Korea eSIM vs SIM vs Pocket Wi-Fi: Which to Get (and When You Need a Phone Number)

Last checked: October 2026

You'll want data from the moment you land, for maps and taxi apps. There are four ways to get it: an eSIM, a physical SIM, a pocket Wi-Fi router, or roaming on your home plan. I compared them using the three Korean carriers' own pages (SK Telecom, KT, and LG U+), and I don't sell any of them.

Simplest

Data-only eSIM

Korean number

Airport counter, passport

Your phone

Must be unlocked

Backup

Free Seoul Wi-Fi

Quick answer

• Most visitors: a data-only eSIM. You can buy it online before you fly and it works as soon as you land.
• You want a Korean number for calls, texts, or bookings: a SIM or eSIM with voice. You'll need your passport, and with KT and LG U+ you buy the voice version only at an airport counter.
• A group or family with several devices: a pocket Wi-Fi router. It works with phones that are carrier-locked, but someone has to carry and charge it.
• A very short trip: roaming on your home plan needs no setup and keeps your own number. Check your carrier's Korea price before you fly.

eSIM, SIM, pocket Wi-Fi, or roaming

Do you need a Korean phone number?

Usually not. With data only, you can use maps, translation, messaging apps, and the main visitor apps. A tourist number helps for calling a restaurant or guesthouse, or for an app that sends a code by text. But it is not a full Korean line.

• Naver: since June 4, 2026, foreigners can verify with a passport instead of a Korean phone number for bookings and payments. See Naver Map passport verification.
• Baemin (food delivery): no longer needs a Korean phone number, and takes foreign cards. See food delivery in Korea.
• Taxis: Kakao T needs a Kakao account set up with a Korean phone number. k.ride, also from Kakao Mobility, works with a foreign phone number and a foreign card. See taxis in Korea.

A tourist number can't do Korean identity verification. KT says its tourist eSIM "does not support the personal authentication". SK Telecom says its tourist eSIM can't receive texts for identity verification or payments. LG U+ says its voice plans can receive text codes from restaurant and taxi booking apps, but not verification for banks or government services. So an app that asks for full Korean verification may still refuse a tourist number. Check before you pay extra for voice.

Will your phone work?

• It must be unlocked. All three carriers say a phone with a country or carrier lock won't work with their SIM or eSIM. Ask your home carrier to unlock it before you leave.
• For an eSIM, the phone must support eSIM. Dial *#06#. If you see an EID number (SK Telecom: starting with 89), the phone can take an eSIM. On iPhone, look for Settings > Cellular > Add eSIM.
• You need an internet connection to install an eSIM. Install it at home or on airport Wi-Fi.
• The eSIM works only in Korea.
• A pocket Wi-Fi router works with any device that has Wi-Fi, locked or not.

Don't delete the eSIM from your phone during the trip. All three carriers say a deleted eSIM can't be installed again. You must buy a new one. KT also cancels its eSIM without a refund if you don't install it within 30 days of buying.

Tourist plans from the three carriers

All three carriers sell prepaid plans for foreign visitors. KT and SK Telecom sell them only for stays of up to 90 days. The data is unlimited, but each carrier sets its own speed limits (see below). The numbers start with 010. Prices below are from the carriers' own sites in October 2026 and include VAT.

KT

• Data only: you can buy it online or at the airport. Incoming calls and texts are free after an entry check. You can't make calls or send texts, and you can't add voice later.
• Data and voice: sold only at a KT counter at the airport. Calls and texts work after the passport check there.
• After 11 GB in a day, speed drops to 5 Mbps until midnight.
• One voice SIM and up to four data SIMs per person. Cards issued in Korea aren't accepted.

SK Telecom

• LTE: 1-day data plan 6,500 won, 2-day plan with calls and texts 12,000 won, 3 to 90 days from 18,000 won. 5G plans cost more (from 9,500 won for 1 day).
• You can buy the eSIM with calls and texts online. Data works right away. To make calls or texts, you verify your passport after you pass Korean immigration, online from 8:00 to 22:00 or at an airport counter, and then top up call credit.
• Incoming calls and texts are free once your passport is verified.
• LTE data runs at up to 100 Mbps with no daily cap. On 5G plans, hotspot (tethering) is limited to 1 GB a day.
• One plan per passport at a time. Cards issued in Korea aren't accepted.

LG U+

• Data only: you can buy it online or at the airport. It can receive calls and texts but not make them, and you can't add voice later.
• Data and voice: sold only at the airport. You show your passport at the counter.
• Up to three SIM cards per passport. LG U+ doesn't deliver SIMs; you pick them up at an LG U+ counter at Incheon, Gimpo, or Gimhae airport.
• Hotspot works with its SIM and eSIM.
• LG U+ says its eSIM doesn't work on Google Pixel or OPPO phones.

Many other companies resell eSIMs that run on these networks. I only list the carriers' own plans because those are the ones I could check.

Bring your passport

Every plan with a Korean number needs a passport check, and the name you enter online must match your passport. In June 2026 the government announced stricter identity checks for new phone lines. It said it plans to improve ID checks for foreigners step by step from the second half of 2026 and apply a one-line-per-person rule more strictly. Carry the passport itself, not a photo of it.

Carrier counters at Incheon Airport

The counters are in the arrivals hall on 1F, after customs. Pick up SIMs and routers here, and do the passport check for a voice plan.

Terminal 1

Terminal 2

• SK Telecom: 1F, opposite Exit 7, 24 hours.
• LG U+: 1F arrivals, Gate 3 (24 hours) and Gate 8 (06:00–22:00).
• KT: 1F arrivals, near Arrival Hall A (opposite Exit 4), 24 hours.

Hours can change. Each carrier's site lists its current counters. Arriving after 22:00? Go to a 24-hour counter.

Pocket Wi-Fi

A pocket Wi-Fi router is a small battery-powered box. You turn it on and connect your devices with the password printed on it.

• Price: KT and SK Telecom both list 4,400 won a day and 55,000 won for 30 days (SK Telecom's 30-day price is online only). LG U+ charges 4,400 won a day to extend.
• Pick up and return: at an airport counter. You need your passport and a credit card in your name for the deposit. KT and SK Telecom don't take debit cards for the deposit. LG U+ takes a debit card but charges the deposit up front and refunds it when you return the router. SK Telecom and LG U+ let you return at a different airport (Incheon, Gimpo, or Gimhae).
• Battery: KT lists 9.5 to 30 hours depending on the model. SK Telecom and LG U+ say more connected devices drain it faster. Carry a power bank and the charger.
• Devices: LG U+ allows up to 10. SK Telecom recommends 3 to 5 for good speed.
• Data: unlimited, but KT runs it at 20 Mbps and SK Telecom may slow it after 1 GB a day.

Return the router before you fly. The deposit stays on your card until you return it, and SK Telecom and LG U+ charge the rental fee at return. If you keep it past 30 days, KT adds 3,300 won a day.

Free public Wi-Fi in Seoul

Seoul runs free public Wi-Fi on streets, in parks, markets, tourist sites, bus stops, and on city and village buses.

• Choose SEOUL_Secure and enter seoul as both the ID and the password. After the first time, it connects by itself wherever the service is.
• The open network SEOUL needs no password, but you tap a button each time to connect. The city recommends SEOUL_Secure.
• Help line: 02-2133-0022.