Buying a SIM at Incheon or Gimpo Airport: counters, hours and ID

Which mobile carriers have SIM counters at Incheon Airport?

The sources checked for this guide list counters on the arrivals floor of Terminal 1 for three carriers: KT Corporation, SK Telecom and LG Uplus.

KT. KT's own page gives two pickup points. KT roaming center pickup counters at Terminal 1, 1F Arrival floor: near Arrival Hall A (opposite Exit 2), and near Arrival Hall F (opposite Exit 13).

SK Telecom. The airport's facility listing gives this SK Telecom counter: SK Telecom Roaming Center open 24 hours near Arrival Hall F on the west side of 1st Floor, Terminal 1. A second SK Telecom counter sits on the east side, near Arrival Hall A, with its own published hours (see the table below).

LG U+. The same airport listing gives this LG U+ counter: LG U+ Roaming Center open 24 hours near Arrival Hall F on the west side of 1st Floor, Terminal 1.

Put together, the listings place the Terminal 1 carrier counters in two areas: near Arrival Hall A, for KT and SK Telecom, and near Arrival Hall F, for KT, SK Telecom and LG U+.

When are the SIM counters at Incheon open?

The opening hours below are taken from KT's SIM page and the airport's facility listing.

The airport's own listing agrees with KT on the Hall F counter. KT Roaming Center open 24 hours near Arrival Hall F on the west side of 1st Floor, Terminal 1.

Two points to keep in mind when reading the table. First, the figures for the Hall A counters and KT's Hall F counter are published as weekday hours. Neither the carriers' pages nor the airport listing checked for this guide sets out separate weekend or public holiday hours, so if you land on a weekend or holiday and are counting on a Hall A counter, confirm with the carrier first. Second, these are counter hours, not product rules: what you can buy at a given counter depends on the carrier, as the sections on documents and pre-ordering explain.

Is there a SIM counter at Incheon Terminal 2?

The Incheon counter listings checked for this guide describe Terminal 1. None of them names a carrier counter at Terminal 2, and none gives Terminal 2 opening hours. That does not prove there is no counter there; it means this page cannot give you a location or hours for one.

If your airline uses Terminal 2, check the carrier's own counter list before you fly. KT also sells its data eSIM online (see the section on pre-ordering below), but our sources do not say how an online eSIM purchase is delivered, so confirm on KT's page whether it needs a counter visit before you rely on it.

Can I buy a SIM card at Gimpo Airport?

At Gimpo, the carrier our sources place on site is LG U+. An LG U+ customer center for pocket Wi-Fi and SIM rental is located at Gimpo Airport.

If you order an LG U+ eSIM ahead, the pickup instruction on its eSIM page is short: Pick it up at Incheon, Gimpo, or Gimhae Airport. LG U+'s TOUR PASS follows the same pattern. TOUR PASS can be reserved through the LG U+ website and picked up at the Roaming Centers in Incheon, Gimpo, or Gimhae Airport, or purchased directly at the Airport Roaming Center for immediate use.

One practical advantage if you arrive at one airport and leave from another: Rented items can be returned to any LG U+ customer center at Incheon, Gimpo, or Gimhae airport, even if it is not the one where they were originally rented.

What our sources do not cover matters just as much here. They list no KT or SK Telecom counter at Gimpo, and they give no opening hours for the LG U+ desk there. If you land at Gimpo in the evening, check LG U+'s hours on its own site before you travel rather than assuming they match the round-the-clock counters at Incheon.

What documents and payment do I need at the counter?

Bring the document the carrier names, and a card that meets its payment rule.

KT prepaid SIM. KT lists its document requirement as: ID card (passport or certificate of alien registration). It also sets a purchase limit of 1 voice SIM and up to 4 data SIMs per person. On payment, KT is specific: Payment with credit or debit cards issued in Korea is not accepted.

LG U+. For on-site SIM or pocket Wi-Fi rental: A passport and a credit card with the same name as shown on the passport are required for on-site rental. For eSIM pickup, the counter takes a card for a deposit, and a credit card is only authorised, not charged. A credit card or debit card is required for the deposit payment at the airport counter. The credit card should be under the same name as your passport and it will be authorized for 1,111 KRW without being charged. A debit card works differently: for a SIM or eSIM, a deposit of ₩70,000 is charged to it and refunded automatically when the device is returned in good condition. LG U+ also caps purchases. A single passport holder can purchase up to 3 SIM cards.

SK Telecom. The SK Telecom pages checked for this guide do not list the documents or payment methods its airport counters accept. Ask at the counter, or call the roaming centre number given in the last section.

Before you queue for an eSIM, confirm your phone can take one. LG U+ gives a quick test: To check eSIM compatibility, dial *#06# on the phone's keypad; if an EID appears, the phone supports eSIM (eSIM is not supported on Google Pixel or OPPO devices).

Can I buy a SIM with an Alien Registration Card instead of a passport?

At KT, yes, for the prepaid SIM. The requirement quoted above names the certificate of alien registration as an alternative to a passport, and KT repeats it in its eligibility wording. Exclusively for foreigners visiting Korea; requires a passport or alien registration certificate.

Note the first half of that wording: KT describes the SIM as a product for foreigners visiting Korea. If you live in Korea on a residence card, ask at the counter whether your status changes which plans you can buy. If you planned to pay with a card issued in Korea, the KT payment rule in the previous section applies to you too.

KT's eSIM is described in the same way. This is a prepaid product exclusively for foreigners visiting Korea. The eSIM page checked for this guide does not say which identity document it accepts, so do not assume your Alien Registration Card will be taken for the eSIM.

At LG U+, the on-site rental rule quoted above names a passport, and its purchase limit is framed per passport holder. Our sources do not say whether LG U+ accepts an Alien Registration Card in place of a passport. LG U+ does run support numbers for foreigners residing in Korea: 114 is free for LG U+ customers, and 080-851-1004 is free for callers on other carriers.

At SK Telecom, the page for its general prepaid (PPS) plan sets a line limit for foreign residents: Maximum lines per foreign resident is 1, compared to 2 for Korean subscribers. It does not say which identity document a resident shows when signing up.

Should I order ahead or buy when I land?

That depends on the carrier and on the product.

KT prepaid SIM. KT's SIM page describes an order-ahead process. Reserve and pay online in advance, then pick up the SIM at the arrival airport KT roaming center after identity verification. Keep the dates in mind once you have paid. The SIM must be used within 90 days after purchase, otherwise it expires with no refund.

KT eSIM. The two KT eSIMs are sold differently. The Data eSIM can be purchased on site or online; the voice eSIM can only be purchased on site at the KT Roaming Center at the airport. If you want the voice eSIM, plan your counter stop around the hours in the table above.

LG U+. A booking is optional. No prior reservation is required; pocket Wi-Fi, SIM or eSIM can be rented on the day of arrival by visiting an LG U+ Customer Center, though booking in advance provides additional benefits. There is no courier alternative to the airport desk. LG U+ does not offer a delivery service for pocket Wi-Fi or SIM rentals; pickup at an airport customer center is required.

For reference, KT's prepaid SIM, which is reserved and paid for online and then collected at the counter, has list prices of ₩6,500 for one day, ₩35,000 for seven days and ₩71,500 for thirty days. LG U+ lists its data-only eSIM at ₩6,500 for one day and ₩27,500 for five days. Our Korea SIM and eSIM guide sets the full price lists side by side.

Is there a SIM vending machine for when the counters are closed?

None of the sources checked for this guide mentions a self-service SIM or eSIM machine at either airport, whether in the carriers' pages or in the airport's facility listing. That means this page cannot point you to one. Plan around the staffed counters and their published hours instead, and look at the eSIM options in the section on ordering ahead before you travel.

What if I land after the SIM counters have closed?

Work through the situation that matches yours.

You are at Terminal 1 late in the evening or overnight. Walk to the Arrival Hall F end of the arrivals floor, where the airport lists round-the-clock roaming centres for KT, SK Telecom and LG U+. What each one can do for you differs. KT describes its Hall F counter as a pickup point for SIMs reserved and paid for online, so it suits travellers who ordered ahead; KT also sells its voice eSIM on site at its airport roaming centre, though our sources do not say which KT counter handles it. LG U+'s pages describe walk-up rental on the day of arrival without a booking. The SK Telecom pages checked for this guide do not describe what its airport counter sells, so ask there.

You are at Terminal 2. Our sources name no counter there. KT sells its data eSIM online as well as on site, as quoted above, but our sources do not say whether an online purchase can be completed without a counter, so check KT's page before you count on it. Know the product's limits too: The Data-only eSIM does not support outgoing calls or texts. KT will not take it back once paid for. eSIM purchases are non-cancellable and non-refundable once the purchase is completed.

You are at Gimpo. Our sources give no hours for the LG U+ desk, so check them before you travel. If you find it closed, our sources list no other SIM counter at Gimpo; the round-the-clock counters in the listings are at Incheon Terminal 1.

You need someone to ask. The Incheon airport help desk is on 1577-2600 (international: 82-2-1577-2600), with published weekday hours of 07:00–22:00. For the carriers themselves:

• KT foreign-customer line for the prepaid SIM: +82-2-2190-0901 (free from any KT mobile phone, press 6 for foreign customer).
• SK Telecom roaming centre at Terminal 1: 02-6343-9000.
• LG U+ customer support: 010-3998-1004 (charges apply / free when called from U+ mobile phones).

Carrier hours and counter locations are revised from time to time. Treat this page as a starting point and check the carrier's page in the week you travel.