Mobile data in Seoul: Incheon, the subway and day trips
Seoul runs on apps that expect you to be online, from the map that sends you to exit 7 to the taxi you call from a café. This guide follows a visitor from Incheon through the city and out on the usual day trips.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in South Korea?
- Yes. It connects to SKTelecom, LG Uplus (5G).
- Price
- From 4,79 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 7,49 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- No: South Korea is outside EU roaming, so even a plan from an EU country charges it as abroad.
- When does the plan start?
- When your phone first connects to a network in South Korea. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Incheon or Gimpo
Most long-haul flights land at Incheon, on an island west of Seoul. The AREX airport railway runs an express train non-stop to Seoul Station and an all-stop train that calls along the way, at Gimpo Airport, Digital Media City, Hongik University and Gongdeok among others. Limousine buses go to the main districts and many hotels.
Gimpo, much closer in, handles domestic flights and a few short international routes, including Tokyo Haneda, and sits on subway lines 5 and 9 as well as AREX. Wherever you land, switch on the eSIM line and its data roaming before baggage claim, so the route to your accommodation is ready by the time you reach the train. The plan starts with that first connection in Korea.
eSIM for South Korea
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For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Buy up to 180 days before you fly: the plan only starts when the eSIM connects at your destination.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
Exit numbers, taxis and camera translation
Directions in Seoul usually give a station and an exit number, and big stations have many exits, so the map stays open the whole way. The subway has LTE and 5G underground, so you can check the route between stops.
For taxis, Kakao T is the local app, though its sign-up is fiddly for visitors; Uber also works in Seoul with a foreign number and card. Papago, Naver's translator, reads menus and signs through the camera, and that is one of the bigger data users of a Seoul trip. A T-money card pays for the subway, buses and many taxis with a tap, no signal needed.
The DMZ, Suwon and Nami Island
Tours to the DMZ and the Joint Security Area leave from Seoul and require your passport. The area is under military control and tours can change at short notice, so keep the operator's messages coming through. Suwon, with its UNESCO-listed Hwaseong Fortress, is a direct ride on subway Line 1, and Nami Island is reached via Gapyeong, about an hour on the ITX-Cheongchun.
All three are in South Korea, so the eSIM keeps going. The country's only land border is closed to travellers, so you leave by plane or by sea: ferries from Incheon to Chinese ports such as Weihai and Qingdao take many hours, and in China you need the China eSIM.
Sizing the pack for Seoul
Up to a week in Seoul with maps, ride apps and camera translation fits the 3 GB pack, which lasts 15 days. Ten days or more, or Seoul with several day trips and plenty of photo uploads, is a 5 GB trip on a 30-day pack. Video calls home every night, streaming on the train or a second phone on your hotspot push you to 10 GB.
Running low halfway through? Top up the same eSIM without reinstalling it. The data calculator works it out from your own days, and the South Korea eSIM page has the networks and the full list of packs.
AREX express or all-stop train?
The express goes non-stop to Seoul Station. The all-stop train is handier if you are staying near Hongik University or Gongdeok, which it serves directly.
Does the eSIM work in the Seoul subway?
Yes. The subway has LTE and 5G underground, so the eSIM connects in stations and tunnels like it does on the street.
Can I sign up for Kakao T with this eSIM?
Not for the SMS step, because the eSIM has no number. Use your usual line for the code, or book with Uber, which works with a foreign number.
Will it work on a DMZ tour?
Yes, the tours stay on the South Korean side, where the eSIM keeps working. Bring your passport, which the operator will ask for.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See eSIMs for South Korea