How to Book Anything in Korea as a Foreigner (2026)

Restaurants, hair salons, trains, stays and concerts: what works for visitors in 2026, where you need a Korean phone number, and the easy way around it.

Emma5 min read  ·  Nov 4, 2026

Korea runs on bookings. Popular restaurants, hair salons, photo studios, even some cafes expect you to reserve in an app, and almost all of those apps were built for people with a Korean phone number.

The good news is that it's gotten a lot easier in 2026. The not so good news is that it still depends on what you're booking. So here's how it actually works for each kind of booking, what I found when I tested the flows myself, and what to do when you hit a wall.

This post contains an affiliate link (marked). If you book through it, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

The three walls you'll run into

Almost every booking problem in Korea comes down to one of these:

1. A Korean phone number. Many apps send a text code to a Korean number when you sign up.
2. Real-name verification (본인인증, bon-in-in-jeung). Even with an account, some apps won't let you finish until your real name is verified, usually through a Korean phone in your own name.
3. Korean-only screens and payments. The booking page may be in Korean only, and some places want a Korean card or Naver Pay.

When I tested a hair salon booking on Naver Map in November 2026, I got past the first wall by signing up with Google, and then hit the second one on the very last screen. That's the most common pattern, so plan for it.

Restaurants

What Koreans use: CatchTable, Naver Map, and waitlist apps.

What works for visitors: - CatchTable Global, the English version of CatchTable, lets you sign up with Google, Apple or email. (Hani Seoul) Not every restaurant in the Korean app is listed there, though. - Naver passport verification. In June 2026, Naver started letting foreign visitors verify with a passport for reservations, orders and payments on the map, adding services gradually. (The Korea Times) - Calling. Older family restaurants often only take phone bookings. It takes about five sentences of Korean.

Full guide: How to make a restaurant reservation in Korea as a foreigner

Hair salons, nails and beauty

What Koreans use: Naver Map booking, plus Instagram and KakaoTalk messages.

What works for visitors: You can browse a salon on Naver, pick the service and time, and sign up with Google, Apple or LINE. But the final button stays grey until you pass real-name verification. I tested this step by step, with screenshots, in the guide below. Messaging the salon on Instagram or KakaoTalk, or booking through an English booking site, avoids the problem.

Full guide: How to book a hair salon in Seoul as a foreigner

Trains (KTX)

What Koreans use: the Korail app and website.

What works for visitors: KORAIL has an English booking site at korail.com/global/eng, with the same search for departure, arrival, date and passengers. Book early for weekends and holidays, especially Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok, when trains sell out.

Places to stay

What Koreans use: NOL (formerly Yanolja) and Naver.

What works for visitors: Airbnb is in English and works with foreign cards. NOL lets you sign up with an email, and if a feature asks for a Korean phone number, its English site NOL World is the way around it. Check-in is where a short Korean sentence helps.

Full guide: How to book a place to stay in Seoul

Concerts and shows

What Koreans use: NOL Ticket (formerly Interpark), Melon Ticket and YES24.

What works for visitors: the global versions. Fan guides list NOL World, Melon Ticket Global and the English YES24 site for foreign buyers, and say you usually show your passport at the venue to pick up the ticket, with details matching the booking. (Naman Card) Always check the artist's official notice to see which site is selling the show.

Full guide: How to buy concert tickets in Korea as a foreigner

Photo studios, hanbok, personal color and classes

What Koreans use: Naver booking and Instagram.

What works for visitors: English booking sites like Klook, KKday and Trazy list many studios and classes, with English pages and foreign cards. One example is a Korean-style profile photo studio in Gangnam on Klook (affiliate link). Check whether hair and makeup are included before you pay.

Full guide: Korean profile photo studio in Seoul: how to book
Full guide: Personal color analysis in Seoul: how to book
Full guide: Hanbok rental in Seoul: how to book

Which way should you book? A cheat sheet

The Korean that saves most bookings

FAQ

Bookings in Korea look scary from the outside, but most of them come down to the same three walls. Once you know which one you're facing, you know which way around it. Good luck out there!

Too much hassle? I'll book it for you

If doing all this yourself sounds like a hassle, just send it to my booking page and I'll do it for you. Tell me what you want to book, the date and the time, and I'll book it in Korean, in your name. It's free while I'm testing this, and I never ask for your card or passport number.

Send it to my booking page

Sources: first-hand tests of Naver Map booking (Nov 2, 2026) and the KORAIL English site (Nov 4, 2026); The Korea Times (June 2026); Hani Seoul; Naman Card. Apps change often, so check the current rules before you rely on them.

Written by Emma

Emma is a Korean-American who grew up in the US and now lives in Seoul. A marketer by trade, she spent years guiding first-time visitors around Korea and teaching them to read Hangul.