Phones in Korea

Calling from Korea to an Overseas Location

First, have you given thought to yahoo messenger? or Skype? or Lingo?

There are many ways to make this cheaper for you so you don't have massive monthly phone bills. If you're like me and you are limited for time and you want to call on your mobile (cellphone) while you're on the bus or subway, I STRONGLY recommend you get a phone card. A phone card will cost you about 20,000 Won and you'll get close to 2000 minutes... a pretty good deal. You can get phone cards are most shops. Ask around, find a favorite, SAVE your money.

Calling Korea

If you are calling South Korea from another country, you must first dial your long distance carrier (in most cases, from Canada and the States you can dial 011).

You must then dial the Korea country code (82) and then the number. When you are calling Korea you must drop the first zero in an area code or cell phone number. For example, the Seoul area code is 02, however if you are dialing from outside Korea you would dial 011-82-2 and then the number. The same rule of thumb applies to cell phones, if you are trying to call a mobile phone in Korea from outside the country, and the mobile phone number begins 017, you would dial 011-82-17.

It's a good idea to pick up a calling card before calling out. There are a great many to choose from and they will dramatically reduce the costs. Tell your folks and your friends if they plan on calling to pick up a couple of these cards and also tell them to check the time difference... there's nothing worse than a phone call on Sunday afternoon from your folks which is 3 in the morning Monday morning for you. A good reference point for them is http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=235