Korean Job Discussion Forums

[lansell]

Hi,

I tried to buy a used pre-paid cellphone today but the guy activating the phone for me told me that my passport details were rejected (due to the language barrier, I couldn't get a proper explanation). He wouldn't sell me the handset and said I needed to have a Korean or someone with an ARC register the phone for me if I wanted to buy it. I am currently in Korea as a "tourist", while I find a job here.

Questions:

Are foreigners not able to get a pre-paid cellphone if they are on a tourist visa?

Does anyone know somewhere in Busan where I could get a used phone where I won't encounter this problem?


Thanks in advance.

[CentralCali]

You could try at the airport over in Gimhae for a rental phone (if they have it, the airport in Incheon has such a service). Other than that, you're basically out of luck. It's evidently illegal to front your name for someone else to obtain any kind of credit account and cell phones, even prepaid, qualify as credit accounts. As you're not resident in Korea, nobody's going to offer you any kind of credit account.

[lansell]

That's pretty weak.

Unfortunately I know nobody here. If I were to buy a pre-paid phone from another foreigner (departing teacher or whatever), would I have to get it activated again or could that be a work around?

(sorry if this is a stupid question, but I know nothing about cell phones and even less about Korea)

[phoneboothface]

Did you try by Itaewon Station? Did you do a search on this forum? I know this search function here really sucks but you can keep trying until you get an answer better than mine. I just thought in Itaewon you could get stuff like that easy.

[lansell]

I'm down in Busan. Finding a used phone isn't a problem, it was activating it that gave me trouble.

Anyhow, thanks for the replies.

[Teelo]

Find some random korean who speaks a little bit of english, and offer them 10000 won to activate your phone.

[ChinaBoy]

Yeah it's pretty ridiculous how they control phones here.

I'm sure there's somewhere in Busan that will deal you one though, it will just be much more expensive and a crappy phone.

There are some places in Itaewon that don't ask for ID (well, will ask for it but if you don't have it, ok).. don't know about down there

[itaewonguy]

try another store...

[Rory_Calhoun27]

[jkelly80]

Yeah keep trying at different stores. The concept of 'rules' are pretty weak here, sometimes they just don't want to put in the effort.

[wshgu]

I'm here on a tourist visa and I have managed to get 2 phones registered. One phone I got from a person leaving korea. I just had to head down to an Official SK branch, not a shop. SK has phone interpreters you can speak to.

The other phone I bought from a shop in Seoul. It was a used phone from LG. You need to produce your passport. I got this from a shop near Konkuk University.

A word of warning. If you buy a used phone from an individual, make sure he goes with you to activate. Before my second phone, I bought from an english teacher(foreigner). He told me that he changed jobs and got a new phone. What he didn't tell me was that he didn't clear his bills. When I went to register the phone, even as a postpaid with the help of a Korean, the shop told me that the guy owed 170K and I cannot register the phone unless I pay up. When I contacted the guy, he told me that his ex-employer should have paid and still owed him money.

As for buying an activated phone, the phone number lasts for I htink 3 months or six. Once this period is up, you need to go to the SK branch and show your passport again. Otherwise, the phone is locked.

Good luck! Try going to the phone shops near the Universities, they may have foreign students buying from them, therefore may know more about the procedure.

[Jane]

Try calling the Seoul Help Center, even though you are in Busan, as they deal with stuff like this all the time, and I think they even have a LG Telecom person on staff.

the number is 02) 1688-0120


In any case, here is their website to find more info: http://global.seoul.go.kr/

[waseige1]

[Stones1962]

Itaewon...no questions...no problems

[CentralCali]

Itaeweon is also more than a six hour round trip for the OP.