Naver Map in English: A Practical Guide for Korea

Naver Map works in English: it offers Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese map versions, follows your phone's language setting automatically, and lets you change the language inside the app. It is the app most visitors use in Korea because, as of October 2026, Google Maps still does not give walking or driving directions there.

Below is how to set Naver Map up in English, search for places when the English name doesn't work, get transit and walking directions, and save the spots you want to visit. There is also a short section on KakaoMap as a backup and a few habits that make getting around Seoul easier.

Checked against official sources: October 2026

Why Google Maps falls short in Korea (as of October 2026)

Google Maps opens fine in Korea and shows places, reviews and public transit routes. What it can't do is give you walking or driving directions. Google itself explained on its Korea blog in August 2025 that the directions feature is unavailable only in Korea, because building it requires exporting Korea's 1:5,000-scale national base map to Google's data centers, which needs government approval.

Here is how that has developed in 2026:

February 27, 2026: The Korean government gave Google conditional approval to export high-precision map data, with security conditions such as blurring sensitive sites and processing through local partners. Reporting at the time said this opens the door to walking and driving directions but gave no launch date.
Late August 2026: Google told The Korea Herald it plans to bring full-functioning Google Maps, including turn-by-turn directions, to Korea, and is hiring a Seoul-based partnerships manager. The same reporting said turn-by-turn walking and driving navigation is still not available, and walking parts of transit routes appear only as dotted lines.

So as of October 2026, plan on a Korean map app for getting around. Google Maps is still useful for reading reviews in English and checking transit routes. If Google launches directions in Korea later, check the app on arrival to see what works.

How to switch Naver Map to English

Naver says its map is available in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese, and that the foreign-language versions turn on automatically based on your smartphone's language setting. If your phone is set to English, Naver Map should open in English with no extra steps.

If it opens in Korean, or you want a different language from your phone, Naver says you can change it manually within the app. The steps:

Install NAVER Map, Navigation from the App Store or Google Play. The app's store listing includes English.
Open the app and look for the MY tab or the settings menu.
Find the language option and choose English.
Restart the app if labels don't change right away.

Menu names and positions move between app versions, so if you can't find the option, set your phone's language to English and reopen the app. On iPhone, you can also check whether a per-app language choice appears under the phone's Settings, then NAVER Map.

Expect some Korean to remain. Place names that businesses entered only in Korean, some menus and some reviews may stay in Korean. Naver translates visitor reviews into English using its Papago translation service and offers restaurant search filters in English, which it announced in October 2024.

Searching for places that actually show up

Search is where most visitors get stuck. Big landmarks, subway stations and hotels usually come up in English. Small cafes, restaurants and shops often don't, because they're listed under their Korean names.

What works best, in order

Search the English name for well-known places, such as a palace, a station or a large hotel.
Paste the Korean name. If a friend, a blog or the place's social media gives you the name in Korean, copy and paste it into the search bar. This is the most reliable way to find small businesses.
Paste the Korean address. Your hotel booking confirmation and many restaurant pages list a Korean road-name address. Copy the whole line and paste it.
Search nearby, then browse. Move the map to the area and search a category like cafe or Korean food, then use the filters.

Naver said in December 2024 that it supports foreign-language place search and is working to improve its accuracy, so English results are getting better, but pasting Korean is still the fallback that works.

Check you have the right branch

Chains have many branches with nearly identical names. Before you set off, look at the address and the map pin, not just the name.

Transit directions: subway and bus

Transit is where Naver Map shines. Naver lists real-time arrival information, subway route maps, guidance on where to get on and off, and alternative routes among the features in its multilingual versions.

Tap the directions button, set your start (or use your current location) and your destination.
Choose the transit option. You'll see several routes with total time, transfers and walking time.
Tap a route to see each leg: which line to take, which direction, how many stops, and where to transfer.
On the move, the app shows real-time bus and train arrivals. The app's store listing also mentions alerts for when to get on and off.

Read the station details

Subway directions in Korea give useful numbers. Line numbers and colors match the signs in the stations. The direction is shown by the name of the last station on the line, so note it before you go down to the platform. Station exits are numbered, and the exit number is often the single most useful piece of information for finding your destination once you surface. Numbers read the same in any language, so they help even when other labels stay in Korean.

Walking and driving directions

Unlike Google Maps in Korea, Naver Map gives walking directions. Naver's App Store release notes list walking directions as a feature, including viewing and sharing saved walking courses. Pick the walking option after setting your start and destination, and follow the line on the map. Transit routes also include the walking legs between the station exit and your destination.

Tips for walking in Seoul

Big roads often have no crosswalk for long stretches. If the route takes you underground, that's usually an underpass or a subway passage, not a mistake.
Location can drift between tall buildings. If the blue dot jumps around, stop for a moment and check which way you're facing before you walk.
Street view and aerial view are included in the app, which helps you recognize a building entrance before you arrive.

Driving

Naver's store listing says it provides English navigation, with real-time traffic for drivers. If you rent a car, set the app language to English before you start driving.

Saving places, and what to do about offline use

Before the trip, save every place you might want to visit. Naver's store listing describes a Bookmark feature for saving restaurants and tourist spots and sharing them.

Search a place and open its page.
Tap the save or bookmark button.
Group saves into lists, such as one per neighborhood or one per day, so you can open a list on the day and see everything on the map.
Share the list with your travel companions so everyone sees the same pins.

Saving before you go has a bonus: you do the hard searching once, at home, with time to paste Korean names, rather than on a busy sidewalk.

Offline use

Naver does not describe an offline map mode in its English app listing or its foreign-visitor announcements, and transit times are real-time data anyway. Plan on having mobile data. As a backup, screenshot the route, the Korean address and the station exit number for each day's key stops so you can still get there if your connection drops.

KakaoMap as a backup, and habits that help

KakaoMap

KakaoMap is the other big Korean map app. Its App Store listing shows English and Korean as supported languages. Kakao's October 2025 announcement for international visitors highlighted KakaoMap's popular-restaurant rankings and real-time subway and bus locations, but it did not spell out how much of KakaoMap is translated into English. Some visitors install it as a second opinion when Naver can't find a place. If you do, test it at home first to see how much appears in English on your phone.

Habits that save time

Screenshot the Korean name and address for taxis. Showing a driver the Korean text is faster and more reliable than pronouncing an English name. Zoom in so the text is large.
Note the exit number for every subway trip, along with the last station on the line for your direction.
Keep your hotel's Korean address saved as a bookmark and as a screenshot. It's the one address you'll need every day.
Double-check opening hours on the place page. Small places close on set weekdays or for a break in the afternoon.
Turn on location permission for the app, set to while using the app, so transit directions start from where you really are.

Frequently asked questions

Does Naver Map have an English version?

Yes. Naver offers Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese versions of its map. The foreign-language version turns on automatically based on your phone's language setting, and Naver says you can also change the language manually inside the app.

Does Google Maps work in South Korea in 2026?

Partly. As of October 2026, Google Maps shows places, reviews and public transit routes in Korea, but not turn-by-turn walking or driving directions. Korea gave conditional approval for map data export in February 2026 and Google said in August 2026 it plans full directions, with no launch date given.

Why can't I find a restaurant on Naver Map in English?

Many small businesses are listed only under their Korean names. Copy the place's Korean name or Korean address from its website, social media or your booking and paste it into the search bar. Then confirm the branch by checking the address and pin.

Does Naver Map give walking directions?

Yes. Naver's app release notes list walking directions, including saved walking courses, and transit routes also include the walking legs between stations and your destination.

Can I use Naver Map offline?

Naver doesn't describe an offline map mode in its app listing or visitor announcements, and transit arrivals are real-time. Plan on mobile data, and screenshot each day's Korean addresses, routes and station exit numbers as a backup.