phones Country calling codes · EN / 中文
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South Korea +82

International code · Asia

How to dial

Calling from abroad +82 10 1234 5678

Dial +82, then the local number. Drop the leading trunk prefix 0. E.g. the landline 02 1234 5678 is dialled from abroad as +82 2 1234 5678. Generate the full number →

Calling a mobile locally 010 1234 5678

For domestic long distance dial 0 first, then the area code. Local calls: dial directly. Mobiles are dialled with the leading 0 as well.

Mobile length
10 digits
Mobile prefixes
XX XXXX XXXX
Landline format
0X XXXX XXXXe.g. 02 1234 5678
International format
+82 X XXXX XXXX
Domestic trunk
0

Sign-up availability

What to expect when signing up for these services with a physical SIM from this country:

ChatGPT Works
Claude Works
WhatsApp Works
Telegram Works
LINE Works
WeChat Works
X Works
TikTok Works
Gemini Works

Applies to every platform: VoIP / virtual numbers and heavily-reused number pools get rejected. Physical SIM only.

Checked 2026-09-12. Platform region policies and number-range allocations change — always confirm against each platform’s official supported-regions list and the carrier’s notices.
2 sources
help.openai.com/articles/7947663support.google.com/gemini?p=gemini_web_availability

How to read a number

+821012345678

+82Country code
South Korea.
10Mobile code
Written 010 domestically — the 0 is the trunk prefix. All three carriers share 010: new numbers have used it since 2004, and the old 011/016/017/018/019 were fully merged in 2021.
1234Middle 4 digits
Just part of the number — it doesn’t reveal the carrier.
5678Subscriber number
Assigned to the individual user.

Domestic format: 010-1234-5678.

This section checked 2026-09-13.
2 sources
en.namu.wiki/w/010www.expatfocus.com/south-korea/guide/south-korea-landlines-and-mobile-phones

Number ranges & quality

RangeTypeNotes
010 Mobile carrier South Korea's only mobile range (still predominantly 010 after number portability).
070 VoIP Internet telephony; rejected by services that require SMS verification.
Intl SMSStable
Virtual-number riskMedium
ID requiredRegistration is mandatory: foreigners can open a prepaid SIM on a passport but only one line; postpaid generally needs an Alien Registration Card.

Note that 070 in South Korea is internet telephony, unlike in most other countries — do not assume 070 means a mobile number.

Carriers & prefixes

Mobile prefixes by carrier.

Number portability applies — a prefix only shows the original carrier.

Porting rules in full

Since 2004; all three use 010, so the number doesn’t reveal the carrier.

  • SK Telecom Mobile carrier

    The largest, with about half of subscribers.

  • KT Mobile carrier
  • LG U+ Mobile carrier
This section checked 2026-09-13.
2 sources
en.namu.wiki/w/010www.expatfocus.com/south-korea/guide/south-korea-landlines-and-mobile-phones

SIM cards & keeping a number

South Korea has no long-term keep-number card for visitors. Tourists can open a prepaid SIM with a passport, but to fight phone fraud the government has cut the number of lines a foreigner can open on a passport from two to one (December 2025 briefing). Face authentication at activation began in phases on 6 July 2026 for Korean IDs; for alien registration cards and passports it is targeted for the second half of 2026.

Read more

Long-term use generally needs an Alien Registration Card and a postpaid plan. Whether a prepaid SIM can roam and receive SMS abroad depends on the network and plan — check with the operator before leaving.

Korean prepaid SIM (SKT / KT / LG U+ networks)

Local prepaid
Network
SKT / KT / LG U+ and their MVNOs
Price
Varies
Keeping the number
SK Telecom (official): service stops automatically when the balance is used up or the usage period ends; the number is kept for 90 days after the period ends and then cancelled automatically. Other operators may differ.
ID check
Passport is enough for prepaid, but foreigners can open only one line on a passport; postpaid generally needs a passport, ARC and a Korean bank account
SMS & calls
Whether prepaid can roam and receive SMS abroad depends on the network and plan — check with the operator before leaving

Pros

  • Tourists can get one with a passport
  • The number is kept for 90 days after suspension (SK Telecom)

Watch out

  • Only one line per passport for foreigners
  • Hard to keep long-term after leaving, and many Korean sites require local identity verification
4 sources
m.tworld.co.kr/customer/faq/view?category=%EA%B0%80%EC%9E%85/%EB%B3%80%EA%B2%BD/%ED%95%B4%EC%A7%80+%3E+%EA%B0%80%EC%9E%85/%EB%B3%80%EA%B2%BD/%ED%95%B4%EC%A7%80&faq_Id=0000000350www.korea.kr/briefing/policyBriefingView.do?newsId=156736787www.korea.kr/news/policyNewsView.do?newsId=148967396visainfo-korea.com/entry/%EC%99%B8%EA%B5%AD%EC%9D%B8-%ED%95%9C%EA%B5%AD-%ED%9C%B4%EB%8C%80%ED%8F%B0-%EA%B0%9C%ED%86%B5-%EB%B0%A9%EB%B2%95-%EC%B4%9D%EC%A0%95%EB%A6%AC%EF%BD%9C%EC%99%B8%EA%B5%AD%EC%9D%B8%EB%93%B1%EB%A1%9D%EC%A6%9D-%EC%97%86%EC%9D%B4%EB%8F%84-%EA%B0%80%EB%8A%A5%ED%95%A0%EA%B9%8C-2026

From user and blogger reports; platform risk rules change often — treat as a guide only. This section checked 2026-09-15.

Community tips

  • 韩国实名制很严，外国人也要拿外国人登录证才能办卡，纯游客基本拿不到能收验证码的本地 SIM。

    个人实测 · 2026-08

  • 游客 eSIM 大多只给流量、不分配能收短信的号码，注册不了需要短信验证的账号。

    reddit · 2026-08

Reader-reported, for reference only; not a registration guarantee. Official platform rules apply. Tips are shown in the original language as submitted.

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Other countries

Elsewhere in Asia