South Korea eSIM

SK Telecom and LG U+

The South Korea eSIM runs on SK Telecom and LG U+, both with 5G. Your phone connects to the strongest and switches by itself.

SK Telecom is the network that keeps winning in Korea: in Opensignal’s December 2025 report it won nine awards outright and shared three more. LG U+ won 5G Availability. KT, the third network, won 5G Download Speed, but it isn’t on this plan. With two networks on one eSIM, you have a fallback if one is weak where you are.

Korea runs on local apps

This is the one thing to prepare. Google Maps finds places and shows public transport in Korea, but it still couldn’t give full walking or driving directions when we last checked, in August 2026. The government approved Google’s map request in February 2026; the full service hadn’t launched yet.

Install these at home, on wifi:

• Naver Map or KakaoMap: directions, subway transfers, bus times and opening hours. Naver Map has an English version; searching in Korean gives the most results.
• Papago: translating menus, signs and conversations, also from a photo.
• KakaoT: for taxis.

All of these run on data, so this is where your gigabytes go.

Where you’ll use it

• Seoul: the subway, cafés, palaces and Hongdae at night. Most of your data goes here.
• Busan: the beaches, Gamcheon and the fish market, an easy KTX ride from Seoul.
• Jeju: if you rent a car, download the island in your map app before you drive out.
• The KTX: long, fast train rides, often with a playlist or a series. That’s where Unlimited earns its keep.

How much data for South Korea

Two weeks of normal use (maps, translating, messages and socials) comes to about 8 to 9 GB, so 10 GB is the sweet spot. A month is closer to 20 GB. The table above has today’s prices.

On the 3 GB plan and bigger, you stay online at 128 kbps when the data runs out: slow, but enough for messages and maps.

Japan and Korea on one trip?

The Japan + Korea eSIM uses the same SK Telecom and LG U+ networks here, and switches when you land. On price it’s close to two separate eSIMs, so the route page lays out what else to weigh. Going further in Asia? The Asia eSIM covers Korea with the same two networks.

Sources: Opensignal, South Korea, December 2025; on Google Maps, The Korea Herald and Asia News Network, August 2026. Networks and plans come from our own catalogue.