Korea Address System Guide for Foreigners: Road Name vs Old Address (2026)
You land in Seoul, pull up your hotel confirmation, and copy the address into a map app. Two results pop up. They look almost nothing alike. One is a street name and a number. The other is a neighborhood name followed by a string of digits.
Same building. Two addresses. No explanation given.
This catches a lot of visitors off guard, and it makes sense why. Most countries settled on one address format decades ago and never looked back. Korea did something different. It built a brand-new address system on top of an older one, and instead of quietly retiring the old one, both are still floating around — on business cards, apartment leases, delivery apps, even taxi conversations.
When you know the reason behind it, it doesn't feel random anymore. This guide explains how both systems work, when you'll actually run into them, and how to stop guessing which address goes into which app.
Why Korea Ended Up With Two Address Systems
The old address, ์ง๋ฒ์ฃผ์ (jibeon-juso), was built around land, not streets. A district split into neighborhoods, neighborhoods split into numbered land lots. Your address was really just a plot number. That worked fine in a smaller Korea. It stopped working once cities grew fast — lot numbers followed old land records, not physical location, so two buildings next to each other could have numbers nowhere near each other.
So the government introduced the road name address, ๋๋ก๋ช ์ฃผ์ (doro-myeong-juso): streets get names, buildings get sequential numbers along them. It became the mandatory national standard on January 1, 2014, right after the old lot system was officially retired on December 31, 2013.
Retired on paper isn't the same as gone in real life, though. Older leases, longtime residents, and some business listings never fully switched over. That's why one building can still show two addresses in 2026.
Road Name Address vs. Old Address, Side by Side
| Road Name Address (๋๋ก๋ช ์ฃผ์) | Old Lot Address (์ง๋ฒ์ฃผ์) |
|---|---|
| Official national standard since 2014 | Retired as the official standard in 2013 |
| Built around street names and building numbers | Built around neighborhood name and land parcel number |
| Required on government forms, banking, and most delivery apps | Still shows up on older leases, some listings, and in casual conversation |
| Building numbers run in order down the street | Lot numbers follow old land records, not physical order |
Take the same building in Gangnam. As a road name address, it's 152 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. As an old address, that same spot is 737 Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. No street. No building number. Just a neighborhood and a plot.
Both point to the exact same front door. Neither one is fake or outdated information you need to worry about — they're just two different ways of describing the same location.
How to Read a Road Name Address
Once you figure out the pattern, it reads a lot like a US address. Largest unit first, smallest last:
City/Province → District (Gu or Si) → Road name + building number → Building name, floor, unit
Road names carry hints in their endings. ๋๋ก (daero) marks a major boulevard. ๋ก (ro) is a standard street. ๊ธธ (gil) is a smaller side street branching off a ๋ก. Building numbers climb in sequence as you move down the road, typically odd numbers on one side and even on the other — the same logic a lot of American neighborhoods use.
Every road name address also carries a 5-digit postal code. Korea switched from a 6-digit code to the current 5-digit format on August 1, 2015, and the code is assigned by road segment rather than by individual building, so neighbors on the same stretch of street often share one.
Understanding Korean Apartment Addresses
This is where a lot of first-time visitors get stuck, especially with Airbnb stays. Korean apartment complexes usually have several buildings under one address, not just one. A full address ends up looking like this:
123 Olympic-ro River Park Apartments Building 105 (๋) Unit 1203 (ํธ)
Dong (๋) is the building number inside the complex. Ho (ํธ) is the individual unit. Stop reading after the street number and you'll end up standing outside the wrong building entirely — large complexes can have a dozen buildings that all look identical from the street.
Which Address Should You Actually Use?
Default to the road name address unless there's a specific reason not to.
| Situation | What to Use |
|---|---|
| Online forms, visa paperwork, banking | Road name address — some forms reject lot numbers outright |
| Delivery apps and online shopping | Road name address, plus building name, dong, and ho if applicable |
| Talking to an older landlord or neighbor | Be ready to hear the dong and lot number instead |
| Booking a taxi or meeting friends | Search the business or building name — it's usually faster than either address |
That last point matters more than people expect. Locals rarely read a full address out loud. They say the cafรฉ name, the building name, the mall name. If you're heading somewhere specific, the name will usually get you there faster than the address will.
How Each App Handles the Two Systems
Naver Map
Naver Map is the app most locals reach for first, and it's flexible about how you search. Road name address, old address, building name, business name, landmark — all of it works. If your hotel sends you both address formats, either one will get you there.
Our Naver Map guide for foreigners covers how to search in English and save favorite spots before you land.
Kakao T
For booking a taxi, Kakao T accepts both address formats, but most people just search the destination name instead of typing anything out. Before you confirm the ride, glance at the map pin. Large buildings often have more than one entrance, and a quick check saves you from waiting at the wrong one.
Our Kakao T guide for foreigners covers setup and payment in more detail.
Google Maps
Google Maps is fine for planning and reading reviews, but it's less consistent than Korean map apps when it comes to newer buildings, apartment complexes, or smaller local businesses. If a search comes up empty, try the business name instead, or copy the Korean-language address straight from a confirmation email into Naver Map.
How to Look Up or Convert Your Address (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Check the building entrance
Most Korean buildings post the official road name address on a small sign near the main entrance. That's your source of truth for registration and paperwork.
Step 2: Confirm it on the official site
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety runs the national address lookup at juso.go.kr, with an English version at eng.juso.go.kr. Search any building and you'll get both the road name and old lot address, plus the postal code.
Step 3: Look up the postal code separately if needed
Korea Post's own search tool at epost.go.kr also returns the current 5-digit code from either address format — useful if an old 6-digit code shows up somewhere and you need the current one.
Step 4: Get the romanized version for anything international
For visa applications, international shipping, or US-based forms, use the English conversion on juso.go.kr instead of translating it yourself.
Korean addresses stay in largest-to-smallest order even when romanized — the reverse of how a US address usually reads. Flipping that order is one of the more common reasons packages and documents get delayed.
Step 5: Save both versions before you need them
A screenshot costs nothing and works without Wi-Fi. Keep the Korean text version too — delivery drivers and taxi drivers work faster with Korean characters than with a romanized address.
Common Mistakes Foreigners Make
- Assuming two addresses mean two different places. If a business lists both formats, they're almost always pointing to the same door.
- Searching only in English. English search has improved, but it's still hit or miss. Copying the Korean name or address usually gets better results.
- Skipping the building name. The street address gets you to the block. The building name gets you to the right entrance, especially in office towers and shopping complexes.
- Forgetting dong and ho numbers. Building 101 and Building 110 can be a short walk apart but are entirely different entrances. Always double-check both.
- Mixing formats in one form field. Combining a dong name with a road name in the same entry usually fails validation.
- Reversing the order on English forms. Korean addresses stay largest-to-smallest even in English. Writing it Western-style can confuse Korean carriers handling the shipment.
Practical Tips
- Screenshot your hotel, Airbnb, or apartment address in both formats before you land, in case data access is spotty.
- Before booking a rental or signing a lease, confirm which address format is written on the contract and check it against the building's posted road name address.
- Search by business or building name first — it's usually faster than typing out a full address, and it sidesteps the two-system issue entirely.
- If you're setting up mobile data before your trip, our Korea eSIM guide is worth reading so you're not trying to look up an address with no signal.
- Keep both Google Maps and Naver Map installed. Use Google for planning and reviews, Naver for actually getting somewhere.
Summary
Korea isn't confusing about addresses because the system is broken. It's confusing because two valid systems are still running side by side, more than a decade after the official switch.
Once that clicks, everything else is just pattern recognition — road name for anything official or digital, old lot format as something you might still bump into with older buildings, older leases, and older habits.
It's a small thing to know ahead of time, but it saves a surprising number of small headaches once you're actually here — checking into a rental, getting a package delivered, or just telling a taxi driver where to go.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the old lot number address still legally valid in Korea?
A: It was officially retired as the government standard at the end of 2013, but it still appears on some documents, older leases, and in everyday conversation, especially with older buildings and residents.Q: Which address should I use for online shopping or delivery in Korea?
A: Use the road name address. Add the building name, dong, and ho number if you're staying somewhere with multiple buildings — most delivery apps are built around this format, and some reject the old lot number entirely.Q: How do I get my Korean address in English for a visa application?
A: Search the building on eng.juso.go.kr and use the official romanized version it provides, rather than translating the Korean address yourself.Q: Do I need to convert an old address into a road name address myself?
A: No. Major Korean apps like Naver Map and Kakao Maps recognize both formats and will take you to the same destination either way.Q: What do Dong and Ho mean on an apartment address?
A: Dong (๋) refers to the specific building number within an apartment complex. Ho (ํธ) identifies the individual unit inside that building.Q: Why do nearby buildings sometimes share the same postal code?
A: Postal codes are assigned by road segment, not by individual building, so several neighboring addresses on the same stretch of road can share one code.Related Guides on Korea Digital Guide
- KakaoTalk Guide (2026) – Many hotels, tour operators, and local businesses share directions through KakaoTalk.
- Renting a Car in Korea for Foreigners (2026) – Book taxis without confusion and understand the payment errors
- Papago Translation Guide (2026)– Translate Korean addresses, signs, and menus more accurately.
- Where to Stay in Korea (2026)
- Korea Digital Membership Guide (2026) – Understand how digital services and memberships work during your stay.
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