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How to get internet in South Korea | eSIM and local companies
To be able to have access to internet in south korea During your trip it is almost essential to move around its streets, know which metro line to take, find the best local restaurants, send a message to friends or family (and check some of our Guides on South Korea!). Having a good internet connection is key to making the most of your experience and not getting into trouble when taking public transport.
In this article, we tell you all options available to have Internet on your mobile phone during your stay in South Korea. Such as cheaper local SIM cards, public WiFi and convenient eSIMs. So you can choose the option that best suits your needs.
We tell you how to have Internet in Korea, starting with the now popular eSims and where to get a local SIM in convenience stores or at the Airport. This is one of the useful Tips for traveling to South Korea on primera time.
How having internet in south korea, better eSIM
eSIM cards for South Korea are a great option and really practical. These types of operators allow you to have a connection from the moment you arrive in the country. In addition, you do not need a physical SIM card, but it is managed online. immediately in a few steps. Even if you are reading this before you take off and start your trip, you still have plenty of time to purchase and install it on your phone.
To activate it you need an internet connection, You can do this in your home country before you fly (my favourite option) or on arrival, for example using the airport WiFi while you wait for your bags to come out. Note that once you connect to the local network for the first time it may take a few minutes to work, but once connected it will work perfectly until you leave.
Advantages of using an eSIM to travel to South Korea
Here are some of the advantages of using an eSIM card in South Korea:
- The operation is simple: When you buy the data package, you are sent a QR code and by scanning it, the phone setup process begins. You activate the eSIM when you land and you will have an instant internet connection. Don't forget to deactivate the internet connection on your regular SIM.
- You keep your WhatsApp number. You can call and message your WhatsApp contacts as usual.
- You keep your SIM card from your usual operator. By activating the eSIM you will have “dual SIM” with your local card, in case you need it. This is important because you can continue receiving confirmation calls or SMS when performing bank transactionscarIAS or online purchases. I recommend deactivating it when leaving your country and only activating it when necessary.
- Avoid losing your physical SIMBy not having to sacar Swap your usual SIM card for a Korean one to ensure you don't lose your regular SIM. It's not very common, but we have lost our SIMs because we didn't store them properly during our trip.
One of the disadvantages of eSIM cards in South Korea is that not all phones are compatible. Although nowadays almost all mid-range and high-end smartphones are compatible, I recommend verifying compatibility.carI found it with a quick Google search or on the portal of Holafly.
eSim Holafly for South Korea
Holafly It is one of the most practical options to have internet in South Korea because it offers unlimited internet. Of course it is not the only company that offers eSIM but We can confirm that it works perfectly. throughout the country because it was the one we used for 3 weeks on our route through South Korea.
The price of having internet in South Korea with Holafly is €44,50 for unlimited internet for 15 days. This price is achieved thanks to our exclusive discount for readers with the code VIAJEROSLOWCOSTEROSOn their website you can choose the duration of your trip, always with unlimited internet.
Best SIM cards local prepaid
In South Korea there are dozens of local companies that offer internet packages for tourists. You can find them everywhere, of course also at the airport. There are many local companies, but some of the most famous ones for tourists are: EG, SK Telecom and TmoneyIf you buy the latter, it also serves as a public transport card in South Korea, a very interesting 2×1. Generally, throughout Korea, the connection is stable and fast with any company.
Within the Incheon airport, Seoul International Airport, you can find prepaid SIMs from the company EG in the G25 store in the arrivals terminal. The price for 15 days with unlimited internet is 55.000 won, about €38. Please note that Prices inside airports are somewhat higher caro that in normal stores, if you can I advise you to wait to get them in the city.
Prepaid SIM cards have a variable cost which depends on the company, the amount of data contracted and the duration.
Due to the large number of operators that exist, the options are almost infinite. To make it easier for you I suggest you get the Tmoney SIM card because it is the best quality-price option.
You can buy it in physical stores or reserve it online. A great advantage of this card is that it offers unlimited internet for a price similar to or even lower than companies with limited data. Another good advantage is that the card where the SIM comes serves as a Tmoney card for public transport, this way you save having to buy it separately and you save between 5000 and 8000 won that it would cost you.
Use Public WiFi to have internet in South Korea
A fairly widespread alternative that we have heard several people recommend is to take advantage of the fact that South Korea is the country in the world with the most public WiFi networks so you don't have to pay for internet. During your trip through Korea you will notice that absolutely all the cafes, bars or restaurants have their own WiFi network. The same thing happens with all the public buildings, parks and even public transportation, buses and subway cars have their own router inside so passengers can use WiFi.
In many cases the WiFi network does not have a password but a verification process to connect, the truth is that my personal experience is that on many WiFis without password It is quite difficult to get connected and when you do, the connection is not stable. This happens especially on public transport and on networks in the streets or parks. In fixed places like cafes, where there is a password, the internet works perfectly.
It is advisable to use Public WiFi in South Korea?
Personally, we try to never use public WiFis without a password for security reasons, and if we have to use them, we always do so connected to a VPN that gives us a little extra protection. However, when working remotely, we do constantly use private business networks such as hotels or cafes and we have never had any problems.
In conclusion, If your trip is only a few days and you want to save yourself from buying a SIM card if You could use WiFi networks, although they don't always work in public spaces. But if you're traveling for several weeks, it seems impractical and inconvenient to have to keep an eye on connecting to networks in public spaces. If you only want to connect occasionally and can wait until you're in a restaurant or your hotel, you won't need to buy any data package either.
Conclusion – Best options for internet in South Korea
To summarize a little all the available options and make your choice easier, I will summarize the available options:
- Public WiFi: For short trips on a budget or people who only need a connection a couple of times a day.
- eSIMThe convenient and easy option to have unlimited connectivity from the start, a more convenient alternative. carto the rest. We use the company Holafly.
- Physical SIM from local operators: Cheap option, not too difficult to find in the city center.
I hope this article helps you choose. The best option to have internet in South Korea and prepare your trip well. I recommend you check out the rest of our guides and articles on South Korea where we share useful information to make the most of this interesting country.
If you want to see our photos of South Korea and our daily life during the trip, you can check out our account Instagram.
