When traveling to South Korea or any other country, one crucial decision is how to stay connected. In this article, we will discuss why using a South Korea SIM card is the most suitable choice compared to other options such as relying on free WiFi, roaming with your local carrier, or using pocket WiFi. You will gain knowledge about travel SIM cards for South Korea, including the best types for tourists, costs, top network operators, and recommended plans for travelers.
Yes, of course.
The reason is, during your trip, you may need to find directions, check transportation schedules, translate signs and menus, make last-minute bookings, and stay in touch with your family and friends back home. While traveling in South Korea, you may want to see musicals and K-pop shows, and that is when you need a local phone number so as to book tickets. Without a good connection, these tasks become more challenging.
While there are several common options to stay connected during trips like roaming, public WiFi, or pocket WiFi, getting a local SIM card is the most convenient and affordable way to stay connected.
Why?
Let’s see our comparison about pros and cons of each option:
Pros: Widely available in urban areas, often free, and convenient for light internet usage.
Cons: Security concerns, limited coverage in remote areas, and potential speed issues during peak times.
Pros: Convenient as it allows you to use your home country’s mobile network.
Cons: Expensive, especially for data usage; may not be cost-effective for extended stays; potential for slower speeds.
Pros: Offers a dedicated, secure connection for multiple devices; generally faster and more reliable than public Wi-Fi; cost-effective for groups or longer stays.
Cons: Initial setup and rental fees; the need to carry an extra device; limited battery life; potential signal issues in remote areas.
Pros: Cost-effective for data usage; easy to set up; allows you to use your own device.
Cons: Requires a compatible, unlocked phone; limited to the coverage of the local network provider; potential language barrier during the purchase process.
► Our Recommendation: From the table above, it can be said that using a SIM card seems to be the most suitable option for tourists to South Korea. This allows you to get affordable call and data rates without worrying about availability of wifi hotspots or unexpected roaming fees on your bill. Moreover, getting a prepaid SIM is also very easy to set up as a visitor.
Based on the form, there are 02 main types of South Korea SIM cards for tourists.
Each type of SIM card has international and local options. The local SIM card is often used by South Korean citizens while the international one is often used by travelers or foreigners to South Korea.
In this section, what we mention is about the international one. Let’s see types of international SIM card for tourists in details:
Features:
Plan: 2 types of plan for tourists, which are data only plans and data + voice and text plans
Where to buy: at most South Korean airports like Incheon & Gimpo International Airports; major convenience store chains like CU, GS25, 7-Eleven; or electronic retailers like KT, LG Uplus, SK Telecom.
Suitable for:
Requirements: passport to buy offline, unlocked phone
Pros
Cons
A prepaid eSIM is a digital SIM card stored virtually in a secure data chip inserted in the mainboard of an eSIM-supported device. It does not require a physical SIM card.
Features
Plan: 2 types of plan for tourists, which are data only plans and data + voice and text plans
Where to Buy
Suitable For
Requirements: No need for a passport when buying online, an eSIM-compatible and unlocked phone.
Pros
Cons
►Our Recommendation:
As a tourist to South Korea, which SIM card type should you choose? Physical or Virtual?
In fact, a physical SIM card is a regular option to stay connected for many travelers due to its undeniable benefits. However, technology is changing. Now many phones can use a digital SIM card. So, you should:
Note: To use eSIM, your phone needs to be unlocked and eSIM-equipped. Learn how to check if your phone is carrier-unlocked and support eSIM. If you want to quickly check, refer our list of eSIM compatible mobile devices.
Good to know: For reference (as of January 2024):
There are 03 major mobile operators in South Korea: SK Telecom, KT, and LG U+.
These network carriers all offer SIM card plans specially catered towards visitors. Below is a summary of some of their most competitive tourist plans, though specific plan names, prices or features may be subject to change over time.
Insights: Here are some insights about plans of each mobile operator in South Korea, which hopefully help you make decisions about which one to choose:
► Our Recommendation: Overall, SK Telecom provides good value through short-term unlimited plans. LG U+ also presents an alternative with hours-based bundles. Visitors have options based on their preference and duration of stay.
If you want to have your SIM card for South Korea, you have 4 ways to get it:
You can buy a prepaid South Korean SIM card from travel SIM retailers’ websites and have it delivered to your accommodation before your trip or pick it up at the airport after arrival (depending on the SIM provider’s policy).
Pros: Lower prices than airports, be active for trip, have Internet access right upon arrival
Cons: Need to wait for SIM delivery or need to arrange pickup/delivery in South Korea.
You can purchase prepaid tourist SIM cards like SK Telecom’s Korea SIM Gold/Purple and KT’s Korea SIM Blue Plus at Incheon International Airport, Gimpo airport, Jeju airport, and other major harbors/airports in South Korea.
Pros: have Internet upon arrival, convenient pickup at airport
Cons: require passport, low data, high price and less options than buying in cities.
Purchase prepaid SIM cards from carrier stores, convenience stores or electronics shops at major cities in South Korea.
SK Telecom, KT and LG U+ have stores in Seoul, Busan, etc. Most konbini stores also sell SIM cards.
Pros: Cheapest option, can get local advice.
Cons: Need to find stores after arrival in South Korea. Need to show passport and/or personal information when making a purchase. Difficulty in communicating with staff due to difference in language.
You can purchase prepaid eSIM cards for South Korea online from providers like Gigago before your trip. These eSIM cards offer flexible data-only plans without a contract.
Pros: Convenient to set up before travel, no need to look for SIM stores
Cons: Limited availability of eSIM compatible phones
►Our Recommendation:
Here are some advice on choosing where to buy South Korea SIM for tourists:
To conclude, buying eSIM online seems to be the best way for the average tourist to visit South Korea.
With 1GB of data, you can:
To decide how much data to buy when choosing data packages for South Korea travel, you need to define which category of Internet users you are. Let’s see the following table about suggestions on how much data to buy per each category of users:
| Internet user type | How much data to buy |
| Heavy users | Buy 10-15GB of data to comfortably use apps, maps, and stream videos. |
| Medium users | 5-8GB of data is enough for basic tasks like email, maps, and light video use throughout their trip. |
| Light users | 2-3GB of data should suffice for essentials like email, messaging, and directions during their travels. |
► Our Recommendation: Travelers to South Korea should consider their expected connectivity habits and activities like navigation, photos, videos, or gaming to choose a prepaid plan that best fits their needs. Buying extra data ensures coverage for any unexpected usage.
As you can see, South Korea eSIM has many advantages over traditional ones when it comes to staying connected for travelers.
It saves your roaming fees, works like a local SIM, offers reliable coverage, is simple to manage, and has flexible plans that suit different trip length, data needs and budget as well.
When searching for eSIM South Korea providers, GIGAGO is one of the finest eSIM providers that offers reliable coverage in South Korea through the major network SKT. Their eSIM works in all areas of the country so you can stay connected while traveling.
For South Korea, Gigago offers multiple data plan options, starting from 1GB/day for 3 days with $5.90 . What is great about Gigago’s South Korea eSIM is that its plans’ costs are diversifying, vary between $5.90 – $106.50 . Thus, it does not matter how Internet users you are and how long your trip is in South Korea, there is always an option for you with Gigago.
What eSIM Gigago for South Korea can do:
To see more details, visit Gigago South Korea eSIM.
There are 03 major mobile networks in South Korea: SK Telecom, LG U+ and KT.
Here is an overview about each one:
► Our recommendation:
SK Telecom provides the fastest 5G speeds and widest network coverage, making it a suitable choice for international visitors. Moreover, it is reliable and a top option when venturing off the beaten path. The speed is consistently fast, allows smooth streaming, gaming and downloads whether indoors or outdoors. But KT is also a sound option, especially for stayers in major cities.
Here are the main steps to use a South Korea prepaid SIM card:
Pro Tip: Some tips on using prepaid tourist SIM card during your trip in South Korea:
To use a South Korea eSIM for your upcoming trip, follow these steps:
Pro Tip: Depending on the plan’s policy about activation time, oftentimes, you are recommended to activate the eSIM one day before departure to save validity period.
They offer monthly data SIM plans starting from 15,000 KRW (around 12 USD) for 2GB data.
SK Telecom: Their prepaid data SIM plans begin at 15,000 KRW for 1.5GB data valid for 30 days.
LG Up+: This network provides a 1GB prepaid data SIM for 10,000 KRW that lasts 7 days
The lack of strong competition, investment in cutting-edge networks, high demand and subsidies add up to make mobile data somewhat pricey in South Korea compared to other developed markets.
Yes, you can easily buy SIM cards in convenience stores in South Korea like 7-Eleven, CU, GS25 and Emart24. They’re located all over cities and highways. Purchasing a SIM is simple – pick your provider and data plan amount, pay at the counter and the clerk will activate it for you.
To conclude, using a prepaid South Korea travel SIM card is undeniably convenient for staying connected during your trip in South Korea rather than relying on international roaming with your regular plan. However, if your mobile device has eSIM function, going for a prepaid eSIM package would be more convenient. Using an eSIM, there is no need to worry about carrying around physical SIM cards. This makes an eSIM the best option for staying seamlessly connected while traveling in South Korea.
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