Licensed local guides

How it works

1. Build your plan. Pick your dates, cities and stops in the trip planner, then tick I'd like a licensed local guide and choose the days.
2. We share your request. Your dates, cities, stops and group size go to licensed guides who work in those cities.
3. Guides send proposals. Each proposal shows the guide's price, how they would adjust your plan, their languages and what they specialize in.
4. You compare and choose. Pick the guide that fits you. There's no obligation to book.

What the license badge means

In Korea, guiding foreign tourists is a licensed job. A Tourist Interpretation Guide (관광통역안내사) holds a national license from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, earned by passing a written exam on Korean history, tourism and tourism law, a foreign-language requirement and an interview.

• Before a guide's profile goes live, we check their license certificate and ID.
• Only guides we've verified show the Licensed guide badge.
• Guides list the languages they guide in and their specialties, such as family trips, food, history, K-pop or photo walks.

What a guide profile will show

Our promises

• Every guide is licensed and verified before they can send proposals.
• Reviews come only from travelers who finished a trip with that guide. We never write or buy reviews.
• The price in a guide's proposal is the price you pay. There's no booking fee for travelers.

How payment will work

Bookings and payments aren't open yet. This is how they'll work when guide matching launches.

1. You'll pay on Seoulmate when you choose a guide, by international credit card.
2. Your payment will be held by our payment partner until your tour is done, not passed to the guide in advance.
3. The guide will be paid after your tour. If something goes wrong, you'll have 48 hours to tell us before the guide is paid.
4. If a guide cancels, you'll get a full refund. The cancellation policy for your booking will be shown before you pay.

Who we are in this

Seoulmate connects travelers with independent licensed guides. The guide plans and leads the tour. Travelers pay no booking fee; guides pay Seoulmate a matching fee from each completed booking.

For licensed guides

Are you a licensed Tourist Interpretation Guide (관광통역안내사)? Set your own prices and send proposals to travelers whose plans already match your city and specialties.

• Founding guides keep 85% of every booking for their first 12 months. Seoulmate's 15% fee covers matching, secure payment and support.
• No sign-up or listing fees. You only pay when a tour is completed.
• Paid within 3 business days after the tour.

Guide sign-up opens soon in Seoul.

Questions

Do I need a guide to use the planner?

No. The planner is free and works without a guide.

Can a guide change my plan?

Yes. Guides can suggest better timing, nearby places or local food stops in their proposal. You decide what to keep.

Which languages are available?

English first. More languages will follow as guides join.