Language: The official language is Korean.
Currency: South Korea's monetary unit is the won (KRW). Currency can be exchanged at most banks, and travelers cheques cashed at authorized banks and hotels. Most merchants in the cities accept Visa,
MasterCard and
American Express credit cards, but Koreans traditionally prefer cash. ATMs at banks are usually accessible only during banking hours, and instructions on the machines are generally only in Korean. Public ATMs at convenience stores and subway stations are generally available 24 hours. US Dollars are an accepted form of
foreign currency.
Time: Local time is GMT +9.
Electricity: Electrical current is 110 or 220 volts, 60Hz. Most hotels operate on 220 volts.
Communications: The international dialing code for South Korea is +82, and the outgoing code is 001 or 002 followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 00144 for the
UK). The outgoing code when using some mobile phones is 00700. City or area codes are in use, e.g. (0)2 for
Seoul. Telecommunications are well developed and call boxes accepting both cash and cards are prevalent. Internet cafes are widely available. Although mobile telephones are widely used by locals, there is no GSM network and foreign phones will not usually work in the country. Local mobile phones may be rented.
Duty Free: Travelers (over the age of 19) arriving in South Korea may bring in the following items free of customs duty: 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g tobacco products; 57g perfume; 1 liter of alcohol (only those over 20 years old); and gifts valued at not more than 400,000 won. Products from communist countries are prohibited, as are fruit, seeds and any published or recorded material deemed to be subversive or obscene.
Tourist OfficeKorea
National Tourism Organization, Seoul: +82 (0)2 729 9600 or www.knto.or.kr
EmergencyEmergencies: 112 (Police); 119 (Ambulance)
Embassies
South Korea Embassy,
Washington DC,
United States: +1 202 939 5600.
South
Korea Embassy,
London, United Kingdom: +44 (0)20 7227 5500/2.
South Korea Embassy,
Ottawa,
Canada: +1 613 244 5010.
South Korea Embassy,
Canberra,
Australia: +61 (0)2 6270 4100.
South Korea Embassy,
Pretoria,
South Africa: +27 (0)12 460 2508/9.
South Korea Embassy,
Dublin,
Ireland: +353 (0)1 660 8800.
South Korea Embassy,
Wellington,
New Zealand: +64 (0)4 473 9073/4.
United States Embassy, Seoul: +82 (0)2 397 4114.
British Embassy, Seoul: +82 (0)2 3210 5500.
Canadian Embassy, Seoul: +82 (0)2 3783 600.
Australian Embassy, Seoul: +82 (0)2 2003 0100.
South
African Embassy, Seoul: +82 (0)2 792 4855.
Irish Embassy, Seoul: +82 (0)2 2656 7031.
New
Zealand Embassy, Seoul: +82 (0)2 3701 7700.
