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.
Telecoms intensify competition with specialized plans for growing expat market
A customer consults with a representative at an LG Uplus retail store / Courtesy of LG Uplus
By Lee Gyu-lee
With Korea’s expat population on the rise, major mobile carriers — SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus — are stepping up efforts to attract foreign users by rolling out tailored services and exclusive mobile plans.
According to the Ministry of Justice, more than 2.65 million foreigners were living in the country as of the end of 2024, accounting for about 5 percent of the total population. Of those, about 2 million were long-term residents who had stayed for over five years.
On Wednesday, LG Uplus launched seven mobile plans exclusively for foreigners to capture the growing foreign resident market. The plans offer benefits such as free international calls and roaming perks, with prices ranging from 37,000 won ($27) to 85,000 won.
“As the local telecom market matures, foreign customers represent a new market with significant growth potential,” the company’s official said. “We will continue to offer differentiated customer experiences and launch a variety of dedicated services, including exclusive plans, to deliver real value to our foreign customers.”
The most affordable plan, at 37,000 won, offers 5 gigabytes (GB) of data, with speeds capped at 400 kilobits per second (Kbps) once the limit is reached. Next is the 9GB plan at 47,000 won, which also slows to 400 Kbps after the data cap. Other options include a 150GB plan for 75,000 won with speeds reduced to 5 megabits per second (Mbps) after the limit, and an unlimited data plan priced at 85,000 won.
Subscribers to these foreign-exclusive plans receive 90 minutes of free international calls each month and double the data allowance when roaming outside Korea. Launched as a limited-time promotion, the plans are available to anyone holding a foreign resident registration card until Dec. 29.
People walk by a SK Telecom retail store in Seoul in this undated photo. Yonhap
SK Telecom first introduced a mobile plan exclusively for foreigners in 2017, offering free international calls with monthly minute limits that vary by country — 90 minutes for China, 40 minutes for Thailand and Vietnam, and 20 minutes for the Philippines.
The company also launched a foreign-exclusive universal subscriber identity module (USIM) subscription service for foreigners to directly sign up for the postpaid plan themselves online. The plans start with 6 GB at 27,000 won with a 400 Kbps speed cap, followed by 8 GB at 31,000 won. It goes up to 250 GB at 55,000 with a 5 Mbps cap and two unlimited data plans at 62,000 and 69,000 won, depending on the number of lines for devices.
“For Chinese customers, the CMLink enables users to receive calls and texts in Korea with Chinese mobile numbers while the Korean number works as usual,” an SK Telecom official said, adding it gives a significant advantage with mobile verifications often required in using Chinese financial services.
“Previously, Chinese residents in Korea had to use a separate phone with a Chinese SIM or constantly swap SIM cards, but this service resolves that inconvenience and is receiving a positive response.”
A promotional image for KT's 5G Welcome plan / Captured from KT website
Last April, KT also introduced three 5G "Welcome" subscription plans dedicated to expats, which include 5 GB with 5 Mbps speed cap plan at 59,000 won, 3 GB with 3 Mbps at 49,000 won and 1 GB with 1 Mbps at 39,000 won. As a promotion, the subscribers will be given an additional 20 GB per month for the highest plan and the speed cap upgrades to 5 and 3 Mbps for the lower two plans, respectively, until December.
Additionally, the 5G Welcome plan users can enjoy an exclusive 001 Free subscription for free, which normally costs 5,500 won per month. It allows users to make international calls within the plan's 200-minute limits.
“The 5G Welcome plan, launched last year, has extended its promotion twice and will continue through the end of this year,” a KT official said.
“The plan was developed after gathering customer needs through interviews with the retail stores before its launch, and as a result, it has received positive feedback … The number of users is reportedly continuing to grow steadily.”