South Korea's country code is 82.The country has three service providers: SK Telecom, KTF and LG Telecom. They offer prepaid mobile phone services (pre-paid service, PPS) in South Korea. Incoming calls are free. Phones and prepaid services can be acquired at any retail location found on any street. Second-hand phones are also available at selected stores in Seoul.
South Korea uses the CDMA standard, not GSM, so most 2G mobile phones from elsewhere will not work. Even quad-band GSM phones are useless. However, if you have a 3G phone, you can probably roam onto the UMTS/WCDMA networks of SK Telecom or KTF; check with your home operator before you leave to be sure.
All the carriers offer mobile phone rental services, and some handsets also support GSM SIM roaming. They have outlets at the airports in Seoul and Busan. You can find service centres for SK Telecom and KTF at Jeju airport as well. Charges start from W2000/day if you reserve in advance via the visitkorea website for a discount and guaranteed availability.
The 1330 Korea Travel Phone service is a very useful service provided by the Korea Tourism organization. It is a 24 hour service and offered in four different languages (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese). The operator will answer questions on bus schedules, accommodation, museum hours, etc.
Through the Internet
South Korea is the world's most wired country and Internet cafes, known as PC bang (PC 방, pron. BAH-ng), are ubiquitous through the country. Many customers are there for gaming but you're free to sit and type e-mails as well, typical charges are about W1000 to W2000/hour. Like anything, it may be more expensive in more "luxurious" places. Also, snacks and drinks are available for purchase in most PC bangs. PC bangs are often divided into smoking and non-smoking areas.
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