Local maps gain popularity, but leave foreigners unsatisfied

Local map apps like Naver Map and KakaoMap have seen a surge in user numbers, but many non-Korean users remain dissatisfied with the services, citing issues with language support and search functionality — despite the platforms’ ongoing efforts to improve accessibility for foreign travelers. Posts complaining about the navigation apps were common on foreign online forums and communities, with users struggling to find the correct names of the places on the map. Other issues include being unable to search using the English version of the address or by keywords like "night markets in Dongdaemun" or "Myeong-dong." “I have been checking out places I want to visit (in Seoul) on the Naver map. It works when the name of the store is pasted in Korean but struggles to identify the English name when typed in,” a user wrote. “Struggling to locate the hotel I’m staying in using NAVER. I also tried a copy-paste of just the address on the maps and no luck.” Another user wrote: “(I never) try anything with an English address, they’re a mess and the maps never pick them up because you