Common mistakes first-timers make

Planning

• Overpacking neighborhoods into one day (transfer + walking time adds up).
• Ignoring Korean holidays and reservation reality for popular restaurants.
• Treating another nationality’s K-ETA / visa rules as your own.

Money & apps

• Relying only on Google Maps for last-mile walking.
• Not carrying a backup payment method or modest cash.
• Skipping Naver Map offline / translation packs until you’re already lost.

Entry & connectivity

• Leaving K-ETA or e-Arrival to the jet bridge.
• Buying the wrong SIM size / losing the eSIM QR with no offline copy.
• Assuming temporary K-ETA exemption means “no forms at all” (e-Arrival may still apply).

On the ground

• Standing in the hopping-off side of subway doors.
• Underestimating palace/outdoor heat or cold — check weather the morning of.

Mindset

Korea rewards wiki facts + community context. If something is time-sensitive (concerts, pop-ups, limited drops), ask the community with dates and neighborhood.

Sources for durable rules should be official; trip reports are great for texture, not for immigration law.