Seoul – known for its temples, palaces & teahouses.
It is the largest city in South Korea and the most visited.
Seoul is home to two airports: Seoul-Incheon International Airport (ICN) and Seoul-Gimpo International Airport (GMP).
The latter was the city's main international airport until 2001 when Incheon replaced it for being too small.
Nowadays, it is used for business-traveler-favored flights from other in-the-city/close-to-the-city airports like Tokyo-Haneda Airport (instead of Tokyo-Narita International Airport), Taipei-Songshan Airport (instead of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport) & Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (instead of Shanghai Pudong International Airport).
Writing a list of all the cool things to do in Seoul would require another blog post (or a dedicated Seoul blog), so I will save you from that because you want to know what SIM card and eSIM options are available at the airport.
Anyway, which SIM cards are available at the airport?
You can get an SK Telecom, KT South Korea, or LG U+ SIM card for between 6600 KRW (5.05 USD) and 143 000 KRW (109.20 USD).
That is quite a spread – what gives?
The validity of these SIM cards ranges from one day to 90 days.
And they all give you unlimited data, which adds up (but these plans are still reasonably priced).
But I will also give you some tips to save up to 30% on your South Korean SIM card or eSIM bought at Seoul-Gimpo International Airport 😎.
Anyway, let's review all your options and see if getting a SIM card at Seoul-Gimpo International Airport is even worth it.
Original publication: 5th of October 2023. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.
Table of Contents
Mobile Operators in South Korea
Before I tell you about the SIM card and eSIM options you have at Seoul-Gimpo International Airport, you first need to know about all the mobile operators in South Korea.
South Korea has three mobile operators offering prepaid services easily accessible to travelers:
- SK Telecom (T World)
- KT South Korea (formerly Korea Telecom & Olleh)
- LG U+
South Korea is also home to various Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), including EG SIM.
However, most are not interested in dealing with prepaid customers or tourists.
Or they can be a challenge to find.
Alright, back to what Seoul-Gimpo International Airport has to offer to us.
Where to Buy a SIM Card (or eSIM) at Seoul-Gimpo International Airport
SK Telecom, KT South Korea & LG U+ have booths in the arrivals hall of the international terminals.
You will see their stores when you leave the secure area – you cannot miss them.
Although on the left side of exit gate 2, you will find this WiFi Dosirak booth.
While from a distance it looks like it only deals with mobile hotspots, it also sells SIM cards from SK Telecom, KT South Korea & LG U+.
Although LG U+ SIM cards were out of stock (and always seem to be, according to the salesperson).
You are out of luck if you arrive domestically at Seoul-Gimpo International Airport.
You would need to walk to the international terminal, which takes at least ten minutes (can be done underground via the metro tunnels – so no need to get wet if it rains).
Let's review each mobile operator to see what they offer us at the airport.
What SIM Cards & Plans Does SK Telecom Sell at Seoul-Gimpo International Airport (+Prices)?
SK Telecom sells its tourist SIM cards at Seoul-Gimpo International Airport, costing between 6600 KRW and 71 500 KRW.
eSIMs are available for the same prices as SIM cards, but I will keep writing “SIM cards” instead of “SIM cards and eSIMs” throughout this section, but whatever I write applies to both.
I will list all the prices in KRW (Korean Won).
To convert KRW to your currency (let's say JPY – Japanese Yen) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.
SK Telecom, also known as T World, is the largest mobile operator in South Korea.
And it is also the best-performing mobile operator in the country.
Unless… you get one of its tourist SIM cards or eSIMs, like the ones sold at Seoul-Gimpo International Airport.
Why is that? It is because they throttle your speed @ 10 Mbps at all times.
So you do not even have a high-speed data allowance – you will always be on 10 Mbps.
But… you do get unlimited data between one and 30 days.
Anyway, as soon as you pass customs, you will see the three booths of SK Telecom, KT South Korea & LG U+ next to each other – SK Telecom's is on the right.
Here, the following six SIM cards are available, ranging from one day to 30 days:
| Price | Data 1 | Validity |
|---|---|---|
| 6600 KRW | Unlimited | 1 day |
| 18 000 KRW | Unlimited | 3 days |
| 27 500 KRW 2 | Unlimited | 5 days |
| 38 500 KRW | Unlimited | 10 days |
| 60 500 KRW | Unlimited | 20 days |
| 71 500 KRW | Unlimited | 30 days |
1 @ 10 Mbps
One thing you should know about SK Telecom SIM cards (or eSIMs) is that they are data-only.
While you do get a South Korean phone number (+82), you cannot top-up your SIM card to respond to SMS or even make calls.
But you can receive calls (but not SMS… which I found out the hard way 🥲).
This is unlike KT South Korea and LG U+, which allow you to add credit for outgoing calls and SMS.
Anyway, you can pay for your SIM by card or cash (Korean Won only if paying with cash) from the SK Telecom booth.
This does not apply to WiFi Dosirak, which only accepts card payments.
But here it sells different SIM cards than you would get from SK Telecom – the offering is worse:
| Price | Data | Validity |
|---|---|---|
| 16 500 KRW | “Unlimited”, 1 GB/day (5 GB) | 5 days |
| 28 500 KRW | “Unlimited”, 1 GB/day (10 GB) | 10 days |
| 50 000 KRW | “Unlimited”, 1 GB/day (20 GB) | 20 days |
| 60 500 KRW | “Unlimited”, 1 GB/day (30 GB) | 30 days |
1 +unlimited data at unspecified throttled speeds after exhausting your high-speed data allowance
Sure, these plans are cheaper than SIM cards sold by SK Telecom directly (around 10 000 KRW for each option, aka 7.40 USD).
But I am unsure if your speeds will be throttled @ 10 Mbps at all times, like with SK Telecom SIM cards, in addition to getting only 1 GB of data daily.
The salesperson could not tell me; she usually sells mobile hotspots or travel SIM cards (the plans shown below).
Anyway, I have a recommendation for you if you plan on getting an SK Telecom SIM card (from SK Telecom and not from WiFi Dosirak).
I recommend pre-ordering your SK Telecom SIM card online or outright buying the eSIM variant online.
You may have seen the Korea SIM website (krsim.net).
This is a legitimate website – it is a collaborative project between SK Telecom, KT South Korea & LG U+.
When you pre-order your SIM card (Korea Gold SIM card and Korea Red eSIM are by SK Telecom), you can get discounts of up to 30% compared to buying the SIM card or eSIM at the airport.
For example, the 20-day plan costs 60 500 KRW, about 46.20 USD at the time of writing.
If you pre-order (SIM card) or buy (eSIM) it on the Krsim.net website, you will pay 42.70 USD instead.
Based on the screenshot above, you may think these are promotional prices and will change in the future.
This promotion has been going on since at least 2019… so it is a permanent promotion 🤣.
(But I did notice the prices have gone down since August 2022 (yes, I keep track of them 🤓). See the old prices below).
In my case, I bought the Korea Red eSIM through the website.
I received it instantly by email a few weeks before arrival and installed it when I arrived in Seoul (Gimpo).
As expected, it worked immediately.
The only thing I was disappointed about is that the description of the Korea Red eSIM does not mention that your speeds are throttled (unlike at the airport or in the Korea SIM Card Gold description).
Only you will not experience a speed drop.
This was true at the time of purchase (April 2023) and the time of writing (June 2023 – and still not the case in October 2023).
So I bought the eSIM thinking I would get full speeds on the SK Telecom network, only to be disappointed 😒.
If your phone supports eSIM and you do not mind throttled speeds (10 Mbps), get the Korea Red eSIM from the krsim.net website – you will save time at the airport.
If your phone does not support eSIM, but the same conditions apply, pre-order the Korea Gold SIM card so that you can save some $$$.
Like most places in East Asia, you must hand over your passport as part of South Korea's SIM card registration laws.
This whole process will take up to a minute (when you are being served – the queue before speaking to the salesperson can take a while).
If you do not want to deal with South Korea's SIM card registration requirements but still want to be connected here, consider a travel eSIM that can be used in the country.
Why does it matter? Optus from Australia had a large-scale hack where the identities of more than 10 million people were stolen in October 2022, including mine 🤯.
Luckily for me, only basic (and outdated) info was leaked.
My boyfriend's passport document number was also stolen, so that was nice 🫠.
And hacks like this happen all the time – apparently. 1.3 billion SIM card registration-related data was stolen in Indonesia around the same time 😒.
Anyway, I write about the best travel eSIMs for South Korea in my Best South Korea eSIM buying guide.
I even tried many of them extensively for my South Korean eSIM review series.
What SIM Cards & Plans Does KT South Korea Sell at Seoul-Gimpo International Airport (+Prices)?
KT South Korea sells its tourist SIM cards at Seoul-Gimpo International Airport, costing between 6600 KRW and 143 000 KRW.
eSIMs are available for the same prices as SIM cards, but I will keep writing “SIM cards” instead of “SIM cards and eSIMs” throughout this section, but whatever I write applies to both.
I will list all the prices in KRW (KRW).
To convert KRW to your currency (let's say JPY – Japanese Yen) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.
KT South Korea, formerly Korea Telekom & Olleh, is the second-largest mobile operator in South Korea.
Currently, it has the best 5G NR availability.
But you cannot use its 5G NR network with its tourist SIM cards (but you can with the Alosim South Korea eSIM – more about it later, but I have a review about it too).
Unlike SK Telecom, KT South Korea does not throttle the speeds of its tourist SIM card.
Moreover, call and texting options are available too (at additional fees – but incoming calls and SMS are always free).
Anyway, as soon as you pass customs, you will see the three booths of SK Telecom, KT South Korea & LG U+ next to each other – KT South Korea's is on the right.
Here, the following eight SIM cards are available, ranging from one day to 90 days:
| Price | Data 1 | Validity |
|---|---|---|
| 6600 KRW 2 | 10 GB + 2 GB | 1 day |
| 18 000 KRW 2 | 10 GB + 2 GB/day (6 GB) | 3 days |
| 27 500 KRW | 10 GB + 2 GB/day (10 GB) | 5 days |
| 33 500 KRW | 10 GB + 2 GB/day (14 GB) | 7 days |
| 38 500 KRW | 10 GB + 2 GB/day (20 GB) | 10 days |
| 47 300 KRW 3 | 10 GB + 2 GB/day (30 GB) | 15 days |
| 60 500 KRW 2 | 10 GB + 2 GB/day (40 GB) | 20 days |
| 71 500 KRW | 10 GB + 2 GB/day (60 GB) | 30 days |
| 107 200 KRW | 10 GB + 2 GB/day (120 GB) | 60 days |
| 143 000 KRW | 10 GB + 2 GB/day (180 GB) | 90 days |
1 +unlimited data @ 3 Mbps after exhausting your data allowance
2 sold offline only
3 sold online only
All KT South Korea plans come with unlimited data, which is why the salespeople do not ask how much data you need but how long you are staying instead.
Unlike SK Telecom, which throttles your speeds @ 10 Mbps at all times, KT South Korea does it differently.
The first 10 GB, regardless of your chosen plan, is at full speed.
Additionally, you get 2 GB of unrestricted speeds as well.
When you have exhausted both high-speed data allowances, your speeds will be throttled @ 3 Mbps, which is noticeably slow.
I am not sure what is up with South Korean mobile operators throttling everything, but whatever 🤷🏿♂️.
You can pay for your SIM by card or cash (Korean Won only if paying with cash) from the KT South Korea booth.
This does not apply to WiFi Dosirak, which only accepts card payments.
Here, it sells similar SIM cards (no eSIMs) as KT South Korea, but you do not have as much choice here (only four options):
| Price | Data | Validity |
|---|---|---|
| 18 000 KRW | 10 GB + 2 GB/day (6 GB) | 3 days |
| 27 500 KRW | 10 GB + 2 GB/day (10 GB) | 5 days |
| 33 500 KRW | 10 GB + 2 GB/day (14 GB) | 7 days |
| 33 500 KRW | 10 GB + 2 GB/day (20 GB) | 10 days |
1 +unlimited data @ 3 Mbps after exhausting your data allowance
Do not be fooled by the image above because you do not get unthrottled unlimited data from WiFi Dosirak (if you did, I would have recommended its SIM cards over the ones sold by KT South Korea directly).
But as you can see, if you need a SIM card for more than ten days, you better go to the KT South Korea stall.
Also if you want (more) support, because the salespeople at WiFi Dosirak are used to dealing with those wanting to purchase mobile hotspots or travel SIM cards (the plans shown below).
In fact, she looked at me like this 🤨 when I was asking questions about SIM cards – especially when there was literally no queue at any of the stalls of the mobile operators further left 🤣.
Anyway, I have a recommendation for you if you plan on getting a KT South Korea SIM card (from KT South Korea and not from WiFi Dosirak).
I recommend pre-ordering your KT South Korea SIM card online or outright buying the eSIM variant online.
You may have seen the Korea SIM website (krsim.net).
This is a legitimate website – it is a collaborative project between SK Telecom, KT South Korea & LG U+.
When you pre-order your SIM card (Korea SIM Blue Plus SIM card is by KT South Korea), you can get discounts of up to 30% compared to buying the SIM card or eSIM at the airport.
In my case, I did not buy any KT South Korea SIM cards because I decided to try out the Alosim South Korea eSIM instead.
While it is not powered by KT South Korea at all (it is powered by StarHub from Singapore instead), it did have 5G NR access on the network.
Which is something you do not get with any South Korean SIM card (hopefully for the time being only).
The Alosim South Korea eSIM was the only travel eSIM I tested in the country with 5G NR access, and the results did not disappoint.
Not only did I have 5G NR reception almost everywhere in Seoul, but the speeds were incredibly fast too (an average download speed of 164.66 Mbps).
So if you do not mind having fixed data allowances (up to 10 GB) and want 5G NR access, you may want to consider the Alosim South Korea eSIM instead.
Anyway, back to KT South Korea, like most places in East Asia, you must hand over your passport as part of South Korea's SIM card registration laws.
This whole process will take up to a minute (when you are being served – the queue before speaking to the salesperson can take a while).
If you do not want to deal with South Korea's SIM card registration requirements but still want to be connected here, consider a travel eSIM that can be used in the country.
Why does it matter? Optus from Australia had a large-scale hack where the identities of more than 10 million people were stolen in October 2022, including mine 🤯.
Luckily for me, only basic (and outdated) info was leaked.
In my boyfriend's case, his passport document number was also stolen… so that was nice 🫠.
And hacks like this happen all the time – apparently. 1.3 billion SIM card registration-related data was stolen in Indonesia around the same time 😒.
Anyway, I write about the best travel eSIMs for South Korea in my Best South Korea eSIM buying guide.
I even tried many of them extensively for my South Korean eSIM review series.
What SIM Cards & Plans Does LG U+ Sell at Seoul-Gimpo International Airport (+Prices)?
LG U+ sells its tourist SIM cards at Seoul-Gimpo International Airport, costing between 6600 KRW and 143 000 KRW.
eSIMs are available for the same prices as SIM cards, but I will keep writing “SIM cards” instead of “SIM cards and eSIMs” throughout this section, but whatever I write applies to both.
I will list all the prices in KRW (KRW).
To convert KRW to your currency (let's say JPY – Japanese Yen) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.
LG U+ is the smallest mobile operator in South Korea.
But that does not mean it is a bad mobile operator – not at all.
Especially its plans offered to tourists – it is a good, or slightly better, than the other two.
Unlike SK Telecom, LG U+ does not throttle the speeds of its tourist SIM card.
At least… not until you hit a fair-use limit. But we will talk about that later.
Anyway, as soon as you pass customs, you will see the three booths of SK Telecom, KT South Korea & LG U+ next to each other – LG U+' is in the middle.
Here, the following eight SIM cards are available, ranging from five days to 60 days:
| Price | Data 1 | Validity |
|---|---|---|
| 27 500 KRW | “Unlimited”, 3 GB/day (15 GB) | 5 days |
| 35 000 KRW | “Unlimited”, 3 GB/day (21 GB) | 7 days |
| 38 500 KRW | “Unlimited”, 3 GB/day (30 GB) | 10 days |
| 55 000 KRW | “Unlimited”, 3 GB/day (45 GB) | 15 days |
| 60 500 KRW | “Unlimited”, 3 GB/day (60 GB) | 20 days |
| 71 500 KRW | “Unlimited”, 3 GB/day (90 GB) | 30 days |
| 99 000 KRW | “Unlimited”, 3 GB/day (120 GB) | 40 days |
| 143 000 KRW | “Unlimited”, 3 GB/day (180 GB) | 60 days |
1 +unlimited data @ 5 Mbps after exhausting your daily high-speed data allowance
And for the record, if you only use 2 GB of data one day, you will not be able to use 4 GB of high-speed data the day after.
So there is no data banking of some sort – unfortunate, I know 😭.
Moreover, you can add call credit to your SIM card so that you can make calls (incoming calls and SMS are included for free).
Anyway, you can pay for your SIM by card or cash (Korean Won only if paying with cash).
But… if you have an iPhone, I recommend buying an eSIM (Korea eSIM Sky) online to save time.
You may have seen the Korea SIM website (krsim.net).
This is a legitimate website – it is a collaborative project between SK Telecom, KT South Korea & LG U+.
Unlike SK Telecom and KT South Korea, where you can pre-order your SIM card on the website (Korea SIM Purple for SK Telecom and Korea SIM Blue Plus for KT South Korea), this is impossible for LG U+.
Except for its eSIM variant.
Why the eSIM is restricted to iPhones, I do not know (and no, I did not buy a test eSIM to see if it would work on Android 🤪).
But if you have an Android (except for Google Pixel devices), you can also purchase the 10-day and 30-day variants from Airalo.
But be aware that you will pay a premium if you purchase your LG U+ eSIM through Airalo (up to 10 USD more than what LU U+ would charge you at the airport and the Krsim.net website).
I bought my LG U+ eSIM from Airalo to save time (because I only wanted to test eSIMs while in South Korea).
I talk more about my experience in my LG U+ review, but there is no difference in the eSIMs sold by LG U+ directly or Airalo, except for the support channels and prices.
Like most places in East Asia, you must hand over your passport as part of South Korea's SIM card registration laws.
This whole process will take up to a minute (when you are being served – the queue before speaking to the salesperson can take a while).
If you do not want to deal with South Korea's SIM card registration requirements but still want to be connected here, consider a travel eSIM that can be used in the country.
Why does it matter? Optus from Australia had a large-scale hack where the identities of more than 10 million people were stolen in October 2022, including mine 🤯.
Luckily for me, only basic (and outdated) info was leaked.
In my boyfriend's case, his passport document number was also stolen… so that was nice 🫠.
And hacks like this happen all the time – apparently. 1.3 billion SIM card registration-related data was stolen in Indonesia around the same time 😒.
Anyway, I write about the best travel eSIMs for South Korea in my Best South Korea eSIM buying guide.
I even tried many of them extensively for my South Korean eSIM review series.