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Korea is the country of mobile phones. If you plan to live there be prepared to get a mobile phone- since you will be asked for your number in all kind of situations (business, post office, booking tickets etc.).
There are three service providers, two types of service mode (cellular/ PCS) and one mobile communications standard (CDMA). The latter implies that it is not possible to use European (GSM) mobile phones in Korea.
The carriers (descending by size) are SK Telecom, KTF, LG Telecom. Since 2004 all new mobile phone numbers will follow the scheme 010-xxxx-xxxx, but existing users may switch carriers while retaining their original phone numbers (e.g. 016-xxxx-xxx).

How to buy a new mobile phone:

Korean citizens can buy mobile phones on deferred payment (installment credit of 6-24 month, no interest). However, this is not possible for foreigners, who have to pay for their new mobile phone upfront by cash or credit card.

When signing up for a contract with a carrier at the same time, there is usually some discount on new phones. (Also ask your Korean friends, existing subscribers receive discounts for a second phone.)

How to make a subscription/ to get a contract:

If you want to use your mobile phone to make calls frequently, a contract/ subscription offers you lower call charges but you have to pay a basic fee per month- even if you didn’t use the phone at all. When signing up for a mobile phone contract a non-reimbursable entrance fee is to be paid.

If foreigners want to make a subscription for a mobile phone, they may have to deposit some guaranty money. (Therefore many foreigners ask their Korean friends to sign up for them- which facilitates paperwork significantly.)
Requirements for subscription:
SK Telecom Alien registration card, Passport
KTF Alien registration card, Credit card issues by any Korean bank
LG telecom Alien registration card, confirmation by employer, a bankbook or Credit card issues by any Korean bank, must stay longer than 1 year in Korea
It is advisable for foreigners to make their subscription at a branch office of the carrier in the nearest bigger town, not at a carrier's agency store or dealer shop- these are hardly familiar with the foreigners’ procedure and usually don’t speak English.Pre-paid charge phone, More easier to get but more expensive

Easier and convenient if you stay in Korea only for a short period, make calls only rarely and need the phone mainly to receive calls are pre-paid phones, want to use a used phone.

All carriers offer pre-paid phones but usually the small dealers are not familiar with the procedure (some may actually tell you there is no pre-paid phones in Korea) – so go to an official branch office, as mentioned above.

Many foreigners use used phones since the CDMA standard is used only in Korea. Here are a few tips:

• The best way is asking your Korean friends. Have a drink with him or her and request it.
• Samsung or LG phone offer the best after-sales service. This is useful in case your used phone gets broken.
• Find a used phone on the internet at http://www.auction.co.kr (Korean ebay), but knowledge of the Korean language is necessary- ask Korean friends to help you.
• Visit a dealer shop (not agency store) – the scruffier the shop looks the better are your chances.
• A 2~3 years old monochrome LCD phone cost about 30,000 – 70,000 won. If you want a cheaper deal and don’t care what the phone looks like and how old it is… say to the shop owner: "Sa Jang Nim, Sa Jang Nim, I have only 10,000 won... please" say it again and again.

Phone services are offered by KT (service number 100) or by Hanaro (service number 106 or 080-8282-106 or www.hanaro.com).

In Order to sign up for internet and phone you will need your Alien Registration Card, plus they may ask for your Passport plus either a Korean Social Security Number or a Korean Bank Account Number. Your mobile phone number also helps.

As it is going to be difficult to have a phone line set up without speaking Korean, the best way to go is asking you landlord/lady, real estate agency or Korean friends to help you. They will also be able to set it up even if you don’t have all the required papers- tell them to keep insisting.

Hanaro: Once your Korean friends managed to call a service person who speaks English and knows how to deal with the situation make sure to get his/her name and direct phone number. You will then be asked to send a copy of your Alien Registration number by fax. Note that the technicians coming to your house won’t speak English, so have a translator at hand.

KT: By phone it won’t be possible to set up a line without a Korean citizen to guarantee for you. Better go to the KT headquarters in person and with someone translating for you. It is located near the Shinsaege Department Store in Myeong-dong, next to the Chinese Embassy. The service center is on the first floor. You will have to apply for phone and internet separately and will have to pay the installation fee upfront (currently Won 60 000- note that they don’t accept international credit cards, so bring along cash). Also here note that the technicians coming to your house won’t speak English, so have a translator at hand. They will call before they show up.

How to make local calls:

Payphone booths are turquoise and can be found anywhere. There are two types: one reads the thicker cards and takes coins, too and the one reads the thin cards- usually there are both next to each other.

Usually you will be sold the thin phone cards, which are issued by KT and cost 3,000 or 5,000 Won and can be found almost anywhere- e.g. at Family Mart or kiosks. Insert the card with the magnetic tape facing up, according to the arrow.

How to make international calls:

If you just use a local phone card or a KT phone it is quite expensive to make oversea calls. Better buy an international phone card, which can be used from public payphones, your home landline phone or your Korean mobile phone.

There is a variety of phone cards available to make international phone calls. The rates per minute vary from country to country and carrier to carrier, depend on the time of the day and if you call from/to a mobile or landline phone. They usually const between 10,000 and 30,000 Won.

Therefore when buying an international phone card make sure you tell the sales assistant exactly
- which country you want to call
- from a Korean landline/ mobile phone
- to a landline/ mobile phone.

In Seoul these cards can be bought at either specialized ‘International calls’ shops, which crowd in the Itaewon area, or at the little supermarkets like Family mart, 7/11, Buy the way and so on. In the provinces these cards may be harder to obtain- ask the local English teacher expatriates where they buy them.

Scratch of the marked area to know your card number. At a payphone: do NOT enter the card in the slot (it gets stuck), instead lift the receiver and press the red button – the line is now open. Enter the carrier’s number (usually starts with 080) and wait for the voice prompt, press 2 for the English menu. Enter your card number and press # or * (which one tells you the voice prompt), then enter the number you are calling (the country code is NOT proceeded by zeros, e.g. for Germany just start with 49) and press # or *. A voice is going to tell you how much time you have left, then you will be connected.

For Germany the card ‘Luxor’, for example, costs 15,000 won and has the advantage that it works from both landline (about 4 hours calling time) and mobile phone (about 2 ½ hours – more expensive).