Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sundizz]

I have a CYON (LG service I think) pre paid phone that I got from a friend a while back. I put 150k on it and has lasted me about 6 months. It's a pretty sheizy phone though with not much battery life. It's finally running out of money so I need to either recharge it or get a new phone. Any places in Sinchon I can do this?

I don't really want to get a contract phone, as the pre-paid thing worked pretty well for me. Plus, if I'm only here 6 months I don't want to deal with the hassle of a 1 year contract. Is there somewhere in Sinchon I can go to get a decent pre-paid phone? Anyone know the rates for calling/texting?

[Troglodyte]

I don't know about Sinchon but there are a bunch of places in Itaewon near the subway station that will sell you a second hand prepaid phone.

When the credit runs out you just need to go into a phone shop in your area to top it up.

[autoseal89]

Hope this is now sorted

[chianski]

Hello, I recently purchased a Sky im-s240k phone through Show and prepaid 10,000 won to put minutes on it. The store told me it would be four hours until the phone would be activated, it has been a day now and it still isn't working. However, a Korean friend translated the menu screen for me and it says enter a 12 digit secret code...any ideas? I realize I'll probably just need to go back to the store, but figured I would try my luck here first.

[Mongoos150]

Do the cell networks in SK use CDMA or GSM? I have an unlocked iPhone that I've used all over Europe (just buying a pre-paid SIM card). Can I do this in Korea, or do I need to buy a phone there?

[olololox]

Bit random but.. is there anyway of unlocking a contract phone once over there and freeing up the phone for a new Korean sim?

[northway]

I'm pretty sure the networks are different and you can't use a foreign phone on a Korean network, unlocked or not.

[Mongoos150]

Seems like no one really knows, but I am pretty sure the cellular networks in Korea are CDMA (the same technology that Verizon and Sprint use). Meaning no SIM cards.

Continental europe, north america and parts of asia use GSM (same technology as AT&T and T-Mobile), but not Korea. Meaning it's necessary to buy a Korean phone in Korea to use there. Shyte.

[jmstump]

I've been doing research on this. If you want to take your phone it really depends on what kind of phone you have. I found a really good source of information on KT's expat blog. They have an entire post dedicated to bringing over an unlocked phone. http://expatblog.kt.com/36 Of course it appears to be easier to use said phone on a prepaid plan.

The reason it appears to be so confusing is that South Korea has changed quite a bit about their mobile networks in the last three years. I would find big lengthy posts on how someone got their phone working (in a lot of occasions in an illegal fashion) and then find it was worthless because another rule changed happened.

To make things simple this is my understanding.

Your phone must be 3G and include the following WCDMA bands: 900/2100 (Dual-Band) For example my phone, a Nexus One, on T-Mobile has these bands. For a nice big list of phones that work on KT's network here's a list. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:KX5MKRJJ10oJ:expatblog.kt.com/38+http://expatblog.kt.com/38&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com

Your phone has to be unlocked. (I just felt like stressing this point.) Unlocking is relatively painless for both Android and iPhones.

If your phone is not currently sold in SK you have to fill out a request form to use it in SK. It should be in the link to the Expat blog above. So even if it's not on that list, there is hope you can use your phone in SK

The next thing is South Korea apparently has the opposite of what America has in regards to phones connecting to a cellular network. In the US we have an International Mobile Equipment Identity or IMEI [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Mobile_Equipment_Identity [/url] blacklist. Meaning certain devices won't be able to connect to a network no matter if they are using the same frequencies as the carrier you are trying to use. In SK you have a Whitelist meaning you phone has to be registered to work in the country.

Because you have to register your phone, you can only have one per Prepaid plan from outside of SK. If you're lucky and get a postpaid plan you can have more. Sadly you can't simply buy a prepaid or postpaid phone and transfer the sim because of the whitelist above.

I thought I read somewhere that SK was thinking of changing this, but so far I can't find anything to confirm that it has happened. They certainly seem like they've made leaps and bounds over the fact that only 3 years ago you couldn't use any foreign phones on their network.

I hope this helps. If something isn't clear let me know and I can try to explain it better.

Also Hi everyone this is my first post!

[snowjd]

I didn't see this mentioned before, so here you go.

I got a Samsung Galaxy from LGU back in December. At the time, they had just started letting foreigners sign contracts without having to have the help of a Korean. They let me sign a 2 year contract, and there was no deposit. The cost of the phone was divided up and is added to my bill every month (16K won/month). In all, I end up paying about 70K won for 300 minutes, 300 texts, and unlimited data. I have gone over on minutes a couple of months and it was not expensive at all.

I have heard people say that LGU service isn't as good as SK, and if you are looking at the Galaxy, the LG version is supposed to be the worst of the three. I've never had any problems with the service though, and I haven't had any problems with the phone either.

Just another option for you, especially if you want a smart phone.

[TASscot]

Our Company www.TheArrivalStore.com provides contracted cell phones (6 months) delivered to your door in Korea within a day or two. No ARC or documentation required.

Some quick details about the phone plans:

Used Phones: $39.99
New Phones: $69.99
Refundable Cell phone deposit: $125

Pay in Korean Won by bank transfer or use your Credit Card.

1. Average monthly bill $35-$45 (1100 free outgoing mins/month to all Arrival Store and some other carriers)

2. Great phones with features like: caller id, camera, mp3 player, and Korean/English dictionaries, etc.

3. Phone is set up and ready to use upon arrival vs. waiting 4-6 weeks for your Korean ID

4. No large unexpected long distance bills and highly discounted or FREE international calls.

5. 6 month contract with no renewal fees (shortest in Korea)

6. No need to add minutes to the phone, and call-out rate 1/3 as much of a pre-paid phone

7. Simple and convenient English billing

Our whole cell phone program is aimed at making things more convenient foreigners in Korea.

For our company story see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSUiS6gAGM4

Let us know if you have any questions: admin@thearrivalstore.com

[Gregski]

It's probably a good idea to re-iterate what some previous posters have said: most of the information in this thread is out-of-date.

I'm on AT&T, and they have a handy site that shows whether or not your particular phone will work anywhere in the world.

Based on a cursory observation, if you have a newish smartphone on any carrier, it should work in South Korea. YMMV, of course.

[steve902]

Bump.

Will people post updated info about their experiences w/ companies for long- term and pay as you go phones? I'm going to be looking for a company with a smart phone/ data option so I can use the map feature to navigate the city. I bet other people would like to know about monthly, yearly, and phone costs.

I searched through the tech forum, and most of those comments seem to be about issues related to specific phones.

[Deja]

Two years ago I had no problem getting any (available) phone from any carrier (non-Telekom shops at least, I never went directly to KT/SKT), even though I am not even employed in Korea (foreign contractor).
They did ask for my ARC and of course credit card. I didn't ask for a deposit based purchase, since I am apalled at giving any telecommunication company anything up front

You HAVE to get a Korean to come with you for the translation.

[aaromero]