Life in Korea: Getting a phone line without buying a phone!!

OMG OMG OMG! I'm feeling invincible because I have a Korean HP number!! Seriously this is a question that a lot of people ask when it comes to traveling to Korea. And to be honest, I would never have found the answer if Danny had not told me about it. It's great that Danny is here as a foreigner, first as an exchange student and now as an intern. Because I think a lot of Korean didn't know about the change in rules either. And staying at the hostel helped since I hang out at the reception quite a bit.

So the conversation started because Danny mentioned that he brought his phone over from Germany and all he did was get a SIM card. I was 1. surprised that a phone from overseas can be used in Korea, 2. surprised that he can get a line in the first place (but then he did come on a student's visa so that's different)

After apologizing to him (I doubted his information about the bank account, so he made me apologise), he told me how to go about getting the phone line. Long story short, KT Olleh (or Korea Media rules) has changed since January 2011, you can read about it here.

I ventured to KT Olleh Square at Gwang Hwa Mun (Gwang Hwa Mun Station, Line 5, Exit 2) today, determined to get my pre-paid line since that's the easiest to get. All you need is your passport. But the line is only for use for 3 months. After that you would need to renew with your passport again.

The staff was not too sure that it can be done with JUST my passport and they were going to ask me to go to another store that can do the procedure. So I put on my 'tough customer' mask and told them straight in the face that this is like the MAIN KT Olleh, what do they mean by they can't do the procedure. And I knew my information was right. The shop they want me to go to is under renovation as stated on the website. So they have no choice but to work out how to help me. (They had to call several parties to get the procedure started, etc)

Have your IMEI and SERIAL number ready. For the iPhone, it's easy since you can find all the information in the settings. Not too sure about the other phones but these information should be readily available. Make sure that the country where you bought your phone did not lock your phone and that the phone is a model that's already available/in use in Korea.

The procedure for me is simple. KT Olleh GLOBAL have English-speaking customer service staff. So tell them you want to get a PRE-PAID SIM card for use with your phone. Show them your passport and if they insist that you need a Alien Registration Card, tell them it's NOT necessary for a pre-paid line. The SIM card cost 5,500won and minimum top-up is 2000won. Please have cash ready. You can't pay for the SIM card using credit card and topping up using credit card is only for KOREA-ISSUED credit cards.

Initially, the SIM card didn't work on my phone. But it worked on someone else's phone. I had to call Singtel (I hope I can get that call waived) to ask if they lock the phones. As far as I know, Singapore doesn't practice this. So no, it wasn't Singapore side. In the end, they realised that they typed in the IMEI number wrongly. So they quickly rectified the problem.

What could have been done in 30 minutes took longer than expected. I had to look for a bank since I didn't have cash on me and the whole mistake on my IMEI. But once we got that sorted out, it was a great sigh of relief all round! I don't know how long I can survive on a 10,000won top up but the cost for pre-paid isn't that high. I got the line because I'm going to stay here till June at least so it made more sense to have a phone line and not worry when I want to check my Twitter, etc.

If you ask me if it's necessary to get a pre-paid if you are simply traveling, I would say it really depends on how long you are in Korea. If it's for less than a week, you can opt for the more convenient though more expensive method of renting the phone. You could also choose to roam on your phone.

For foreigners who are coming to work here in Korea, if you have your ARC, you can get a phone line without having to buy a phone. The steps are pretty much similar but you will definitely need your ARC for that. To find out more read the KT Official English Blog.