Mobile Internet in South Korea. South Korea cellular conditions

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I already had experience using a phone in Korea, but I used a simple phone. Now I'm thinking about a smartphone. But I can't find a clear explanation Is it necessary or not to deposit the cost of the smartphone?. That is, if the deposit is the cost of the phone, then for example it would be easier for me to take Russia iPhone and connect the SIM card there.

But then it arises SIM card rental issue.
Olleh has some kind of magic prices .
Unlimited Internet absolutely not.

I understand correctly that you can come with a Russian phone and rent a SIM card.
20,000 won for what? Yes monthly rent?
Or is this some kind of deposit?
How much do calls cost?
How is it replenished?

This is what ordering a SIM card looks like: EG Sim card:

If I select additional Data service option 1 GB
So 16,500 won is that for a month? Per day?
1 GB per month? For a day?
WiFi only?
Is there no 3G at all?

For 30 days validity period,

We offer 3 different data plans depending on the amount of data you need.

1) 1GB is 16,500 KRW (Olleh wi-fi is available, 30 day-Validity),

2) 500MB is 11,000 KRW (Olleh wi-fi is available, 30 day-Validity),

3) 100MB is 5,500 KRW (Olleh wi-fi is unavailable, 30 day-Validity)

Should I return it?

How much do domestic calls cost?

Why is SK Telekom more expensive than olleh?

Or is this an illusion?

SK Telekom:

If we take DATA Rate (Optional for smart phone rental) - then " Rental Fees "You also have to pay, or only DATA Rate?
If you rent a smartphone, do you need to pay some kind of security deposit for it, or not?

Service Rate * Plus 10% of V.A.T

	KRW 3,000/day
DATA Rate (Optional for smart phone rental)	Flat-Rate 3G DATA	KRW 6,000/day	1GB/day For extra data usage, KRW 5/0.5KB will be applied Free Wi-Fi in T Wi-Fi zones
DATA Rate (Optional for smart phone rental)	Flat-Rate Wi-Fi Only	KRW 2,000/day	Free Wi-Fi in T Wi-Fi zones
	Local Calls	KRW 10/second	Free incoming calls Video Call: KRW 15/second
	International Calls	International call rate/second + KRW 10/second
	SMS	KRW 100/SMS (Outbound)	Photo MMS: KRW 1,000/SMS Video MMS:KRW 2,200/SMS

Olleh
Is LTE better than 3G?

If yes, then why the same price?

You can enjoy unlimited 3G and LTE data service in Korea

Unlimited 3G DATA

Unlimited LTE DATA

Service Fee
(VAT included)

5,000KRW/Day

Available phone type

iPhone3, iPhone 4,
GALAXY Note1(SHV-E160)

GALAXY R Style (SHV-E170K), iPhone5

∙ Available to use unlimited 3G DATA
∙ Available to use unlimited WiFi in the olleh WiFi zone

/A
DATA Rate (Optional)	Flat-Rate 3G DATA	KRW 6,000/day	1GB/day For extra data usage, KRW 5/0.5KB will be applied.
DATA Rate (Optional)	Flat-Rate Wi-Fi only	KRW 2,000/day	Can use free Wi-Fi services

· The call rate is same as the service rate for “ mobile phone rental (including SIM)”.

∙ Available to use unlimited 3G+LTE DATA
∙ Available to use unlimited WiFi in the olleh WiFi zone

SK telekom also offers SIM card rental...
Are they also for European phones? Or will only an iPhone work?
And why is Rental Fees N/A?
And why is WiFi no longer included? Flat-Rate 3G DATA as above?

Rent a Korean SIM Card and insert it in your own smart phone
Confirm with your Telco for country lock release
· SIM card rental can be processed only after usability test is done at our roaming center.

An extremely important point when traveling in South Korea– a different standard is used there CDMA communications. In Russia, all our phones operate using the GSM standard, but in Korea GSM will not be supported. And if you are the owner of a regular cell phone, then you don’t even have to worry about roaming, and when landing at the airport, feel free to turn off your cell phone for the entire duration of your stay.

P.S.: Some smartphones support CDMA, but beware Chinese fakes. Somewhere on the Internet I saw complaints about the discrepancy between the declared functions and the actual ones.

This problem arises not only for Russians, which is why guests are provided with phone rental services. It’s not so cheap, it’s not entirely clear, but I see only two alternatives: buying a cell phone in Korea or refusing to use a cell phone at all.

Is it easy to buy a cell phone in South Korea?

I am not sure. Here in my provincial town there are all sorts of Eurosets at every turn. In Seoul, however, there are also plenty of similar salons, but you still need to learn to distinguish them, and I’m not sure about the length of time it takes to obtain a SIM card. I read somewhere that this is not done in one day.

Is it possible to do without a mobile phone at all?

Perhaps yes. Especially if you have no one to call in Korea. There are pay phones at every metro station. I haven’t tested them, but I’ve seen that people are actively using them. You can call home from this phone. But in case of an emergency, a cell phone is of course better. I myself made calls or wrote SMS relatively often (in Korea), plus I called home in Russia once a day. And my only emergency (I almost missed my plane to Moscow) would have ended very badly if it weren’t for the phone. But if I didn’t have friends, there would probably be no point in calling.

Where can I rent a phone?

Right at Incheon airport. After passing all checks (fingerprinting, document checks, baggage checks), go to the public part of the airport on the 1st floor and look for the telephone counter. There are girls behind the counter who speak English. The procedure takes about 10 minutes. I used the services of SK Telecom http://www.skroaming.com/en/rent/rental.asp/

They really didn’t offer me a choice of a smartphone or a regular one, they immediately gave me something like the one in the picture.

How much does it cost?

It cost me 3000 won per day. I stopped, they stated that they give discounts if the period is long.
Calls are more expensive than in Russia. SMS messages are also not cheap by our standards. And if you call Russia, you'll end up going broke ^^ But that's in my opinion. It makes no sense to write prices here, they change, and, I think, depend on the company.

Mobile communications in Korea

South Korea has a different mobile communication standard than Russia and Europe - in Korea there are CDMA standards and IMT2000, whereas we are accustomed GSM standard. However, you may not notice this difference if you have a mobile phone that supports 3G communications (and this is almost all modern devices). The connection will work if roaming is enabled. Those who want to save on tariffs for international calls can purchase a SIM card local operator(KT, Olleh, SK Telecom or LG Telecom). This can only be done on the third day of your stay in Korea (you need a passport with a stamp with the date of arrival in Korea). Most cheap tariff costs approximately ₩5000 for a month of calls + ₩10000 for a SIM card. Behind Mobile Internet need to pay separately.

If your mobile phone does not support 3G, then, sadly, it will not work in Korea. However, this is not as scary as it might seem. There is a service that offers to rent a mobile phone (usually an iPhone) that works on the Korean network. You can purchase a mobile phone for rent right at the airport - this map shows the places where the corresponding services are provided. Approximate price₩3000-4000 for each day. You will need to leave your phone as collateral.

In addition, you can call home from a landline phone or from a pay phone located on the street. You can pay for a call at a machine using special telephone cards (sold in stores and hotels) or coins. Dial order Russian number phone number for calling from Korea: 001 (002 or 008) - 7 - area code - subscriber's phone number.

Phone numbers that may be useful in Korea:

Police - 112
Fire service - 119
Ambulance - 119
Ambulance for foreigners - (02) 790–7561
Tourist information - 1330

Calls can also be made using popular Internet applications: Skype, WhatsApp, Telegram, Weibo or their Korean equivalent - Kakao talk. To do this, you will need to connect to a high-speed Internet source.

If you need Internet access constantly, you can purchase it for rent. wi-fi router. Just like a mobile phone, you can rent it directly from or at the branches of local telecom operators. Estimated price ₩3500-8000 for each day of using the router. You will need to leave ₩200,000 as a deposit. A card to pay for the router can be purchased at small chain stores (CU, Mini Stop, 7-eleven, GS25, etc.) or at the appropriate branch of the local telecom operator.

You can also connect paid wi-fi on your phone, which will cost approximately ₩1000 for each hour of Internet use or ₩2000 per day. To do this, you will need to connect your phone to the appropriate network and buy wi-fi access on the Internet page that opens.

So-so…. Many people, when they come to Korea for the first time, encounter problems with cellular communications. Yes, it’s not for you to fly to Europe lol Here I will tell you only about mobile communications, since that’s all I used. But you can, of course, also call using cards from landline phone or from telephone booths (about 3 minutes in Korea it costs 50 won, you can buy cards, or you can throw coins).

The main difficulty is that your phone may simply not work in Korea, I mean the device itself. Why? Yes, because they have a different communication standard

CDMA-1800. So, for example, even if you have a phone from a Korean company, it is not a fact that it will receive reception, since it was made specifically for Russia. How do you know if your phone is working? No way, come and find out ^_^ I tormented everyone in London, no one could tell me anything. So I flew to Seoul and immediately rented a phone. It’s not difficult to find such points with telephone numbers; there are several of them at the airport and if you need anything you can ask at the information desk. The cost of renting a phone is approximately the same. Tariffs can be viewed on the website. I wouldn't say it's very expensive. Since if you only arrived for a week, then there is absolutely no point in buying a SIM card! Now I'll tell you why.

Firstly, as I rented a phone, while driving to the hostel, I decided to turn on mine. And he did earn it! I had an iPhone back then 3. So if you have iPhone feel free to fly, it will work ^_-They rented it to me Anycall folding bed I don’t know why, but it made me very happy, it’s so big and... Korean ^_^* I want to say right away that I read reviews on other sites about renting phones, and I had a question: why do you need a phone? It seems to me that for calls and SMS. And that is, especially “fashionable” ones: why doesn’t he take photographs, why isn’t he with a player, and so on. Well, I don’t know, you’ll splurge on a normal phone to rent! Moreover, in mine, for example, it was all there. So, I ended up returning this beauty after 3 days, since I arrived exactly on the weekend and paid something like 15,000 won for everything. The deposit was returned to me immediately (however, their deposit is not small, about 400 dollars)! And I called it, by the way, so don’t think that they only took money from me for rent.

Lotte Department store . I chose the company SK telecom . Secondly, they could only give me the card after three days after arrival, so if you’re staying for a week, still better rent or then already roaming. They won’t just give you a SIM card, you need a passport and phone data, which they take from the phone itself (I just gave the device to the girl). So you won’t be able to move the card into different devices. They are doing a lot of something on the computer and if everything is in order, then you need to wait an hour. I walked around, came and they finally gave me my SIM card. But there was one problem, I couldn’t access the Internet from it, they have this rule, but everywhere wi-fi Yes, so I wasn’t particularly hurt. Now for the prices, secondly, it’s better to come with cash, since they only charge cash for a SIM card, the price is something like 3 thousand won. I put in 15,000 won, and then another 10,000 won and it was enough for me all the time and for my eyes. It seems to me that there is still some left there, to be honest) I corresponded a lot, including with foreign (non-Korean) friends, so the prices are quite reasonable.

There is also a lot of discussion on the Internet about the fact that in post office employees barely speak English. Why did you decide that they should? You guys came to Korea)) But in fact, they speak very well, but not all of them, but you will always find someone who speaks. Or maybe you have problems with the English language, no?! I personally understood everything perfectly well when I rented and when I handed over the phone and when I bought a SIM card (and then a few more for my non-Korean friends). I don’t mean anyone specifically, sorry if I offended anyone personally, but this whole situation on the Internet really angered me...

As for roaming, you can check with your operator. As for rent, if you need exact figures, then dial

Google : rent phone in Seoul (South Korea ) and they will give you a lot of links ^_- If you have any problems, write: I will help you in any way I can =^_^= You can also book a phone in advance on the Internet, but then you need to know exactly where to go, and not go to the nearest operator. Regarding rental prices: they charge on average about 1,000 won daily for service, plus if you rent for long term, then there are discounts. In general, there are packages with units - minutes and SMS. Everything works out very individually for everyone, and I can’t give you a specific amount. I don’t know how much more you call or text, and much more to Korea or abroad. So it’s still better to check on the Internet at rental sites.

Here is my experience of using cellular communications in Korea. I can’t say that I went straight broke on it. Not at all, the prices are quite reasonable, you will spend more on roaming. So, in Korea, with mobile communications, everything is serious, but don’t worry, go to the operator’s office and they will tell you everything, show you, explain and advise you. And in their large offices there are tables with mirrors and cosmetics and combs for clients, since beauty is important everywhere, even for communication ^_^

And so, we are about to go to South Korea, but we need to always be in touch. With the help of mobile Internet, the problem can be easily solved. Tourist SIM card FreeRoaming provides this opportunity with a single tariff for the entire territory in the host country (in addition, it works in more than 70 countries around the world). Payment for mobile Internet service is made only in case of use. There are no restrictions on traffic use. Internet distribution via Wi-Fi is possible. Tariffs in South Korea for Internet and other services will be as follows:

Now about cellular communications in this country. After all, base stations of local operators are used and we will be interested to know about this.

Mobile communications in South Korea are very well developed. But it has a number of its own nuances, such as communication in China or the USA, namely: the main voice standard is CDMA, and not the GSM standard we are used to. But if your device supports 3G, then there will be no problems. South Korea boasts the most modern 3G communications.

There are three mobile operators in the country: KT (Olleh!), SK Telecom, LG U Plus.

S.K. Telecom– the largest mobile operator in South Korea, controls more than 50% of the cellular market. Founded back in 1984, since then it has built the largest cellular network operating in three standards - CDMA, HSPA+ 3G, LTE (LTE-Advanced) 4G, and also has a WiMAX network.

KT (Olleh!) is the largest telecommunications provider in the country. Provides both mobile and fixed-line communication services, founded in 1983. Currently it operates in the following standards – 3G (HSPA+), 4G (LTE, LTE-A) as well as the WiMAX standard.

LG U Plus is the third largest mobile operator in South Korea. Founded in 1996, in the same year a license was obtained to provide cellular communication services in the CDMA standard. Now the operator operates in two standards CDMA (EVDO Rev.B) and LTE (LTE-Advanced).

The roaming card for tourists will be serviced in the first two operator networks. Accordingly, mobile Internet service in South Korea will be provided by them. You can buy a SIM card before your trip; the price indicated on the website is current. We are located in Moscow, we also ship to other settlements Russia. Stay in touch and have a good trip!

So-so…. Many people, when they come to Korea for the first time, encounter problems with cellular communications. Yes, it’s not for you to fly to Europe lol Here I will tell you only about mobile communications, since that’s all I used. But you can, of course, make calls using cards from a landline phone or from telephone booths (about 3 minutes in Korea it costs 50 won, you can buy cards, or you can throw in coins).

The main difficulty is that your phone may simply not work in Korea, I mean the device itself. Why? Yes, because they have a different communication standardCDMA-1800. So, for example, even if you have a phone from a Korean company, it is not a fact that it will receive reception, since it was made specifically for Russia. How do you know if your phone is working? No way, come and find out ^_^ I tormented everyone in London, no one could tell me anything. So I flew to Seoul and immediately rented a phone. It’s not difficult to find such points with telephone numbers; there are several of them at the airport and if you need anything you can ask at the information desk. The cost of renting a phone is approximately the same. Tariffs can be viewed on the website. I wouldn't say it's very expensive. Since if you only arrived for a week, then there is absolutely no point in buying a SIM card! Now I'll tell you why.

Firstly, as I rented a phone, while driving to the hostel, I decided to turn on mine. And he did earn it! I had theniPhone3. So if you haveiPhonefeel free to fly, it will work ^_-They rented it to meAnycallfolding bed I don’t know why, but it made me very happy, it’s so big and... Korean ^_^* I want to say right away that I read reviews on other sites about renting phones, and I had a question: why do you need a phone? It seems to me that for calls and SMS. And that is, especially “fashionable” ones: why doesn’t he take photographs, why isn’t he with a player, and so on. Well, I don’t know, you’ll splurge on a normal phone to rent! Moreover, in mine, for example, it was all there. So, I ended up returning this beauty after 3 days, since I arrived exactly on the weekend and paid something like 15,000 won for everything. The deposit was returned to me immediately (however, their deposit is not small, about 400 dollars)! And I called it, by the way, so don’t think that they only took money from me for rent.

Since my phone worked, I decided to buy a SIM card. I do this everywhere and I already have a whole box of different SIM cards). But in Seoul everything turned out to be not so simple. Firstly, I had to go to the central office, it’s good that it wasn’t far from me, it’s aboutLotteDepartmentstore. I chose the companyS.K.telecom. Secondly, they could only give me the card after three days after arrival, so if you’re staying for a week, it’s still better to rent or then roam. They won’t just give you a SIM card, you need a passport and phone data, which they take from the phone itself (I just gave the device to the girl). So you won’t be able to move the card into different devices. They are doing a lot of something on the computer and if everything is in order, then you need to wait an hour. I walked around, came and they finally gave me my SIM card. But there was one problem, I couldn’t access the Internet from it, they have this rule, but everywherewi- fiYes, so I wasn’t particularly hurt. Now for the prices, secondly, it’s better to come with cash, since they only charge cash for a SIM card, the price is something like 3 thousand won. I put in 15,000 won, and then another 10,000 won and it was enough for me all the time and for my eyes. It seems to me that there is still some left there, to be honest) I corresponded a lot, including with foreign (non-Korean) friends, so the prices are quite reasonable.

As for roaming, you can check with your operator. As for rent, if you need exact figures, then dialGoogle : rentphoneinSeoul ( SouthKorea) and they will give you a lot of links ^_- If you have any problems, write: I will help you in any way I can =^_^= You can also book a phone in advance on the Internet, but then you need to know exactly where to go, and not go to the nearest operator. Regarding rental prices: they charge on average about 1,000 won daily for service, plus if you rent for a long time, there are discounts. In general, there are packages with units - minutes and SMS. Everything works out very individually for everyone, and I can’t give you a specific amount. I don’t know how much more you call or text, and much more to Korea or abroad. So it’s still better to check on the Internet at rental sites.

South Korea today is associated with high technology, high-quality medicine, a high human development index and one of the strongest economies. And its neighbor, North Korea, is strongly associated with the Juche ideology, repression, low quality of life, malnutrition and the cult of personality. But still, high technology has not bypassed the most closed country in the world. We decided to compare how things are going in these related states with such an important resource in the modern world - the Internet.

Echoes of War

Until 1945, North and South Korea did not exist - there was a single state of Korea, which occupied the entire Korean Peninsula. From 1910 to 1945, it was part of the Japanese Empire, and after the surrender of Japan, the territory of Korea was divided into Soviet and American zones of influence. In 1948, the creation of two states was proclaimed - the Republic of Korea (South) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North). In 1950, a war broke out between them, which went down in history as the Korean War. Three years later, a ceasefire agreement was signed, ending hostilities. But technically, both Koreas are still at war.

All these events affected the further, completely different paths of development of the countries. They are similar in only one thing - in stirring up hostility towards each other in order to be ready to repel the enemy’s blow at any moment. This vector can be seen very clearly in the history of the development of the Internet in both South and North Korea.

The fastest internet in the world

According to a report by the British company Opensignal, South Korea today has the highest average speed mobile Internet - 41.3 Mbit/s. Further behind are Singapore (31.19) and Hungary (26.15). Also, South Korea has the best 3G/4GA signal. At the same time, the country took third place in time Wi-Fi usage population.

A Brief History of Internet Development in South Korea

The first Korean Internet SDN system appeared quite a long time ago - on May 15, 1982: a computer at the Department of Computer Science at Seoul National University was connected to another computer at the Korea Institute electronic technology(KIET) to Gumi via a 1200-bit leased line. In 1983, SDN was connected to various networks in Asia, as well as North America (HPLABS and Seismo in the USA, CDNNET in Canada) and Europe (MCVAX in the Netherlands). The network connecting Asian countries was called ASIANNET. It included: Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Singapore.

In July 1986, the first IP address (128.134.0.0) was assigned to South Korea. At the same time, the national domain was formally introduced top level- .kr. In 1989, the University of Hawaii became the focal point for the PACCOM (Pacific Communications Networking Project), connecting Australia, Hawaii, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. This is how the HANAnet network appears, and SDN has ceased to be used since 1993. In the 1990s, rapid spread began World Wide Web. In South Korea, the first website was created in 1993, cair.kaist.ac.kr, which was hosted by the Research Center artificial intelligence(CAIR) at KAIST.

Until the late 1990s, South Korean users had a maximum Internet speed of about 64 Kbps. In 1998, Thrunet began providing broadband Internet services at a speed of 1 Mbit/s. In 2004, the number of home broadband users exceeded 11 million (more than 70% of households). The high availability of broadband Internet has allowed Korea to become one of the leading Internet nations. This led to the development of telecommunications technologies and online commerce. For example, the first Internet cafe appeared in Seoul in 1995, and after 4 years their number reached 15,150. In turn, this influenced the growth of the popularity of online games.

But rapid development the Internet quickly appeared negative consequences. In 1995, the Internet Addiction Center was created, which is still functioning. Today, South Korea leads in the number of Internet addicts. The scale of the problem is such that Internet addiction is considered a clinical disease, and the number of rehabilitation centers increases every year.

In order to prevent Internet addiction among adolescents, access to game servers from midnight to six in the morning for persons under 16 years of age. To gain access, players must enter their ID numbers.

Netizens

Since the early 1990s, a netizen movement has emerged, which began to actively defend certain political and social views. Anonymity and easy access to the network encouraged people to be more liberated and socially active. Netizens react very quickly to acute social and political situations in the country, involving everyone in their ranks more people and creating people's network power. In particular, netizens influenced the impeachment of South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

Nationwide Internet of Things

In 2016, the country launched the world's second (after the Netherlands) nationwide Internet of Things. The network is based on LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide-Area Network) technology, which provides significant energy savings. First of all, the network will unite equipment in utility organizations and in the homes of their customers. As a result, it will be possible to remotely take meter readings and connect and disconnect services.

Ban on cheating

South Korea is famous not only for its advanced technologies, but also rather strict laws. In 2016, Parliament adopted amendments to the law on promoting the gaming industry: for the production and distribution of cheating programs you can go to prison for 5 years or pay a fine of $43 thousand. And since the bulk of cheating programs in the world are created in South Korea, the new law can significantly make life easier for all honest players.

Censorship

Despite its status as a country at the forefront of high technology, South Korea became the first state to pass an Internet censorship law. This happened in 1995, and in 2002 the powers of supervisory agencies were expanded.

Today in South Korea you can go to jail for expressing approval of an opposition rally or expressing sympathy for North Korea on the Internet. First of all, all information about North Korea (DPRK) is subject to censorship; the expression of points of view that differs from the official one is not allowed. North Korean news resources are also blocked in South Korea.

North Korea

North Korea only got its own national domain in 2007 - .kp. Before this, government websites, which could be counted on one hand, were hosted in China, Japan, Germany and the USA.

It must be said that it is not for nothing that the DPRK bears the title of “the most closed country in the world.” All computers that arrive or are assembled in North Korea are registered with the state. Banned in the country wireless network(mobile Internet is allowed only for employees of embassies and foreign companies) and the sale of laptops (“for the sake of state security”).

The only main channel connecting the DPRK with the Internet is located in the capital, Pyongyang. Only some organizations that have received official permission have access to the network. First of all, this is the party apparatus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, several scientific institutions and enterprises engaged in foreign economic activity. Moreover, the head of state, Kim Jong-un, personally approves the list of those who are allowed access to the Internet. But even if some organization has received permission, then within it only a select few receive access to the network.

However, North Korea also has its own internal National Network- Gwangmyeon. It is mainly used for email and internal sites that are subject to total censorship. Most of the sites belong to the propaganda and scientific and technical fields. There is information that Gwangmyeon is available to ordinary Koreans today.

An interesting touch: all official websites use a script that checks for the presence of Kim Jong-un's name in the text and slightly enlarges its font.

But even under conditions of total control, the North Koreans manage to somehow obtain information from outside world. True, all the tricks only work in areas bordering China and South Korea. For example, flash drives attached to balloons sometimes arrive from a related country, on which South Koreans record entertainment content or news information. A few kilometers from the Chinese border, brave souls are making calls using smuggled mobile phones. There are rumors that a call lasting more than two minutes is very dangerous for the intruder, since the risk of the signal being intercepted and the source being located is greatly increased.

However, experts note that with Kim Jong-un coming to power, North Koreans are receiving more and more relaxations in the most different areas life, including access to high technology and the Internet. Perhaps in a couple of decades, the hereditary ruler will make the DPRK a sufficiently open country so that its residents have at least a quarter of the online freedoms available to residents of China today. Our next article will be dedicated to the Chinese Internet. Don't switch!

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/ Brief reminder for tourists to Korea

Tips for travelers to Korea.

Mobile communications in Korea has its own standard.

A GSM phone (with a Beeline, MTS, Megafon card) will work in Korea only if it supports the 3G standard (usually modern models smartphones like Apple iPhone, Samsung Galaxy and so on.). This information should be clarified in the instructions for the phone or with your telecom operator.

Russian roaming costs cellular networks in Korea is extremely high. For example, for MEGAFON it is 120-140 rubles per 1 minute of conversation. Alternatively, you can use SIM cards tourist telecom operators such as GOODLINE, where the price of a call is 2-3 times lower. Such cards are sold in EUROSET stores.

Local mobile phone rental available. There are rental shops at Incheon Airport. Some 5* hotels also have Cell Phones. Please note that the price of a call from such a phone is 3-4 dollars/min and will be included in your bill as additional service.

Alternative way calls to the Russian Federation - purchase of a telephone card with a nominal value of 5-10 dollars. With its help you can call from any pay phone. As a rule, such cards support the Russian language.

Money. Everywhere in the service sector we accept credit cards main payment systems. Not all ATMs allow you to get cash using Russian cards.

The local currency is the won, the exchange rate is approximately 1200 won = 1 US dollar. Exchange is carried out in banks or hotels. There is also an exchange office at the airport.

Contact Koreans should be by last name (for example, Mr. Kim, Miss Yuk, etc.), or, if they themselves suggest, by English name(usually these are tourist guides).

The country is absolutely safe In terms of crime, however, you should still follow basic standards of your own safety and monitor the safety of money and documents.

Tips in restaurants and taxis, as a rule, are not accepted or are already included in the bill. In restaurants, it is customary to pay not through the waiter, but by personally approaching the cash register.

To make a purchase DUTY FREE in the city (for example, at Lotte World Jamsil), you must have your passport and air ticket with you, since this product must be delivered by the time of your departure to the airport, where you can receive it using a receipt.

In big cities there are information bureaus of NOTK or tourism departments of the relevant provinces, where you can get a map for free or get the necessary information.

Korean food.

Please note that Korean food is very spicy. Traditionally, it is washed down with plain water or decoction.

The most common drinks are infusions (but not tea), as well as coffee. Regular black tea is not served everywhere.

The main Korean cutlery is steel chopsticks, which are quite difficult for Europeans to eat. Therefore, ask the waiter to bring a fork.

Police phone number -112.

Emergency phone number for travelers- 1330 available on English language.

Embassy and consulate of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Kazakhstan

In Seoul - 34-16 Jeong-dong, Jing-gu, Seoul phone 02-318-2116-8

In the mountains Busan - 8th Floor, Korea Exchange Bank Bldg, 89-1, Jungang-dong 4 (sa)-ga Jung-gu, Busan phone 051-441-9904/5

Comfortable shoes, a warm jacket, toothpaste, brush, shampoo and towel.

Dress-code for official events (gala dinners, etc.) - business casual

When visiting temples and living in them, you should pay attention to following the established routine there - clothing style, rules of behavior, etc. Information about the peculiarities of life in the temple will be brought to you through a guide.

You also need to keep in mind that there is no food of animal origin in the monasteries.

Mobile communications in Korea

South Korea has a different mobile communication standard than Russia and Europe - in Korea the CDMA and IMT2000 standards are used, while we are accustomed to the GSM standard. However, you may not notice this difference if you have a mobile phone that supports 3G communications (and this is almost all modern devices). The connection will work if roaming is enabled. Those who want to save on tariffs for international calls can purchase a SIM card from a local operator (KT, Olleh, SK Telecom or LG Telecom). This can only be done on the third day of your stay in Korea (you need a passport with a stamp with the date of arrival in Korea). The cheapest tariff costs approximately ₩5,000 per month of calls + ₩10,000 per SIM card. You need to pay separately for mobile Internet.

If your mobile phone does not support 3G, then, sadly, it will not work in Korea. However, this is not as scary as it might seem. There is a service that offers to rent a mobile phone (usually an iPhone) that works on the Korean network. You can purchase a mobile phone for rent right at the airport - this map shows the places where the corresponding services are provided. Estimated price ₩3000-4000 per day. You will need to leave your phone as collateral.

In addition, you can call home from a landline phone or from a pay phone located on the street. You can pay for a call at a machine using special telephone cards (sold in stores and hotels) or coins. The procedure for dialing a Russian phone number for a call from Korea: 001 (002 or 008) - 7 - area code - subscriber's phone number.

Phone numbers that may be useful in Korea:

Police - 112
Fire service - 119
Ambulance - 119
Ambulance for foreigners - (02) 790–7561
Tourist information - 1330

If you need Internet access constantly, you can rent a wi-fi router. Just like a mobile phone, you can rent it directly from or at the branches of local telecom operators. Estimated price ₩3500-8000 for each day of using the router. You will need to leave ₩200,000 as a deposit. A card to pay for the router can be purchased at small chain stores (CU, Mini Stop, 7-eleven, GS25, etc.) or at the appropriate branch of the local telecom operator.

You can also connect paid wi-fi on your phone, which will cost approximately ₩1000 for each hour of Internet use or ₩2000 per day. To do this, you will need to connect to the appropriate network on your phone and buy wi-fi access on the Internet page that opens.

EG Sim Card		20,000 KRW
Standard Sim		5,500 KRW