The Night I Drove Around Gangnam for 20 Minutes and the App Just Laughed at Me


It was Friday. 9 PM. Gangnam. I had a dinner reservation.


I thought “I’ll find parking.” Stupid.


I circled the block. Once. Twice. Five times. Every lot had a sign: “FULL.” My blood pressure was not full. It was overflowing.


My friend said “Use the app.” I opened it. The map was just… red dots. Hundreds of red dots. Like the city was on fire.


There were three green dots. All 2 km away. I tapped one. By the time I drove there, it was red. I screamed in my car. A guy next to me rolled down his window and nodded like “I know.”


I parked at a convenience store, bought a triangle kimbap, and walked 25 minutes to the restaurant. I was late. And sweaty.



A smartphone screen displaying a real-time parking map app of Seoul with green and red dots indicating available parking spots, with a smart parking garage in the background


I Drove Into a Garage and the Gate Just Opened Like It Knew Me

A week later I tried again. Different building.


I pulled up to the gate. Ready to grab a ticket. There was no ticket machine.


The gate just… opened. BEEP. Like it recognized me. I panicked. Thought I broke it.


I parked. Went to dinner. Came back. Drove to the exit. Another BEEP. The gate opened. No human. No card. No money came out of my wallet.


I was 100% sure I was stealing. I drove home fast. Checked my phone for three days waiting for the police.


Then I got a notification. Some app charged me. I don’t even remember installing it. My friend said “Yeah, it just knows your car.”


I don’t like that. My car has secrets now.



The Ceiling Lights Were Red and Green and I Felt Like I Was in a Video Game

I got brave and went into an underground lot. B2.


The ceiling was covered in little lights. Green. Red. Red. Red. Green. Like Christmas, but angrier.


I followed a green one. Drove down the lane. A guy was already pulling into the spot. We made eye contact. He won.


I kept driving. All red. All the way to B5. The lights were mocking me.


Finally found a green one next to a pillar. So tight I had to fold my mirrors in. And climb out through the passenger seat.


When I got back, a new car was parked so close I couldn’t open my door. I had to climb in through the trunk. My dignity stayed in B5.



My Friend’s Car Parked Itself and I Refused to Get In

We went to Sejong. My friend has a fancy car.


We got to a building. He got out. Took his bag. Said “Bye.”


I said “Aren’t you parking?” He said “It’ll do it.” And walked away.


The car just… drove off. By itself. Into the garage. No one inside.


I stood there with my mouth open. A security guard looked at me like I was the weird one.


Later, he pressed a button on his phone. The car came back. Pulled up right in front of us. Like a dog.


I refused to get in. Said I’d take a taxi. He called me a coward. He was right.


The App Said 4 Minutes and It Lied

Last week I was confident. I opened the app. It said “B2: 3 spots.”


I drove there. 4 minutes, just like the app promised.


Went down to B2. Three spots were there. All with little orange cones in them. And a guy in a vest waving me away.


I showed him my phone. “It says 3 spots!” He pointed at a sign. I can’t read Korean.


I went back up. The app still said “3 spots.” I wanted to throw my phone out the window.


I parked on the street. Got a ticket. The ticket cost more than dinner. The app was still green when I walked past it.



Summary

I thought parking was just parking.


Here, parking is apps. And lights. And gates that know your license plate. And cars that drive themselves.


📌 Things I Noticed


  • The app is a liar: It says “green” but the spot is gone. It says “4 minutes” but there are cones. I don’t trust it anymore.
  • The gates know me: I didn’t pay. Then I did. I don’t know how. It feels illegal.
  • If you’re new: Just take the subway. Or walk. Or make a friend with a self-parking car. Don’t drive in Gangnam on a Friday. I’m begging you.

This is just what happened to me. I don’t know how the sensors work. I’m not a tech guy. Don’t ask me about apps. I still climb through my trunk.

👉 Discover more Korea guides here

You may also be interested in:Korean Diet Trends: What Koreans Are Actually Eating Right Now

👉 [Next in this series]:  The Day I Saw a Farmer Plugging In His Car and Realized I’m Old

👉 [Previously in this series]: The Day I Trusted a Subway App and Ended Up in Suwon Instead of Hongdae

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