South Korea on an Irish Licence — The Side Switch & a Required IDP

South Korea rewards drivers — superb motorways, English under the hangeul on main signs, and reach into mountains and coast the trains skip. For an Irish visitor, two things demand attention, and neither is the driving itself: the permit you sort before leaving, and the side of the road.

The IDP is required, not optional. South Korea recognises the 1949 Geneva International Driving Permit, and your Irish licence is valid only when carried with it. There is no counter at the airport and no grace period — turn up without the IDP and the rental desk won’t release a car. Apply through the NDLS-linked permit service or an authorised body before you fly, and confirm your exact need with the Driving Permit Checker.

You are changing sides. Ireland drives on the left; South Korea drives on the right. This is the single thing most likely to catch you, and the risk is concentrated in your first few hours — pulling out of a car park, taking a roundabout that now runs the other way, or a reflex glance the wrong direction at a junction. Collect the car somewhere calm rather than central Seoul, and be deliberate until right-hand driving feels normal.

On the road, Korean cities move assertively with quick lane changes, but the surfaces are excellent. Limits are 50 in towns, 80 rural and 110 on motorways, all camera-enforced; about 10 km/h over typically costs around KRW 30,000 (roughly EUR 20). The drink-drive limit is 0.03, below Ireland’s 0.05, with regular checkpoints, so plan zero alcohol before you drive. The full rules are on the South Korea driving guide.

Petrol sits near $1.42/litre and the emergency number is 112. Check the rental has its warning triangle, download offline maps for rural routes, and keep your IDP, licence and passport together. Past the permit and the side switch, an Irish driver will find little here to worry about.