Cell Phones in Korea

As the title suggests, today I’ll be talking about getting a cell phone in Korea! First you have to choose whether you want a smartphone or a non-smartphone. If you decide to get a non-smartphone, it’d be good to have something like an iPod or something that allows you use wifi and apps like KakaoTalk (a very popular messaging app in Korea). Wifi is available almost everywhere in Seoul, however, you have to pay or have a phone plan to access most of it. Also, you can only sign up for an actual phone plan if you have your ARC (Alien Registration Card) or if you know someone who is willing to sign you onto his or her plan. I mostly texted and really didn’t make too many phone calls, so I was fine with just a pre-paid phone. I only used about 35,000 won (about $35 USD) in four months.

If you have any old cell phones at home or if you can unlock your current phone, then I suggest you do so and bring that (FYI: AT&T will unlock for you as long as you meet certain criteria, so check the website and try to unlock BEFORE you come to Korea). It costs maybe about 50,000 won (approximately $50 USD) to buy a non-smartphone here. Unless you’re staying here for at least a year, then I wouldn’t suggest purchasing a smartphone here. From what I’ve heard, most smartphone users pay about 70,000 won/month if they have a two-year plan. From what I understand, this includes things like calling, texting, data, and access to your company’s wifi located all throughout Korea (sorry, I don’t know how much calling, texting, and data, but everyone I asked tells me that it’s more than enough for them), as well as the price of the cell phone. So…I guess the cell phone price is kind of paid in monthly installments. This would mean that if you’re here for only one year instead of two, then your price might be almost doubled. Honestly, I’m not too sure how everything works and everyone seems to say something different, but this was how it was explained to me. I heard that it’s also possible to take over someone’s abandoned plan instead, but I’m not too sure about that. Cell phone companies want to have customers who will keep coming back, so it seems really difficult to have short-term plans.

Costs for pre-paid plan

SIM Card: 5,000 won (approximately $5 USD)

Voice calling: 4.8 won/sec

Text: 22 won/text

Data: 0.28 won/0.5 kb (1MB costs 600 won)

All incoming texts and calls are free!

Data Alternatives

• Olleh wifi is found almost everywhere and I think you can also pay about 10,000 won/month for unlimited access.
• There’s also something called an ‘egg’. I’ve heard it called the ‘Olleh egg’, so I’m not sure if it’s exclusively at Olleh stores. I think it’s kind of like a hotspot that you can hook up a few devices (i.e. cell phone, laptop, etc.) for internet. I believe you have to buy the device and pay about 10,000 won/month, but this might also depend on how long your plan lasts.

There are plenty of cell phone stores all around Seoul, but if you don’t have a Korean friend to translate for you, then the closest global Olleh store to Yonsei with English-speaking employees is in Hongdae. You can take the green subway line (line 2) and it should be right in front of exit 9. Just enter the store, go upstairs, and then take a number from the machine. Also, remember that they’re closed on weekends!

Sorry this entry was filled with so much uncertainty! It really seems like everyone has different experiences with buying a cell phone in Korea and getting a plan. Even my friends who went to the same store had slightly different experiences. Anyway, I hope this was helpful for just letting you know what some of your options are!