Wow...it sucks you can't just pop in a SIM...I wish carriers offered better roaming plans though. I was abroad using a phone on verizon and I got charged like 2.99 a minute...was crazy!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 3G works great in South Korea
- Thread starter lamina
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Hi im a noob but..
I just arrived in Korea to much fanfare regarding the introduction of the iPhone. This happened today. It was even the hot topic on the radio. I believe there must be something different about the iPhone they are selling here and other iPhones because mine does not work. That being said mine is also NOT a 3G phone. So if I have read the thread closely enough I come to two conclusions. If you do not live in Korea but own an iPhone it may only work in Korea if it is 3G. Second, if you have a 3G iPhone in Korea with ANY SIM card, it is very expensive to make or receive calls.
What is not clear is whether that is on a foreign SIM card or a Korean SIM card. I am on a SIM card from the middle east and consequently don't care about the price as I do not pay for it. I do not have a 3G iPhone. All mine says is no service. BTW the SIM card work fine in other newer non-iPhone phones. Good luck all and I hope this info helps. If you have any suggestions for me, write back and I will check the post tomorrow! Thanks and Cheers!
I just arrived in Korea to much fanfare regarding the introduction of the iPhone. This happened today. It was even the hot topic on the radio. I believe there must be something different about the iPhone they are selling here and other iPhones because mine does not work. That being said mine is also NOT a 3G phone. So if I have read the thread closely enough I come to two conclusions. If you do not live in Korea but own an iPhone it may only work in Korea if it is 3G. Second, if you have a 3G iPhone in Korea with ANY SIM card, it is very expensive to make or receive calls.
What is not clear is whether that is on a foreign SIM card or a Korean SIM card. I am on a SIM card from the middle east and consequently don't care about the price as I do not pay for it. I do not have a 3G iPhone. All mine says is no service. BTW the SIM card work fine in other newer non-iPhone phones. Good luck all and I hope this info helps. If you have any suggestions for me, write back and I will check the post tomorrow! Thanks and Cheers!
I've used my 3GS in S. Korea and Japan with no problems. As others have said though, you must mind the data usage because AT&T has a crap plan for traveling and it can get ridiculously expensive quickly. Short of Unlocking/Jailbreaking there is no way to use a 'local' sim in your foreign phone unfortunately.
A first gen iPhone will not work in S.Korea as you've noted because of the difference in service support.
I think you have a few misunderstandings about how cell phones work...
First of all, Korea supports 3G ONLY. Unless your iPhone says 3G or 3GS, it will not work here.
Second, Korea has a whitelist on which IMEI's are allowed on the network, so chances are if you brought in a foreign phone, it will not work anyway.
Your sim card works fine on other phones because your carrier allows roaming, and the phone you are testing it on is a 3g phone. Your phone is NOT 3g, so you will NOT be able to use it in Korea, regardless of what SIM card you put in it.
Hope that clears up a few things.
Thanks for clearing that up!
Thanks for the info. I suspected it was a 3G issue. You are right about the other phones that did work, they are 3G phones (not iPhones but they worked fine). I will definitely pass that on to my company so that they can upgrade the phones they are providing. (at least if they want to get a hold of me! LOL).
Thanks for the info. I suspected it was a 3G issue. You are right about the other phones that did work, they are 3G phones (not iPhones but they worked fine). I will definitely pass that on to my company so that they can upgrade the phones they are providing. (at least if they want to get a hold of me! LOL).
Actually you can make your foreign lockfree iPhone 3G or 3Gs work.
But you have to pay 360.000 - 500.000 Won to get it approved. With this approval you can go to a special shop of either SK Telecom or Show KTF and change your registration to your iPhone.
Have this info from another forum. But you might need help from a Korean as it is not really straightaway.
Maybe this changes with the introduction of the iPhone 3GS in Korea, maybe not.
If you wanna read further on this, look here:
http://iphoneinkorea.com/use-your-iphone-in-korea-now/
This of course makes just sense in case your are living in Korea and can't get one or don't wanna buy a new one.
But you have to pay 360.000 - 500.000 Won to get it approved. With this approval you can go to a special shop of either SK Telecom or Show KTF and change your registration to your iPhone.
Have this info from another forum. But you might need help from a Korean as it is not really straightaway.
Maybe this changes with the introduction of the iPhone 3GS in Korea, maybe not.
If you wanna read further on this, look here:
http://iphoneinkorea.com/use-your-iphone-in-korea-now/
This of course makes just sense in case your are living in Korea and can't get one or don't wanna buy a new one.
Aside from the iphone, I really don't understand cell phone market in Korea. I picked the cheapest plan and a free phone (carrier is "show").. why do they charge a mandatory monthly fee (about 15-30 bucks) on top of a calling plan??? (roughly 13 korean won/min) They asked me to add a data plan (I didn't want to) but said I could cancel it after a month. Also there's no such a 15-30day trial thingy (you can't exchange a phone no matter what unless its defective. You need to pay an ETF and wait for months to switch the phone/carrier/number) correct me if i am wrong.
I think you are worng. The mandatory monthly fee is much cheaper than any plans in US. Do you know receiving phone calls or text messages is free in S. Korea? Voice plan starts at $0.1/min without minimum cap. You can keep a line with just $13 per month. I hope US carriers benchmark them. They also have 14 days trial period. Receiving ETF is usually illegal in S. Korea. Correct me if i am wrong.
I beg to differ. Korean phone plans are very expensive compared to the States. Especially for what little you receive. The trick is where the base plan in the US may be higher, here they nickel and dime you. Normal usage on my wife's phone ran about 100,000W. And that is pretty basic.
iPhone in korea
i'm american and have lived in korea for over 10 years and already have a KTF/SHOW postpaid phone plan registered in my own name
1- how much does an iphone + plan cost in korea?
2- has anyone confirmed if a korean bought iphone can be unlocked and used in thailand? india? usa?
3- once unlocked and used abroad can the korean iphone be used again once brought back to korea?
i'm american and have lived in korea for over 10 years and already have a KTF/SHOW postpaid phone plan registered in my own name
1- how much does an iphone + plan cost in korea?
2- has anyone confirmed if a korean bought iphone can be unlocked and used in thailand? india? usa?
3- once unlocked and used abroad can the korean iphone be used again once brought back to korea?
http://iphoneinkorea.com/official-prices-and-numbers/
http://iphoneinkorea.com/official-prices-and-numbers/
http://iphoneinkorea.com/official-prices-and-numbers/
iphone and KTF
So now we have the iPhone but unfortunately none of us can buy it unless we are a) Korean or b) willing to pay over 700,000 won in cash as we are not allowed to sign up for their plans. Apparently if you pay full price for the phone they will let you sign a 1 year contract so they can bend you over some more... Nice job signing with a racist company like KTF to sell your iPhone, Apple.
So now we have the iPhone but unfortunately none of us can buy it unless we are a) Korean or b) willing to pay over 700,000 won in cash as we are not allowed to sign up for their plans. Apparently if you pay full price for the phone they will let you sign a 1 year contract so they can bend you over some more... Nice job signing with a racist company like KTF to sell your iPhone, Apple.
Getting a IPhone in Korea
I am a U.S. Citizen living in South Korea, and I am trying to get a new IPhone. I have been told only the KTF stores are carrying them. I went to the store and I was told I have to have a Korean Id to be able to get one......Does anyone know how I can do this since I am not Korean???? Please help.
I am a U.S. Citizen living in South Korea, and I am trying to get a new IPhone. I have been told only the KTF stores are carrying them. I went to the store and I was told I have to have a Korean Id to be able to get one......Does anyone know how I can do this since I am not Korean???? Please help.
^ what you want to do is next to impossible! KT is the worst company and absolutely hates foreigners.
buy an unlocked iphone from hong kong, then have it certified by the kcc and use it with sk telecom. that's what i did, and so far so good *knocks on wood*.
steve.
buy an unlocked iphone from hong kong, then have it certified by the kcc and use it with sk telecom. that's what i did, and so far so good *knocks on wood*.
steve.
you need an alien registeration card
try going to a big SHOW retail store or foreigner friendly cellphone shops in Itaewon...
yeah i know it's a huge hassle for foreigners to get an iphone in korea. Korea has horrible laws regarding this matter.
some more info at www.iphoneinkorea.com
I am a U.S. Citizen living in South Korea, and I am trying to get a new IPhone. I have been told only the KTF stores are carrying them. I went to the store and I was told I have to have a Korean Id to be able to get one......Does anyone know how I can do this since I am not Korean???? Please help.
try going to a big SHOW retail store or foreigner friendly cellphone shops in Itaewon...
yeah i know it's a huge hassle for foreigners to get an iphone in korea. Korea has horrible laws regarding this matter.
some more info at www.iphoneinkorea.com
Just make sure you don't forget your iPhone In a taxi
Wow. Did you see my thread on that?
i got mine through a korean friend. cheap too.. paid about 274.000w for the phone.. there were some up front services charges, activation, taxes etc. after it was said and done I left with an iphone 3gs 32gb and it cost me around 310.000w. my monthly bill with ktf is $75.000 with 2 year contract. it comes with 400 calling minutes, 300 text and 1.5 gb data transfer. not bad, i've had it for about a week and really enjoy not having to carry a korean cell phone and ipod touch. back up and recovery was seamless, i just had to re-add all my songs. this might be blasphemy, but for an alternate to iphone, try the android 2.0... just as good and cheaper than iphone.
VOIP question for koreans
Is SIP-based protocol blocked with Korean internet providers?
If I could use wifi to get on the internet with my phone, could I use SIP-based VOIP application to place calls? Do I need to resort to using VPN in order to do this kind of call instead?
From what I have read so far, it seems that Skype is a workable solution but I am mainly interested in open standard like SIP.
Also, with STUN server, could I also be able to receive phone calls in any internet cafe ( issue of NAT-transveral via STUN) ?
Is SIP-based protocol blocked with Korean internet providers?
If I could use wifi to get on the internet with my phone, could I use SIP-based VOIP application to place calls? Do I need to resort to using VPN in order to do this kind of call instead?
From what I have read so far, it seems that Skype is a workable solution but I am mainly interested in open standard like SIP.
Also, with STUN server, could I also be able to receive phone calls in any internet cafe ( issue of NAT-transveral via STUN) ?
Okay this i'm confused with, I know that you will be able to use the iphone bought from a different country, take it to this place, have them test it for 5 days, and put that imei on the whitelist, and it should work. but would it work for the iphone 4 that I purchased in U.S? considering that U.S iphones are locked to AT&T. Have anyone done this step? where you take it to KCC and have them approve, will they unlock it so that it can work? I heard somewhere that if you bought an iphone in U.S and in phillipine they do unlock them. I know that Korean have it similar thing but i don't know if they will unlock it or not. Please let me know thx.
Okay as to my above post, I seem to find the answer to the question I asked.
http://smartblog.show.co.kr/249
seems like it can work. I'm sorry if this site is in Korean. I am korean but I still can't understand fully on this site as Korean is not my first language. But to my understanding, this only works with the iphone purchased in korea, iphone brought from different country will not work (if it is locked).
but it's still too hard to believe it so if anyone that have tried this and it worked please let me know.
http://smartblog.show.co.kr/249
seems like it can work. I'm sorry if this site is in Korean. I am korean but I still can't understand fully on this site as Korean is not my first language. But to my understanding, this only works with the iphone purchased in korea, iphone brought from different country will not work (if it is locked).
but it's still too hard to believe it so if anyone that have tried this and it worked please let me know.
This is an annoucement that KT will unlock any iPhones purchased through them (as in, bought in Korea). I know for a fact that no carrier has the ability to unlock another one's iPhones, so to answer you question, no, you cannot buy an iPhone in the US and have it unlocked to work in Korea. Not officially anyway, and not by anyone in Korea. You'd have to do it via jailbreaking if you wanted to do it at all, but just hope that you dont have to restore it, since it'd be a waste of the certification fee if you restored it and the phone was locked again.
Okay thanks for your insight. I did jailbreak my old iphone 3G once and tried unlocking it, and surely enough it did not work in Korea
, I know that if I do this for the iphone 4, that it won't work, so not worth my time, and I already have the iphone 4. Plus I only visit Korea during winter and summer, since my family lives there, so not that it matters. In Korea I am using the dolphin phone (Sky), which i still like and it still works.Anyways, my mom's cousin works at the KTF main, and I have talked to him once about if it's possible, all he told was to take it to this place, have it tested, and that it should work. But of course I'm not going to take the risk and pay 400,000 won (roughly) just to get it and to find that it's not working. Oh well it really doesn't matter as I plan to live in U.S most of my life so not like it matters. But thanks for the info. maybe i'll just save my money and buy the next generation iphone in Korea, (depending on when it comes out), buy it as no- contract, get it unlocked, and use it in U.S I guess that's my only option in the future.
Unlocked Iphone in Korea Works.
This is a reply 3 years to late and i'm sure people have figured out how to use an unlocked iphone in korea but here is my update.
I unlocked an iphone 3 that was purchased from at&t in the states using iclarified.com.
Took it to Korea and put in a sim card and worked.
Couple things you need to know:
-I have dual citizenship so i'm legally able to purchase a phone in korea, in turn giving me access to a sim card, which they call "u-sim"
-After the phone being unlocked, you need to register it with the korean government. Something to do with the IMIE number i think??
-I'm not to keen on all this unlocking and jailbreaking stuff, but I had to change my baseband, whatever that means.(the iphone 3 i had was just sitting around so it didn't really matter what i did with the phone.)
Being a "foreigner," it maybe hard to do all this because of language and having access to get a cellular account.
I will be doing it with my Iphone4 soon and will update on how that works.
This is a reply 3 years to late and i'm sure people have figured out how to use an unlocked iphone in korea but here is my update.
I unlocked an iphone 3 that was purchased from at&t in the states using iclarified.com.
Took it to Korea and put in a sim card and worked.
Couple things you need to know:
-I have dual citizenship so i'm legally able to purchase a phone in korea, in turn giving me access to a sim card, which they call "u-sim"
-After the phone being unlocked, you need to register it with the korean government. Something to do with the IMIE number i think??
-I'm not to keen on all this unlocking and jailbreaking stuff, but I had to change my baseband, whatever that means.(the iphone 3 i had was just sitting around so it didn't really matter what i did with the phone.)
Being a "foreigner," it maybe hard to do all this because of language and having access to get a cellular account.
I will be doing it with my Iphone4 soon and will update on how that works.