Seoul – known for its temples, palaces & teahouses.
It is the largest city in South Korea, and also the most visited.
Seoul is home to two airports: Seoul-Incheon International Airport (ICN) and Seoul-Gimpo International Airport (GMP).
The latter used to be the city's main international airport until 2001 when it was replaced by Incheon 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).
But in most cases, you will fly into Seoul Incheon International Airport, so you are at the right guide.
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 (109.15 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-Incheon International Airport 😎.
Anyway, let's review all your options and see if getting a SIM card at Seoul-Incheon International Airport is even worth it.
Original publication: 17th of June 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-Incheon 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-Incheon International Airport has to offer to us.
Where to Buy a SIM Card (or eSIM) at Seoul-Incheon International Airport
Several booths at Seoul-Incheon International Airport sell SIM cards (and eSIMs) from the three South Korean mobile operators: SK Telecom, KT South Korea & LG U+.
The Big Three have booths at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
So there is no need to go from one terminal to the other if you want to buy a SIM card (especially when it takes quite some time to do so – up to 20 minutes).
And the same counts for domestic arrivals.
Depending on the airline, they will arrive in terminal 1 or 2.
After COVID-19 became endemic, South Korean SIM cards could only be purchased in the arrival halls of the terminals – not within the secure area.
Once you enter the arrival hall, you may see the stalls of the mobile operators in front of you.
Or you have to walk for a bit, depending on your exit.
I only visited Terminal 1 because of time constraints, but the information in this guide can also be applied to Terminal 2 (although the locations are different, of course).
Each mobile operator has at least two booths, meaning you can skip the queues at the stalls in front of arrival exits C and D/airport exits 6 to 9 (they are always the busiest but they cannot be missed).
If you are (literally) blind and need assistance with finding the stalls, tell the person assisting you need to go to a “global roaming” store instead of a SIM card store… you will have more success 😏.
Let's go through each mobile operator to see what they have to offer us at the airport.
What SIM Cards & Plans Does SK Telecom Sell at Seoul-Incheon International Airport (+Prices)?
SK Telecom sells its tourist SIM cards at Seoul-Incheon 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-Incheon 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 1 and 30 days with no speed drop besides the 10 Mbps limit.
Anyway, where can you even find SK Telecom booths (at Terminal 1)?
The most popular one is the one in front of arrival exits D and E or airport exits 9 and 10.
When I say “arrival exit”, it refers to the exit doors after claiming your luggage from the baggage belts. “Airport exits” are the doors to enter or leave the airport.
There is another one in front of arrival exits B and C or airport exits 5 and 6, which is usually less busy.
But it does not matter which store you pick because both sell the same SIM cards.
CU, a convenience store chain in South Korea, also sells SK Telecom SIM cards (Korea Gold SIM cards), but only one option (valid for five days – more about that later).
So you are better off sticking to the SK Telecom booths if you want more options.
One thing to be aware of is that SK Telecom only sells data-only SIM cards.
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.
This is unlike KT South Korea and LG U+, which allow you to add credit for outgoing calls and SMS.
Anyway, when you approach the SK Telecom booth, you often have to pick a number so that fellow travelers do not jump the queue.
Once it is your turn, the salesperson will ask how long you stay in South Korea and whether you want a SIM card or eSIM.
Remember, unlike in a handful of (greedy) countries, you do not pay extra if you select an SK Telecom eSIM.
All SK Telecom 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.
The plans range from one day to 30 days (KT South Korea and LG U+ have plans up to 90 days. SK Telecom is introducing a 60-day plan soon).
The following six starter packs are available:
| 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
2 also sold at CU convenience stores on the 1st floor (the same floor as where the SK Telecom booths are)
These are not the cheapest prices for (East) Asian standards, but you get “unlimited” data in return.
You can pay for your SIM by card or cash (Korean Won only if paying with cash).
But… 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.
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 KT South Korea Sell at Seoul-Incheon International Airport (+Prices)?
KT South Korea sells its tourist SIM cards at Seoul-Incheon 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 (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).
KT South Korea has its booths in front of arrival exit E or airport exits 10 and 11 (terminal 1).
And another one in front of arrival exits C or airport exits 6 and 7 (terminal 1), which is usually less busy.
But it does not matter which store you pick because both sell the same SIM cards.
CU, a convenience store chain in South Korea, also sells KT South Korea SIM cards (Korea Blue Plus SIM card), but two options (valid for seven and 15 days – more about those later).
So you are better off sticking to the KT South Korea booths if you want more options.
When it is your turn (after picking a number), the salesperson will ask how long you are staying in South Korea and whether you want a SIM card or eSIM.
You do not pay extra if you select a KT South Korea eSIM.
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 🤷🏿♂️.
Anyway, KT South Korea's plans range from five days to 90 days.
The following ten plans are available:
| 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
These are not the cheapest prices for (East) Asian standards.
You can pay for your SIM by card or cash (Korean Won only if paying with cash).
But… 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-Incheon International Airport (+Prices)?
LG U+ sells its tourist SIM cards at Seoul-Incheon 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.
LG U+ has its booths in front of arrival exit E or airport exits 10 and 11 (terminal 1).
And another one in front of arrival exits C or airport exits 6 and 7 (terminal 1), which is usually less busy.
But it does not matter which store you pick because both sell the same SIM cards.
Unlike SK Telecom and KT South Korea, CU, a convenience store chain in South Korea, does not sell LG U+ SIM cards.
When it is your turn (after picking a number), the salesperson will ask how long you are staying in South Korea and whether you want a SIM card or eSIM.
You do not pay extra if you select an LG U+ eSIM.
All LG U+ 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, LG U+ does it differently.
You get 3 GB of high-speed (unthrottled) data per day.
After exhausting your data, you can still browse the web @ 5 Mbps.
This is slightly more generous than KT South Korea (where you get 2 GB of daily high-speed data and your speed drops to 3 Mbps).
I am not sure what is up with South Korean mobile operators throttling everything, but whatever 🤷🏿♂️.
Anyway, LG U's plans range from five days to 60 days.
The following eight plans are available:
| 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.