Is South Korea Safe for Solo Female Travelers?
Safety rating
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How safe is South Korea?
Safety at night:Safe
Public transportation:Very safe
Street harassment:Low
Petty crimes:Low
Is South Korea worth visiting?
Overall rating
based on 54 experiences from female travelers
Things to do
Safety
Food
Budget-friendly
Seoul, Solo travel
As a foreigner I felt safe walking around, even at night. I was there for around 8 weeks and never witnessed any antisocial behaviour. The worst thing was some of the public toilets were quite poorly maintained. Bring your own toilet paper! In fact, I was warned about racism (especially from older people) yet the older people I came across were lovely, even at one time offering their seat to me on public transport when I had many shopping bags. I was mostly worried about rabies, as there were many stray cats I liked to feed around my hotel. Unfortunately I did see a rabid cat :(
Posted: May 7, 2025Korea, Group travel
Honestly I love this country as a tourist. If you are well prepared you won’t experience so many culture shocks - just spend some time doing a good research. The architecture (old and new) is amazing, food is great and overall I felt very safe there!
Posted: May 4, 2025Seoul, Solo travel
Korea for traveling is a beautiful country but as someone who’ve been living here for 4years I recommend to be careful when girl goes out in famous areas like hongdae and itaewon . A lot of Korean goes there to have fun with foreigners. So please I hope people stop romanticized Koreans . They are not the same as the ones you see in kdrama
Posted: April 21, 2025
celine
Germany
Seoul, Solo travel
It was my first big solo trip ever. I would describe myself as a very cautious person, but i felt safe walking around at all times. I got out of my comfort zone a lot, in a good way. The food was so good and affordable, there were so many things to see. Definitely recommend.
Posted: April 20, 2025Experienced: August, 2024Korea, Solo travel
A very safe country for women! A lot of young girls wonder drunk around hongdae or iteawon at night and on the streets ur safe. However it is always important to be careful! Personally I’ve been grabbed and pulled into places, they hope that you’re too drunk to notice or do anything so be a bit sober when alone other than that it’s very very comfortable as a woman. Ofcourse there are dark alleys, aggressive people all around the world remember! Be ware of men trying to date foreigners only to sleep with them they do that a lot. Check for cameras, be prepared and have fun!!!
Posted: April 11, 2025
Alexia
France
Seoul, Couple travel
I was a year abroad for my student exchange at Seoul and I can really tell the safety is at 100%. Never you will be robbed or anything in Korea, and most people are really respectuous and welcoming. My boyfriend went for some months here and we did a lot of activities like going to pretty and aesthetic cafe, hiking, seeing the beautiful palaces, wearing hanbok, taking pictures, going to bars and such!
Posted: April 11, 2025Experienced: March, 2025Daegu, Family travel
I felt safe in this small town in South Korea , people are respective and usually unbothered about non-koreans around them.Everywhere is regulated with cctvs, which makes you feel more confident and safer. (I'm an introvert, I can't handle stares, but there I felt at ease!) Mountains and Beaches were amazing, and the food was nice. If you can't handle spicy food, you can always have an option of fast food you're familiar with.
Posted: March 18, 2025Experienced: June, 2024
Marketa
Germany
South Korea, Solo travel
It was my first solo trip out of Europe. I was a little nervous. I prepped well but did not over done it. - I have been first few days in Seoul, flew to Jeju Island and after coming back to Seoul took a bullet train to Busan. - before the trip I have only booked the Hotel for the first days in Seoul and the flight to jeju and back but apart of that I did the rest of bookings in Korea. - The costs in general are similar to Germany. - recommend following apps: agoda, narver maps, klook, - buy a moneycard on the airport (convenience store) for bus, trains and other stores. - I never felt more secure on my trip like in Korea. I even saw plp in the restaurant leaving their bags at the table and going to restroom or leaving the bags on the park‘s benches.
Posted: February 15, 2025
Marta
Poland
Seoul, Solo travel
Overall i felt safe. I wasnt harrased and noone was asking me weird questions. I wore fake engagement ring like during my other solo trips. I Walked alone in lat evening (around 11pm) and it was safe. I dont know how it is at night. I spent around 15-20 euro per day for food. I used visit seoul card and I can reccomend it only if you plan your trip right and use it a lot.
Posted: January 22, 2025Experienced: September, 2023Seoul, Solo travel
I felt very safe. I stayed in a hostel in a shared room. I loved the parks and generally walking around the old buildings. The street food was amazing. I would recommend not eating in restaurants and instead eating in the food stalls you can find everywhere. I got a korean prepaid card for public transportation and using it was so easy. You had to scan it when entering or exiting a bus and subways and they always showed your balance. So you always knew when to top up
Posted: January 22, 2025Experienced: September, 2024Is South Korea safe for women?
Safety index
Based on 30 local experiences
Crime index
Based on 30 local experiences
Selena
Seoul
There is no such thing as a complete safety for girls anywhere in the world. But in Seoul you can walk around at night without too much worry. People don’t really care about other property, so no worries for burglary.
Posted: May 4, 2025Seoul
In general Seoul is safer than Europe countries but I would recommend to be careful specially if girls goes out at night in famous area like hongdae and itaewon . Korean guys usually goes to these areas to have fun with foreign girl. I’ve been living in Korea for 4 years and unfortunately I did have bad experiences . The white horse is still something happening these days . Even if in general Korea is safe , still need to be vigilant at night
Posted: April 21, 2025Meet locals in South Korea
Ruth
About Me
Hiii girlyyy, my name is Ruth, I'm 21 and I'm a full time student at Queen Mary University! I'm a film major and I love to watch all types of movies. (I'm not very picky...) I'm currently studying abroad in South Korea but if there's anything you'd like to know about travelling around London or the UK in general, hit me with a text! Or just to chat <3.
Speaking
Francesca
About Me
I'm an italian exchange student and currently studying korean in Daegu! In June i should stay in Seoul for about a week, i am open to any intercultural exchange and to create beautiful memories together~
Speaking
Stay with locals in South Korea
Azra
Seoul
Can host for:
3 days
About me
Hi, I’m Azra! I love exploring new places, experiencing different cultures, and making memories with amazing people. Music, good food, and adventure are my constant companions. Always up for a fun trip and new friendships — let’s make every journey unforgettable!
Speaking
Upcoming visitors to South Korea
Manroop
About Me
Hi there, I’m roop. I live in London. I’m Indian Portuguese, so I grew up in India and Portugal. I plan to travel to South Korea this summer and Poland. I would be grateful to find travel buddies and anyone willing to meet up. I’m an interpreter and a student. Those will be my first solo trips. I’m happy to chat on instagram aswell: roopnijj. Hope to make new friends! 🎀
Speaking
Maggi
About Me
Heyy guys 🙆🏾♀️ I’m a very spontaneous and action loving person hehe Also I love to travel and dance💭 You can always win me over with delicious food and cute stuff hehe
Speaking
Safety in South Korea
