South Korea SIM, eSIM and apps: Naver Map, KakaoMap and taxi apps

eSIM, USIM, Wi-Fi egg or roaming: choosing your connection

VisitKorea, the Korea Tourism Organization's site, describes four ways to get online: roaming with your home plan, a Korean physical USIM, a Korean eSIM, or a rented Wi-Fi egg, the pocket router that several devices can share. The roaming centres run by Korea's three network operators, KT, SK Telecom and LG U+, at Incheon, Gimpo, Gimhae and Jeju international airports handle all of them: they register phones for roaming, sell SIM cards, rent Wi-Fi eggs and even rent smartphones. Each operator lists its fees and counter locations on its own roaming site (roaming.kt.com, sktroaming.com and lguplus.com).

An eSIM is the least work if your phone supports it: you buy it online, scan the QR code you receive and the phone is ready, with nothing to collect. VisitKorea's advice is to confirm your phone is eSIM-compatible before you pay. Install it at home on a stable connection, and leave your home SIM in place for calls and banking messages if your phone allows two lines.

A physical USIM is the answer for phones without eSIM. VisitKorea lists three ways to get one: at the operators' roaming centres in the major international airports, at selected convenience stores and retailers, or online in advance with pickup at the airport. The big chains CU, GS25, 7-Eleven and Emart24 sell USIM cards, but stock varies by branch, so the official advice is to check the chain's website or app first. Either kind of SIM only works in an unlocked phone.

A Wi-Fi egg suits a family or a group who stay together, or a phone that cannot take a foreign SIM. The drawbacks are practical: one battery to keep charged for everyone, and a device you must return. VisitKorea notes that SIM plans can include unlimited data and, if you want one, a local mobile number, which a Wi-Fi egg cannot give you.

• Phone supports eSIM: buy an eSIM before departure and install it at home.
• Phone takes only a physical card: reserve a USIM online for airport pickup, or buy one at an airport roaming centre or a convenience store.
• Several people, one connection: rent a Wi-Fi egg at the airport and plan a mid-day recharge.
• Very short stay or a work phone you cannot change: check your home operator's roaming package, or register for roaming at the airport centres.

Why Naver Map and KakaoMap matter more than Google here

VisitKorea is blunt about it: the navigation (GPS) feature of Google Maps cannot be used in Korea, and in its Jeju bus guide it describes Google Maps as not adequately serviced in the country. Its recommended alternatives are Naver Map, available in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese, and KakaoMap, available in Korean and English. Install at least one before you fly and open it once on Wi-Fi so it is set up when you land.

Naver Map is the one VisitKorea singles out for travellers. Its tourism guide highlights route directions with estimated travel times by mode, bus stop information, bus routes and real-time bus arrival estimates, plus restaurant pages with menus, photos and reviews. Naver's own app listing adds transit alerts telling you when to get on and off, a booking tab that includes train tickets, and English-language maps and navigation.

KakaoMap, from Kakao Corp., is the other main choice. Its app listing describes routes for car, public transport, walking and bicycle, built-in turn-by-turn navigation, real-time bus information and a subway map. It is worth keeping both: if a shop or a small guesthouse cannot be found by its English name in one app, try the other, or paste the address in Korean script.

Two habits save the most time. Save your hotel, in Korean as well as English, as a favourite in the map app on the first evening, and read the exit number your route gives for each subway station: large stations have many exits, and leaving by the right one can save you a long walk above ground.

Taxis, transit cards and paying by phone

For taxis, VisitKorea points non-residents to k.ride, a foreigner-only version of Kakao T operated by Kakao Mobility. It runs in English, Chinese and Japanese, lets you log in with a Google or Apple account and accepts overseas credit cards. Uber Taxi also operates in Korea: if you already use Uber, you can call a taxi with the same app and payment details, and the app translates your messages to the driver automatically. VisitKorea adds that booking through an app is usually the most convenient way to call a taxi because you see a fare estimate first, though a small call fee can apply.

The local Kakao T app itself covers taxis anywhere in Korea, bikes and scooters, and bookings for KTX trains, buses and flights, according to Kakao Mobility's app listing. Seoul's International Taxi service, with English, Japanese or Chinese-speaking drivers, has its own booking app as well, and can be reserved for airport pickups.

Your phone also helps with transit cards. VisitKorea notes that an EZL card can be registered on the EZL app for smartphone tap payment, and that WOWPASS, a prepaid card for foreigners that also handles currency exchange and card payments, should be registered on the WOWPASS app so you can see your balance, payment history and rewards. On Jeju, VisitKorea's bus guide says city buses stopped accepting cash on 1 October 2024; besides cards, you can pay by scanning the QR code near the driver with a ZeroPay-linked payment app, and the guide names Alipay, TrueMoney and Touch 'n Go among the affiliated services. That guide was last updated in January 2025, so check before you rely on it.

Free Wi-Fi, charging and calls

Free public Wi-Fi is widespread. VisitKorea lists airports, subway stations, train stations and some bus stops, and its tourist overview adds coffee shops, malls and public facilities. For locations it points to the public Wi-Fi site wififree.kr. PC rooms, mostly open 24 hours, are another fallback. Public Wi-Fi is a useful back-up, but it does not follow you between stations, which is why a data plan is still worth having for navigation.

Plan for charging. The standard in Korea is 220 volts at 60 hertz with two round pins, so bring a multi-voltage adapter, or borrow or buy one at your hotel front desk, the airport, retail stores or convenience stores, as VisitKorea suggests. A power bank matters more than usual if you depend on your phone for maps and taxis all day, and on a Wi-Fi egg for the group.

For calls, Korea's country code is 82: callers from abroad dial 82, then the area code without its first 0, then the number (Seoul is 02). From Korea, an international call starts with a carrier prefix such as 001, 002, 005 or 008, then the country code and number. Payphones are now rare but survive in busy places, and prepaid phone cards are sold in convenience stores and supermarkets.

Help numbers and apps to save before you fly

The 1330 Korea Travel Helpline is the number to remember. The Korea Tourism Organization runs it as a telephone and live chat service for travel information, interpretation and complaints: from abroad it is +82-2-1330, in Korea simply 1330. Over Wi-Fi you can use its free online voice call, or chat through the 1330 Messenger in a browser, KakaoTalk, Facebook or Line. VisitKorea lists English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Thai and other languages.

For emergencies, VisitKorea gives 112 for the police and 119 for fire and medical emergencies, and 1339 for infectious disease emergencies. Write these down outside your phone, along with your hotel's address in Korean, in case your battery runs out.

Naver's own travel page also points visitors to Papago, Naver's translation app, which can translate signs and menus from a photo. The Korea Tourism Organization's VISITKOREA app adds attraction, festival and event information and a trip planner. Together with a map app and a taxi app, that is the whole kit; you do not need a long list.

• Maps: Naver Map and, as back-up, KakaoMap.
• Taxis: k.ride or Uber; Kakao T if you can use the Korean version.
• Help: the 1330 Korea Travel Helpline (+82-2-1330) and its chat channels.
• Transit and payment: the app for your transit card (EZL or WOWPASS), and a ZeroPay-linked wallet if you plan to ride Jeju's buses.
• Language: Papago for signs and menus.