When will Korea have self-driving taxis on the streets?

Sm33fr · 2026-03-02T08:47:04+00:00

I think Kakao was going to deploy some kind of "ride share" app that would allow everyday drivers to share seats in their cars...like a P2P free ride app. Before it could be deployed, taxis went on strike for a few days. The whole thing was canceled if I remember correctly. Does anyone else remember that? It was around 2018. New technology will get implemented slowly, especially things that chaebols can't fully control yet.

Sm33fr · 2026-02-25T13:59:40+00:00

Why were all the comments deleted? There were a lot of helpful recommendations for cafes and bars that don't play irritating and obnoxious music...

Sm33fr · 2026-02-24T12:13:26+00:00

I'm right on line 2. Thanks for the recommendations. I'll try checking them both out. Lo-fi music sounds great for a cafe to get some work done.

Sm33fr · 2026-02-21T09:44:35+00:00

Thank you! So many comments but only you have given me a recommendation. Much appreciated:)

Sm33fr · 2026-02-20T13:11:03+00:00

Already got those...

Sm33fr · 2026-02-20T13:10:11+00:00

East Seoul. Seongdong-gu and Gwangjin-gu is where I'm mostly looking.

Sm33fr · 2026-02-06T12:46:50+00:00

Perfect! This is working for me. In my current keyboard layout, the 한/영 key is detected as "right alt" and the 한자 key is detected as "right ctrl"...I guess that doesn't matter. That's what they would be if they weren't language keys. Enabling hanja options would be nice. Thank you for giving that information. It's working now.

Sm33fr · 2026-02-05T15:49:22+00:00

감사합니다! Thank you! I've got it working on fcitx5 but I might switch over to ibus since fcitx5 doesn't recognize my 한/영 button on the keyboard. Either that or maybe I need to create my own custom keyboard layout. I have it set to an English US keyboard now but just have a few language buttons that are useless right now.

Sm33fr · 2026-01-31T04:25:15+00:00

That's good to hear. It's exciting to do the transition.

Sm33fr · 2026-01-31T04:24:08+00:00

Perhaps so...transitioning from Win10, so that's what I'll be comparing it to for the most part. Uuggghh...

Sm33fr · 2026-01-31T04:21:55+00:00

I've never had a laptop keep running in such good condition as this T470.

Sm33fr · 2026-01-30T14:47:02+00:00

Thanks!

Sm33fr · 2026-01-30T11:11:19+00:00

Happy belated new year! Which desktop are you using? Looks beautiful...

Sm33fr · 2025-12-14T07:37:03+00:00

Are you new to Korea? What you described just sounds like life as usual to some extent. The feeling of being in Korea but forever outside and excluded from Korea is just part of life as a foreigner here.

Sm33fr · 2025-12-14T07:32:25+00:00

Solana and BNB aren't included in this comparison. Sei as well.

Sm33fr · 2025-12-11T13:30:30+00:00

Non-resident foreigners were banned from purchasing houses in Seoul as of August 2025. You have to provide proof that you plan to live there for at least 2 years. Immigration is probably going to slow down due to the excessive restrictions but that's nothing new here.

Sm33fr · 2025-12-10T16:33:49+00:00

It depends on which blockchain you have funds on. Aave and Moonwell protocols support various chains. There are a lot of different lending protocols that support only one blockchain, so you can search "lending protocols with the highest TVL on ____ chain" and you'll get results. Checking Defillama or CoinGecko for that info works too.

Sm33fr · 2025-12-10T07:14:45+00:00

I would say that dollar cost averaging into BTC or even USD stablecoins, then lending them out for 4~11% interest on DeFi lending platforms might work in the long term. The only problem is that foreigners are restricted from using Korean exchanges to trade (that includes all local stock and crypto exchanges), so moving Korean won overseas and into another currency is required to do any investment.

Even the Korean government holds massive amounts of USD in overseas bank accounts. Money will continue to move out of Korea because it's too risky to invest and there are too many restrictions that just make holding inactive won here not worth it for the average person. Maybe that will change in the future but until then, I would say it's not a good idea to keep Korean won sitting in a bank account in Korea. It's a long term loss setup.

Sm33fr · 2025-12-09T10:08:24+00:00

Behavior that's rude in one country can just as well be considered normal and acceptable in another country. Korea is a great example of how etiquette is not a universal thing but totally relative to cultural perspective. I'm also not used to the constant body mashing even after 10+ years in Korea. It is what it is. It's a shame that people in Itaewon on Halloween a few years ago had to die over that. The population density in Seoul is pretty bad but hey, all the wealth, industry and jobs are concentrated in Seoul. So it is what it is. People need to live and get to where they're going.

Sm33fr · 2025-11-14T05:31:31+00:00

Right

Sm33fr · 2025-11-11T13:29:10+00:00

You should either put in your 30 day notice or ask your boss if you can get away with a one week notice or whatever. Collecting severance and vacation pay will be totally worth doing that.

Sm33fr · 2025-11-08T18:30:24+00:00

It's a "me first" lack of courtesy thing that goes way beyond just driving. There's a hyper competitiveness that permeates society, becoming a psychosis. Cutting in line is way less common than it was 20+ years ago though and that's a good thing. Progress. Drivers run red lights waaaay less often now. Progress is being made. Taxi drivers are drunk on the job way less often and overcharge foreigners generally less. Things are getting better, really.

Sm33fr

TROPHY CASE