SIM Cards and eSIMs for Korea

Getting online in South Korea is easy and fairly cheap. The three national carriers, KT, SK Telecom and LG U+, all sell prepaid eSIMs and SIM cards made for foreign visitors, with unlimited data and, on some plans, a Korean phone number. Pocket Wi-Fi routers are another option, and free public Wi-Fi is widespread in cities. This page compares the options, with prices and airport counter hours as checked on 5 October 2026. For entry rules, money and weather, see Before you go.

Which option to choose

• eSIM: the simplest choice if your phone supports it. You buy online, scan a QR code and have data as soon as you land, with your home SIM still in the phone.
• Prepaid SIM card: for phones without eSIM. You reserve online or buy at an airport roaming centre and swap the physical card in.
• Pocket Wi-Fi router: a small rented device that several people or devices can share. It has to be collected and returned, and needs a credit card for the deposit.
• Free Wi-Fi only: workable in Seoul for light use, but not for maps and translation on the move between towns.

All carrier SIMs and eSIMs require a phone that is not carrier-locked or country-locked. Ask your home carrier to confirm this before you travel.

Data-only or data + voice

Korean carrier plans come in two kinds:

• Data only: unlimited mobile data. You cannot make outgoing calls or send texts, and LG U+ notes that data-only plans cannot receive SMS verification codes. Messaging and call apps such as KakaoTalk, WhatsApp or FaceTime still work over data.
• Data + voice: adds a Korean mobile number starting with 010. Incoming calls and texts are free after your passport has been verified, and outgoing calls and texts use a prepaid balance.

A local number is useful for restaurant reservations, delivery and taxi apps that send an SMS code. LG U+ states that its voice plans work for this kind of SMS sign-up, but not for the identity checks used by banks and government services. KT says its SIMs and eSIMs do not support personal authentication at all.

Carrier eSIM and SIM prices

Prices below include VAT and are for unlimited data. The three carriers charge the same for most durations, but the plans differ in speed rules, length options and how the voice service is activated.

KT

KT sells the same plans as an eSIM or a physical SIM. Data-only eSIMs can be bought online, and physical SIMs can be reserved online and collected at the airport. Voice eSIMs are sold only at KT’s airport roaming centres, and voice and SMS work only after an identity check (entry check) at an airport counter. Each person can buy one voice SIM and up to four data SIMs, and one passport can verify only one number.

Speed rule: after 11 GB in a day, data continues without limit at 5 Mbps, and the 11 GB allowance resets every midnight. KT does not accept payment with cards issued in Korea.

KT prepaid eSIM / SIM

Type	Data only, or Data & Voice (about 60 minutes of calls included)
Duration	1 to 90 days; extendable by 5, 10, 20 or 30 days, up to 90 days in total
Conditions	Foreign visitors on short stays only. Phone must be country-unlocked. Non-refundable once bought; an eSIM can be installed only once.
Price	Data Data & Voice 1 day ₩6,500 – 3 days ₩18,000 ₩23,500 5 days ₩27,500 ₩33,000 7 days ₩35,000 ₩40,500 10 days ₩38,500 ₩44,000 15 days ₩55,000 ₩60,500 30 days ₩71,500 ₩77,000 90 days ₩143,000 ₩148,500

KT also sells a 'Data & Travel' plan from 3 days (₩16,200 for 3 days, ₩31,500 for 7 days) that includes a transport card but no call minutes; calls need a top-up.

SK Telecom

SK Telecom’s LTE eSIM includes data, calls and SMS. You can buy it on the SK Telecom roaming website or at an airport roaming centre. The passport check that switches on incoming calls and texts can be done at the airport counter or through the e-mailed voucher, so a counter visit is not required. Outgoing calls and texts need a top-up, from ₩5,500.

Speed rule: unlimited LTE data at up to 100 Mbps. Plans of 3 days or more bought on the SK Telecom website come with a free transport card and a Royal Palace Pass for heritage sites, valid for registration and use until 31 December 2026.

SK Telecom LTE eSIM (Data, Call, SMS)

Type	eSIM with data, free incoming calls and texts, outgoing on top-up
Duration	2 to 90 days
Conditions	Foreign passport holders only (not Korean passport holders). For stays of up to 90 days. Phone must support eSIM and be country-unlocked.
Price	Price 2 days ₩12,000 3 days ₩18,000 5 days ₩27,500 7 days ₩35,000 10 days ₩38,500 15 days ₩55,000 30 days ₩71,500 60 days ₩107,000 90 days ₩143,000

LG U+

LG U+ sells a Data Only eSIM online, with a QR code issued straight after purchase, and a Data + Voice version. Data + Voice SIMs are sold at the airport only. Data eSIMs must be activated within 60 days of purchase, cannot be refunded and cannot be reissued once installed.

Speed rule: LG U+ advertises unlimited data with no speed cap. Plans of 3 days or more include a free T-money transport card, collected at Incheon, Gimpo or Gimhae airport.

LG U+ Korea eSIM (Data Only, LTE)

Type	eSIM, data only (no outgoing calls or texts)
Duration	1 to 90 days
Conditions	Usable in Korea only. Activate within 60 days of purchase. Non-refundable after payment.
Price	Price 1 day ₩6,500 3 days ₩18,000 5 days ₩27,500 7 days ₩35,000 10 days ₩38,500 15 days ₩55,000 30 days ₩71,500 60 days ₩143,000 90 days ₩192,500

Outgoing call rates on LG U+ data + voice plans: ₩264 per minute (₩4.4 per second) within Korea and ₩55 per SMS.

International eSIM apps also sell Korea plans. These are usually data-only, so check whether a plan includes a Korean number before relying on it for SMS codes.

Pocket Wi-Fi rental

A pocket Wi-Fi router gives unlimited data to several devices at once and is collected and returned at an airport roaming centre.

• KT WiFi Router: ₩4,400 a day, or ₩55,000 for 30 days (each extra day ₩3,300). Unlimited data at 20 Mbps.
• SK Telecom T Wi-Fi Router: ₩4,400 a day at the counter, or ₩3,300 a day when booked online. Unlimited data, continuing at up to 20 Mbps, for up to three devices at once. The lost-device fee is ₩100,000.

Both carriers ask for your passport and a credit card in your own name as a deposit, and neither accepts debit cards. KT also requires the credit card to have at least three months left before expiry. Data runs out faster when several people share one router.

Airport roaming centres

The carriers have roaming centres at the main international airports; KT and LG U+ list counters at Incheon, Gimpo and Gimhae. This is where you collect reserved SIMs and routers, buy voice plans and complete the passport check. At Incheon International Airport the opening hours are as follows.

Terminal 1, 1F arrivals: KT, SK Telecom and LG U+ each have a 24-hour centre near Arrival Hall F (west side). On the east side, near Arrival Hall A, all three run counters open 06:00–22:00.

Terminal 2, 1F arrivals: KT and LG U+ have 24-hour centres near Exit 4, and SK Telecom has a 24-hour centre near Exit 7. LG U+ runs another counter near Exit 7 (06:00–22:00).

Both terminals also have counters on the 3F departures level, mostly open 06:00–22:00. These are useful for returning routers before you fly.

Free Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi is common in airports, subway and train stations and many public spaces. Seoul runs its own public network across main streets, traditional markets such as Gwangjang Market, parks and riversides, bus stops, tourist sites and city and village buses.

• SEOUL_Secure (recommended): select it and enter seoul as both the ID and the password. After the first login it connects automatically wherever the network is available. SEOUL_Secure_(3) is a variant with newer WPA3 security.
• SEOUL: an open network that needs a manual login on a pop-up page each time.

Public Wi-Fi is fine for checking a map in Myeongdong or Insadong, but coverage stops between towns. A day trip from Busan or Gyeongju, or a drive around Jeju, goes far more smoothly with mobile data.

Where to next

• Money in Korea for cards, cash and transport cards
• K-ETA and entry rules for the paperwork before you fly
• Transportation for trains, buses and the subway
• Seoul, Busan and Jeju city guides