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

Calling in Korea If you are calling from Korea to your home country, you will need to first dial a long distance carrier (Korea Telecom is 001, Dacom is 002), then the country code and then the area code (minus the initial zero if there is one and then the number). If you are calling a number in Korea while you are in Korea please note that the 0 prefix must be dialed. If a cell number is 011 254-6929 then you must dial 011 254... Phone cards are sold all over Korea, particularly in bus stations, subway stations and 24 hour convenience stores. They are normally sold in denominations of W3000, W5000 and W10000, but are always discounted to W2900, W4800 and W9500 respectively. These are a cheaper option for calling home than dialing direct, plus you can easily keep track of how much you spend. A word of caution, however- these cards are often of notoriously poor quality, so it is a good idea to buy cards in the lowest denomination that you are going to use. If the charge in your card does disappear, try flexing the card gently without cracking the magnetic strip in the back. With the advent of the internet- the cheapest option for talking with your friends back home is to get a Net Messenger account (it’s free) and a microphone for your computer. If your friends and family have the same set up you can talk your head off for free! There are three types of pay phones in Korea. Old payphones only accept coins, and you will often find that the phone is off the hook. Don’t hang up! There is still credit on the phone, and the last person who used it left it off the hook as a courtesy for the next person to use it. When you deposit a 50 Won or 100 Won coin you cannot get change back, so if you only have a brief conversation the next person can use the left over credit to make another phone call- just push the green button. These types of phones can only be used to make local calls. Silver and red payphones accept both coins and credit cards, while the other kind only accepts cards. These two types of phones have different card systems and are not integrated. Calls are discounted about 30% on Saturdays, holidays and from 21:00 to 08:00 on weekdays. You can make both local and international calls using card pay phones.

This website lists a litany of useful phone numbers in Korea, including emergency numbers, customs offices, Immigration offices, Post Offices, telecommunications, time, bus schedules, railroad schedules and tourist information. Click Here for the Korean Yellow Pages Two numbers this website fails to mention, however: Alcoholics Anonymous- (02) 319-5861 (Seoul) Report-A-Spy- 113 The report a spy number is not a joke- if you see a suspicious looking character with a trench coat asking prying questions, this is the number to call. The suspicious pictures in the subway with the lizard with red eyes are advertisements reminding locals to call in to report spies. There are considerable rewards.