Cards Can Load It

  A plain T-money card is bought and topped up with cash, and that has not changed. Since March 2026 a phone version can be loaded with a foreign Mastercard, Amex, UnionPay or JCB. The station kiosks that now take foreign cards will sell you a ticket or a Climate Card pass, but they will not top up a T-money card. Checked on the operators' pages, 16 September 2026.

• Intercity Buses in Korea: Two Systems, Two Websites, and Foreign Cards Only Since August

  Korea runs express buses and intercity buses as separate networks with separate booking sites and, often, separate terminals. Both only started taking foreign-issued cards this autumn, which is why older guides tell you it cannot be done.