6 Best eSIMs for South Korea Travel in 2024

Plan a visit to South Korea, and concerned about the connectivity? Buying an eSIM can solve your problem. So, what is an eSIM? A virtual SIM card that lets you freely access the internet via data plans in Korea. We have picked six of the best South Korean eSIMs in 2024, covering all your needs with stable high-speed, wide coverage, and flexible packages so that you may enjoy them all without falling into worry about communication on your trip to Korea.

No.1 MicroEsim

Of the best eSIMs for international travel, MicroEsim's plans are pretty flexible, from 3 to 30-day durations, with different data options countable in daily or total. The prices start at $2.80, and once the high-speed allowance is consumed, you can still stay connected at reduced speeds of 256kbps. No worries about disconnection. In cooperation with the reliable local operator SKT of South Korea, it will also provide stable and fast 4G/LTE speeds.

Furthermore, MicroEsim offers comprehensive coverage all around South Korea, much better compared to competitors. On the other hand, for travelers visiting more than Korea, like Singapore and Malaysia, MicroEsim still offers bundled packages, such as the Asia 10 Regions eSIM, making it more cost-effective and hassle-free.

It's easy to use because you can easily order online and activate it via a QR code, with no eKYC required. In addition, it supports hotspots that allow sharing your connection with other devices, hence saving on roaming charges. Overall, it is the first option when choosing the best eSIM.

Buy South Korea eSIM

Here are the price packages from MicroEsim for Korea:

No.2 Airalo

Airalo is one of the well-known eSIM providers and officially the world's very first eSIM marketplace. It offers two plans for South Korea that can be subscribed to for either 10 or 30 days with unlimited data usage. However, the speed throttles down to 5 Mbps after using 3GB every day. The starting price is $32.00, and it uses the LG U+ network.

While Airalo is quite extensive and has wide coverage and unlimited data, it comes with some drawbacks. It requires eKYC, which could be painful for many users. The worst thing is, it does not work on Pixel devices if you plan to use an eSIM card on Android.

Here are the price packages from Airalo for Korea:

No. 3 Nomad

Although users do report issues related to connectivity and speeds at times, Nomad just cannot be left out when it comes to one of the best eSIMs for Asia. Nomad is a fairly reliable eSIM provider available in the market. It offers two types of plans for eSIM Korea: Regular plans and Day plans, which range from 7 days to 45 days for 1 GB to 20 GB, and from 1 day up to 10 days, with up to 3 GB per day at unlimited 513kbps, respectively.

Nomad partners with local operators SKT, KT, and LG Uplus and claims to support 5G; however, according to users, most of the time, it does not give speed as suggested. Unlike MicroEsim, once you have used up your data, you will be cut off and will need to buy more plans; no add-on data or days are possible. In case more data is needed or if you want to extend the plan, it is quite a headache as a new plan will have to be purchased and activated after the first one expires.

Here are the price packages from Nomad for Korea:

No. 4 GigSky

GigSky eSIM is a top eSIM provider based in Silicon Valley, the first eSIM partner with Apple. This will be a great option if you are going to use eSIM on iPhone. It offers South Korea-specific plans but also includes Korea plans, such as Asia Pacific plans, World Plans, and Cruise + Asia Pacific plans. The price starts at $4.99 for 1GB for 7 days.

It offers one of the unique features: a 100MB free trial that lasts for 7 days. Furthermore, GigSky collaborated with the Asiana Airlines Group to provide data in-flight, and you can stay online even inside a plane, but at a pretty pricey cost of $13.99 for 100MB for 1 day, so you need to remember to keep a tab on consumption at all times. On the downside, GigSky does not have any unlimited data plans, and the pricing turns out to be a little more expensive in comparison with other eSIM providers.

Here are the price packages from GigSky for Korea:

No. 5 Airhub

Airhub was founded in 2020, therefore, it is a rather young company. It supports all eSIM-enabled devices, so there will be no need to worry about your eSIM device compatibility. Airhub offers some plans for South Korea exclusively, along with global plans, including Korea. They range from 5 days to 30 days and from 3GB to an unlimited amount of data, at $8.60 as a starting point.

While different plans come with different speeds, some offer 5G—with coverage powered by the SK Telecom network. While this sounds good, many customers had issues with monitoring data usage, which means this is something that you will have to track personally. The data amount also is not that enough for a long stay.

Here are the price packages from Airhub for Korea:

No. 6 Jetpac

Singapore-based Jetpac eSIM offers plans starting from 4 days to 30 days and data options from 1GB to 40 GB. New users can purchase at a discounted price of just $1 for 1GB for 4 days, allowing access to speeds of 3G and 4G. Although these plans sound pretty ordinary, it is the first eSIM provider to set itself with front-of-queue lounge access for travelers if their flight is delayed by over 60 minutes. If this is a perk that is important to you, then Jetpac can very well be worth it.

Final Verdict

Having 6 eSIM options to select from, choosing the right one can be a bit baffling. Each carries specific pros and cons, but if we go based on something that balances their price, data amount, speed, and bundle extras like hotspot capabilities, it will point in only one direction, and that would be MicroEsim. Take a look at MicroEsim now and make connecting easy and hassle-free while traveling to South Korea and many more places!

Go to MicroEsim Store

Buy South Korea eSIM

Things to Consider Before Purchasing an eSIM for South Korea

Before your trip to South Korea, here are some tips for you.

1. Use a eSIM Compatible Phone

Ensure that you have a smartphone compatible with the eSIM feature before attempting to use it. Most phones produced after 2018 are likely to support eSIM, but verification will be necessary. You can check the website of an authorized phone manufacturer or from your eSIM provider. Here are some examples of devices that support eSIM:

• iPhone 11 or later
• iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone SE
• iPad 7th generation or later
• Galaxy S20 or later
• Google Pixel 3 or later

For the complete list of compatible devices, refer to eSIM compatible devices page.

2. Make Sure Your Phone is Unlocked

Please make sure that your phone is not eSIM locked before purchasing a Korea eSIM. If it is, then carrier choosing will be limited, which may affect the usability of the eSIM. Please do reach out to your local carrier immediately to have it unlocked so you can switch freely between providers of eSIMs with much less worry during your journey.

How to Use eSIM in South Korea

If you still do not understand how eSIM works, here is a quick answer. eSIM is an embeded SIM card that doesn't need a physical card to allow you access a data plan.

So, how can you get an eSIM?

Step 1. Go to the South Korea eSIM plans page.

Step 2. Make an order and then you will receive a QR code from the customer service email.

Step 3. Just scan the QR code.

Step 4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete, then you are ready.