eSIM, SIM Card or Pocket WiFi in Korea: Your Options

What to do

Decide before you fly, because the best choice depends on your phone:

1. Phone supports eSIM and is unlocked: buy a tourist eSIM from a Korean carrier and install it at home.
2. Phone has no eSIM: pick up a physical tourist SIM at an airport roaming center.
3. Several devices or a group: rent a pocket WiFi router.
4. Light use only: rely on free public WiFi, and accept gaps.

KT, SK Telecom and LG U+ all sell tourist products with airport pickup counters. Prices below come from the carriers’ own English pages and include VAT where stated.

Check your phone first

Dial *#06#. If you see an EID, your phone supports eSIM. SK Telecom’s page notes the EID starts with 89.

Your phone must also be unlocked. KT says the country lock must be off, and SK Telecom warns that a locked phone cannot use the eSIM even if the QR code scans. Ask your home carrier if you are unsure.

LG U+ says its eSIM does not work on Google Pixel, Motorola and OPPO phones.

Option 1: tourist eSIM

All three carriers sell tourist eSIMs that are for foreign visitors only.

KT offers three eSIM types. Data only can be bought online or at the airport. Data and voice includes about 60 minutes of calls and a 010 number, but is sold on site only, at a KT roaming center in the airport. Data is unlimited, with 11GB a day at full speed and 5Mbps after that, reset each midnight. KT allows one voice SIM and four data SIMs per person, and plans run up to 90 days.

SK Telecom sells an LTE eSIM with data, calls and SMS online or at the airport. Data is unlimited at LTE speed, capped at 100Mbps. Incoming calls and texts are free once your passport details are verified, and outgoing calls need a top-up. Data works before verification.

LG U+ sells a data-only eSIM (QR code by email right after purchase, no airport visit) and a data and voice eSIM (QR code at the airport counter after a passport check). Its Tour Pass adds an unlimited bus and subway pass and a prepaid payment card to unlimited data.

Price table, eSIM (as of October 2026)

Days	KT data only	KT data and voice	SK Telecom LTE (data, call, SMS)
1	₩6,500	not offered	not offered
2	₩12,000	not offered	₩12,000
3	₩18,000	₩23,500	₩18,000
5	₩27,500	₩33,000	₩27,500
7	₩35,000	₩40,500	₩35,000
10	₩38,500	₩44,000	₩38,500
15	₩55,000	₩60,500	₩55,000
30	₩71,500	₩77,000	₩71,500

Sources: KT eSIM plans, SK Telecom eSIM. LG U+ Tour Pass prices bundle a transit pass, so compare them on the LG U+ Tour Pass page.

Option 2: physical SIM at the airport

If your phone has no eSIM, go to a carrier roaming center in the arrivals hall, show your passport and have the SIM fitted.

• KT lists two Incheon Terminal 1 counters on the arrival floor: near Arrival Hall A (opposite Exit 2), 06:00 to 22:00, and near Arrival Hall F (opposite Exit 13), open 24 hours. KT also has counters at Terminal 2, Gimpo and Gimhae.
• LG U+ has roaming centers at Incheon (Terminals 1 and 2), Gimpo and Gimhae. Staff help swap and activate the SIM, and you can buy up to three SIM cards per passport.
• SK Telecom sells LTE and 5G SIM plans on the same site as its eSIMs and runs airport roaming centers.

Keep your home SIM in a safe place. You will need it again when you fly home.

Option 3: pocket WiFi router

A pocket WiFi router suits families or anyone carrying a laptop and a tablet. SK Telecom’s T Wi-Fi Router covers the country on LTE with unlimited data at up to 20Mbps, for up to three devices at once.

It costs ₩4,400 a day at the roaming center or ₩3,300 a day if you book online, and you collect it at a roaming center. If you lose it, the loss fee is ₩100,000. To extend a rental, SK Telecom asks you to call its customer center at +82-2-6343-9000.

The downside: one battery and one device for the group. If the person carrying it walks off, everyone else loses their connection.

Option 4: free public WiFi

Seoul runs free public WiFi on main streets, at tourist sites, in parks and traditional markets, on city buses and at bus stops (Seoul Metropolitan Government).

• SEOUL: the open network.
• SEOUL_Secure: the encrypted network. Enter seoul as both ID and password. On Android choose PEAP as the EAP method and “Don’t validate” for the CA certificate. On iPhone, trust the certificate when asked.

You only set it up once, and the phone reconnects at other hotspots. The city publishes a hotspot map on its site.

Common mistakes

• Buying a data-only plan and expecting calls. KT says data-only products cannot be topped up for voice. If you need to call a restaurant or a taxi, buy a data and voice plan.
• Deleting the eSIM. KT installs once only. If you delete it, you get no new QR code and cannot extend.
• Waiting too long to install. KT terminates eSIMs not installed within 30 days of purchase, with no refund.
• Assuming you can cancel. KT eSIM purchases are non-refundable once completed.
• Forgetting the locked phone check. A locked phone is the most common reason a scanned eSIM still shows no signal.

When this does not apply

These tourist products are for short visits. KT and SK Telecom both describe them as for stays within 90 days, and SK Telecom says longer stays may face restrictions. Korean passport holders cannot buy them.

If your home carrier offers a Korea roaming pass, compare its daily price with the table above. Carrier offers change often, so check the official pages before you fly.