Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
LG Uplus targets foreigners with multilingual services
LG Uplus' foreign language-speaking representative assists a customer. Courtesy of LG Uplus
By Lee Gyu-lee
LG Uplus is set to expand its foreigner-friendly services by launching stores dedicated to non-Korean-speaking customers across the country.
The company announced Thursday that it will provide documents in 17 languages and operate 67 specialized stores in major cities to better serve foreign residents.
The 17 languages include English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, Thai, Burmese, Mongolian, Uzbek and Lao — the broadest range of translated options offered by any telecom carrier in Korea.
The initiative aims to offer easier and more convenient ways for expats in Korea to sign up for mobile services.
“As the number of foreigners residing in Korea continues to increase, we’ve strengthened our services to resolve their inconveniences in using telecom services and to improve their experience,” the company said in a release. “We’ll continue to invest in our customer service infrastructure to better serve all customers.”
Offering translations in various languages will address one of the biggest issues for foreign customers. To solve language barriers foreigners experience when signing contracts and subscribing for service, LG Uplus will offer translated versions for key documents, including subscription forms and terms of service.
Among the 67 stores, 17 stores in areas with high foreign resident populations will be designated as Global Telecom Centers that specialize in providing multilingual support, with tailored signs and displays to assist non-Korean speakers.
The company is ramping up its multilingual staff to accommodate the initiative, expanding its team of foreign language representatives to around 170 employees from various countries, including China and Russia. These representatives will be placed at the foreigner-friendly stores to provide in-store assistance.
According to the Ministry of Justice, the number of foreigners living in Korea has been steadily growing, rising from about 2.03 million in 2020 to 2.65 million in 2024. The population of long-term expats also grew from 1.61 million to 2.04 million over the same period.