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LIFE IN KOREAPosted by Bruno 🇧🇷 Brazil · 3 weeks ago
Phone plan before you get your ARC?
i land three weeks before my ARC appointment. i need a korean number for basically everything, banking, delivery apps, school portal.
is prepaid the only option until the ARC arrives? and does the number carry over after
is prepaid the only option until the ARC arrives? and does the number carry over after
7 comments
OFFICIAL ANSWER
TaehyunALLO TEAM
Operations & Local Support · Seoul
Prepaid is the practical answer for those three weeks, and yes — your number can carry over.
How it works:
1. Without an ARC you cannot sign a normal 24-month contract. Carriers require the ARC or a Korean guarantor.
2. Prepaid SIMs from Chingu Mobile, EG SIM or KT M mobile can be bought with just your passport, at the airport or in Hongdae and Myeongdong. Expect 30,000 to 50,000 won a month for a usable data plan.
3. When your ARC arrives, go back to a carrier shop and convert to a postpaid plan keeping the same number. This is a standard request — ask for 번호이동 or plan conversion. Do it at the same carrier and it is easier.
The part people get wrong: some Korean services check whether your number is registered under your own verified identity, not just whether it works. Banking apps, Naver, and government sites use this. A prepaid SIM registered in your own name with your passport passes. A friend's number or a tourist eSIM does not, and you will hit a wall at exactly the moment you need it.
So: airport eSIM for the first day or two is fine, but get a properly registered prepaid SIM in your own name within the first week. Everything else depends on it.
How it works:
1. Without an ARC you cannot sign a normal 24-month contract. Carriers require the ARC or a Korean guarantor.
2. Prepaid SIMs from Chingu Mobile, EG SIM or KT M mobile can be bought with just your passport, at the airport or in Hongdae and Myeongdong. Expect 30,000 to 50,000 won a month for a usable data plan.
3. When your ARC arrives, go back to a carrier shop and convert to a postpaid plan keeping the same number. This is a standard request — ask for 번호이동 or plan conversion. Do it at the same carrier and it is easier.
The part people get wrong: some Korean services check whether your number is registered under your own verified identity, not just whether it works. Banking apps, Naver, and government sites use this. A prepaid SIM registered in your own name with your passport passes. A friend's number or a tourist eSIM does not, and you will hit a wall at exactly the moment you need it.
So: airport eSIM for the first day or two is fine, but get a properly registered prepaid SIM in your own name within the first week. Everything else depends on it.
Was this helpful?Updated 3 weeks ago
7 comments
Sign in to join the conversation.
You can still post anonymously after signing in.the identity verification thing is the real trap. my tourist esim worked for data but i couldn't open a bank account or verify on naver with it. wasted two weeks.
16
this is exactly the answer i was looking for, thank you
7
chingu mobile, passport only, took 15 min in hongdae. kept the same number when i converted after my ARC
11
one tip, register the sim under your own name exactly as it appears on the passport. any mismatch and the banks reject it later
9
worth saying prepaid is more expensive per month than a contract. i paid 45k prepaid, then 29k on contract for more data
8
yeah but it's 3 weeks, not worth stressing over 15k
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get the sim at the airport counter if you land during the day, it's slightly overpriced but you leave with a working number
5
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