South Korea SIM card from the UAE: KT, LG U+, roaming or eSIM

Data in South Korea from the UAE: the options side by side

A South Korea SIM card for tourists is one of three routes to mobile data: a KT or LG U+ eSIM from ₩6,500, a roaming pack on your UAE line from AED 35.00, or a data eSIM from us. Of these, only KT’s Data & Voice eSIM gives you a Korean number, and you collect it at the airport.

Pack prices as listed by e&, du and Virgin Mobile on 15 Oct 2026; AED per GB is our derivation (price ÷ GB). eSIM prices are in AED at the day’s rate: your card is charged exactly that amount.

KT and LG U+ tourist eSIMs: data only or data and voice

KT sells its tourist eSIM “exclusively for foreigners visiting Korea”, up to 1 voice and 4 data eSIMs per person; LG U+ allows 3 per passport. At 1, 3 and 5 days both charge ₩6,500, ₩18,000 and ₩27,500 (16 Oct 2026).

Source: KT roaming eSIM and LG U+ Korea SIM (16 Oct 2026). KT’s prices include VAT; LG U+‘s page does not say. The per-day column is our arithmetic, and we do not convert won to AED. LG U+ shows 1 to 5 days; more sit behind a button we did not open.

Read the limits. KT caps full speed daily: “After 11GB of data usage on a line in a day, you may still use data service unlimited at the speed of 5Mbps.” Its eSIMs are “non-cancellable and non-refundable”. LG U+ says its data “is provided without any speed limits or throttling”, which is its claim, not our test. You collect LG U+‘s eSIM at an airport centre, since “LG U+ doesn’t offer a delivery service”.

Per KT’s price list, the 10-day eSIM (₩38,500) costs ₩3,500 more than the 7-day one, about 10% for 3 extra days by our arithmetic. For a month, KT’s LTE Welcome Prepaid for foreigners costs ₩35,000 for 1GB to ₩55,000 for 5GB, each with 200 minutes and 200 texts, against ₩71,500 for KT’s 30-day Data eSIM (VAT included). We have no SK Telecom tourist prices; check SK Telecom’s site.

e&, du and Virgin Mobile in South Korea: a week and One Country

South Korea is on the roaming lists of e&, du and Virgin Mobile UAE, with packs from AED 35.00 for a day to AED 200.00 for a week (15 Oct 2026). Virgin Mobile UAE gives one country free on plans of 20GB and up, and South Korea is on its list.

Sources: eand.ae (15 Oct 2026), du.ae (15 Oct 2026), virginmobile.ae (15 Oct 2026). Per-day figures are our arithmetic. Pack rules: e& roaming, du roaming and Virgin One Country.

For 4 days in Seoul, four e& daily packs cost AED 140.00 for 2GB, with speed cut to 64 kbps after 500MB a day. On e& prepaid, the weekly pack costs AED 40.00 less and carries 4GB, twice the data (our arithmetic). Its 7 days start at “first eligible usage” and keep running after you fly home. du’s pages disagree on when its postpaid data bundles start, so buy just before departure and read the activation note in the du app. One Country covers one country from the 34 on Virgin’s page (15 Oct 2026) and needs re-activation each month.

du also sells its own travel eSIM, priced in US dollars: for Korea, 5GB for 30 days is about AED 55.09 (US$15) (du.ae/travelesim, 15 Oct 2026).

Your e&, du or Virgin Mobile line won’t use mobile data abroad unless you add a roaming pack (e& lets you unlock pay-as-you-go data for 24 hours by SMS). Keep your UAE SIM switched on for SMS; e& and Virgin Mobile don’t charge for SMS you receive abroad; calls you receive are charged per minute, AED 4.25 on e& outside the GCC (15 Oct 2026). du doesn’t publish a price for SMS you receive abroad — check with du. Setup: keep your UAE number.

A Korean number for app verification: who needs one

You need a Korean number only for apps that text a code to a local number. LG U+ says “SMS verification for restaurant and taxi reservation apps is available, but Identity Verification for banking or government services is not supported”, and a data-only service has no SMS verification at all.

That describes LG U+‘s service, not a promise that any app accepts a code. A number comes with KT’s Data & Voice eSIM: “voice & SMS services will be available only after completing Identity Verification(Entry Check)” at the airport, with “approximately 60 minutes” of calls and free incoming calls and SMS. If you only browse, navigate and message, data is enough; if an app you plan to use sends a code to a Korean number, check that app’s rules before you fly.

Our eSIMs for South Korea are data-only — keep your UAE number on your main SIM for calls and SMS. They carry no Korean number, so they do not help with SMS verification. They run on SK’s 5G local network, and each plan shows its price in AED. GB plans come in 7/15/30 days; 10GB for 30 days is AED 55.99, and the 7-day unlimited plan is AED 92.99, about AED 13.28 a day (our arithmetic), at full speed up to 3GB a day, then 1 Mbps. Charged in AED by JET SHARING (USA). Your bank may add a foreign-transaction fee; see how to pay.

Install before you fly; it connects when you land in South Korea, and the days count from that first connection. An iPhone sets the APN automatically; on Android the South Korea plan needs it set by hand, see APN settings. Our eSIMs are for use outside the UAE; they do not provide service in the UAE. All sizes are on South Korea eSIM plans; for Korea and other Asian countries on one eSIM, see the Asia regional plan. Top-up is possible. Next stop Tokyo? See the Japan SIM card guide.

What if the eSIM doesn’t work when you land in South Korea?

Check four settings, in this order, before you write to us.

The first is the line for mobile data. On iPhone it is Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data; on Android, the SIM manager. Pick the travel line there; your UAE line stays on for calls and SMS, with its mobile data off.

The second is data roaming, for the eSIM line only. The eSIM is a foreign profile, so the phone treats South Korea as roaming for it.

The third is the APN. The plan does not set it by itself here: add globaldata on Android under the eSIM line’s mobile network settings.

The fourth is a restart. Restart the phone or switch airplane mode on and off, and let it find SK; this can take a few minutes after you leave the plane.

Still no data? Write to us on WhatsApp or at support@esimgo.ae with your order number, or go through the no-signal checklist. Do not delete the eSIM to “try again”: a deleted profile usually cannot be installed twice from the same code. If the eSIM doesn't work and it isn't your phone's fault, we refund the payment whether or not it was installed.

What I’d choose (and when NOT to buy the eSIM)

For a week of maps, rides and messaging I’d take 1 GB for 7 days, AED 14.99. For two weeks or more, with photos and social media, I’d go for 5 GB for 30 days, AED 30.99. If you video-call and stream every day, take the unlimited plan for 7 days, AED 92.99, with 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps.

I would not recommend the eSIM in three cases. If you need calls or SMS on your UAE number every day, roaming on your e&, du or Virgin Mobile line keeps them, and some packs include minutes (compare the packs). If your phone has no eSIM or is locked to one operator, it cannot take the plan: check your model first. And if your group travels together all day and shares one connection, a pocket Wi-Fi can cover everyone.

FAQ

Get an eSIM for South Korea, from AED 14.99 Pay by card in AED. The seller is registered outside the UAE, so some banks may still add a foreign-merchant fee. Install the profile at home on Wi-Fi before you fly. The QR code arrives by e-mail after payment. See plans