What we check
1. Official fares and fees. Train fares, subway fares, taxi meters, palace entries, tax-refund thresholds — published numbers from operators and governments. These are exact, not bands.
2. Street price bands. Gimbap, samgyeopsal, hanbok rental, eSIM — things with no official price. We publish bands (typical ranges) from multiple sources, never a single "true price." See 50 fair price bands →
3. Deal rates. Before a group-buy deal goes live, we check the partner's rate against the fair band for that category. We re-check monthly.
Our sources
- Operator and government pages (Korail, Seoul Metro, Visit Korea, tax authority notices)
- Partner list prices (for deals)
- Multi-source street surveys — Korean price-comparison posts, traveler receipts, on-the-ground checks
External sources we cite
Clickable outbound links — what each one is, and what it is not:
- Korail Pass listing (reseller) — reseller “from ₩131,000” for the 2-day pass. Not the official fare table; the official Korail table is still unconfirmed.
- Korea Rail Pass overview (secondary) — pass types and eligibility background.
- Discover Seoul Pass guide (secondary) — confirms the 24h ₩50,000 / 48h ₩70,000 / 72h ₩90,000 official price list.
- N Seoul Tower + cable car bundle (reseller) — cross-check only; the gate price in our band is the observatory alone.
Re-check cadence
- Official fares: on change — we update the article and print the correction with a date.
- Price bands: reviewed monthly against sources; every correction is logged with its date.
- Deal rates: before launch, then monthly.
Every price band on this site carries a check date and source. A badge without a date is a broken promise — if you find one, tell us.
Confidence grades
- 🟢 Official — published fare or fee. Exact.
- 🟡 Band — typical range from multiple sources. Your price may sit anywhere inside it.
- ⚪ Rough — varies widely by place and season. Treat as orientation, not a quote.
The honest line on deals
Our deals are sold at price-checked rates — that doesn't mean we independently audited every partner's till. It means: the rate was inside the fair band when the deal went live, and we re-check it monthly. Our price guide is honest price information — fair bands, check dates, sources — not a money-back guarantee. We don't pay refunds on price differences; we arm you with the numbers so you never overpay.
We keep information and sales on separate layers: the free guides never rank a partner higher for paying us. Sponsored or affiliate relationships are disclosed on the page, every time.
What we don't claim
- We don't verify individual shops, stalls, or drivers — only categories and bands.
- We don't track real-time prices. A band checked in October can move by December; the date on the badge is the truth of when we checked.
- We don't cover exchange-rate moves. Bands are in KRW; your card's FX rate is your bank's business.
Corrections
Found a wrong number? Email [email protected]. Price corrections get priority, and we publish them with the date — like our AREX ₩13,000 correction.