Before you start

An Alien Registration Card — the exchange is for residents only
Your foreign licence plus an apostille or embassy confirmation of authenticity
Passport with entry and exit records
Three colour photos, 3.5 × 4.5 cm, taken within six months

Step-by-step

1
Get the IDP before leaving home
Korea recognises 1949 Geneva Convention permits, issued only in the country that issued your licence. Valid one year from your date of entry and carried together with the original home licence — the permit alone is not a licence. It cannot be obtained after arrival, and leaving and returning does not reset the year.
In personWho: You, in your home countryBefore departureLocal IDP fee, typically under US$25
2
Arrange the apostille at the same time
KoROAD needs proof your foreign licence is genuine. An apostille from the issuing authority is the reliable route, since several embassies in Seoul have stopped issuing confirmation letters. Doing it from Gwangju afterwards means couriering documents home and waiting weeks.
In personWho: You, in your home countryBefore departureVaries by country
3
Check the reciprocity list for your country
Acknowledged countries skip both the written and practical tests, leaving an eyesight and aptitude check. Everyone else sits a 40-question written test in English. A few countries have class-limited or partial arrangements, so read the entry for yours rather than assuming from a forum post.
OnlineWho: YouBefore booking
4
Attend the KoROAD examination office
Bring the ARC, passport with entry records, foreign licence, apostille and photos. Usually completed the same day though allow half a day. Your foreign licence is surrendered and held until you permanently leave Korea, so obtain a duplicate at home first if you will need it abroad.
In personWho: YouOften same dayLicence issuance fee KRW 10,000, or KRW 15,000 for the IC card
5
Buy a transit card and learn the bus network, not the metro map
One rechargeable card covers Line 1 and every city bus with free transfers. Gwangju's single metro line runs on one diagonal and misses most of where people live, so the bus network is the actual transit system here — the 'Express' (급행) routes are the ones worth learning. Fares are among the cheapest in Korea.
In personWho: You5 minutesCard roughly KRW 2,500–4,000; fares around KRW 1,500
6
If you buy a car, budget for the roadworks rather than the parking
Compulsory motor insurance is required and open to foreign residents through the major insurers, and a Hi-Pass transponder handles expressway tolls. Parking is cheap by Korean standards outside the Chungjang-ro core. The variable is the Line 2 construction, which has main arterials reduced or diverted in rotation and will for some years yet — check the city's roadworks notices before committing to a commute.
In personWho: You with a dealer and an insurer1–2 weeksInsurance varies; parking is cheap by Korean standards

Documents you’ll need

Alien Registration Card
Passport with entry and exit records
Foreign driver's licence plus apostille or embassy confirmation
Three colour photos, 3.5 × 4.5 cm
International Driving Permit, if driving before conversion

Things most newcomers don’t know

One metro line is not a metro system, and newcomers plan their commute as though it were.

Line 1 runs a single diagonal from Nokdong to Pyeongdong and simply does not serve Sangmu's northern half, most of Buk-gu, Suwan or the Cheomdan tech district usefully. The bus network does, and the express routes are genuinely fast. Choosing a flat because it is 'on the metro' can leave you further from work than a bus-only address two kilometres away.

Source: community-reported

Both documents the exchange needs can only be obtained where your licence came from.

The Geneva Convention IDP and the apostille proving your licence is genuine are issued only by authorities in the licence's home country. Once you are in Gwangju, fixing either means couriering paperwork home and waiting weeks. People discover this at the KoROAD counter months after the point at which it was a trivial errand. Sort both before you fly.

Source: KoROAD; US Embassy Seoul

Long-haul flying from Gwangju means a train, not a drive to the airport.

Gwangju Airport handles domestic routes only and the region's international flights leave from Muan, west in South Jeolla. In practice almost everyone takes the KTX from Gwangju Songjeong to Seoul and flies from Incheon. Budget the train, not airport parking — and do not weight a district's airport proximity in a housing decision.

Source: community-reported

The Line 2 works are a live variable in any commute you plan today.

The second line is being built in phases under the city's main roads, with the completion date pushed back more than once. The practical effect is lane closures and bus diversions that rotate around the city over years. It is worth checking the city's roadworks notices for a specific street before signing a lease there, because a route that works in August may not in March.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving without a Geneva Convention IDP and finding it cannot be obtained in Korea.
Leaving the apostille until after the move and waiting weeks for documents from home.
Assuming reciprocity applies without checking KoROAD's current list.
Planning a commute around Line 1 alone in a city where buses do most of the work.
Surrendering your original foreign licence without obtaining a duplicate at home first.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.