[태그:] Mmobile

How to Recharge 4G LTE kt Prepaid SIM in Korea and How to Check the Credit Balance(For Korea SIM RED)

Online with easy purchase? or Offline in CVS in real time?

 

In South Korea, it is obvious that major two SIM products from kt (Korea Telecom) have monopoly on the entire SIM market now. 4G LTE Prepaid SIM is available all around the airport and you can see everywhere including CVS. Moreover, Unlimited Data SIM is the most popular SIM plan.

There is no need to recharge for Unlimited Data SIM. So, in this article, I would like to share how to recharge 4G LTE kt Prepaid SIM and how to check the credit balance.

 

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kt 4G LTE Prepaid 2GB SIM

 

The minimum price for recharge is KRW 10,000 per 500MB. I think it is not that cheap, but it is totally worth for its world top class premium quality. For this reason, I would like to strongly recommend 2GB SIM instead of 1GB, if you need more than 1GB. This way, you can save KRW 5,000 with the same value of 2GB.

Recharge Online with easy payment

Available at all time and easy to recharge. No need to face language barrier in front of your eyes. Simply enough with paypal or your credit card.

Just visit https://www.krsim.net/product/additional-top-up/20/ and order. That’s it. This is a part of Korea SIM Card web page(https://www.krsim.net).

But if you want to recharge during weekend or at night, it is hard to recommend because the recharge will be activated as of the next working day. However, it enables to recharge real time during operating hours in weekdays.

Recharge in CVS in real time

Or you can also recharge at any convenience stores in South Korea such as 7-Eleven, GS25 and CU nationwide 24/7. It is truly real time recharge.

7-Eleven and GS25 have easier way whick you can simply show your phone number of the SIM and pay the desired amounts to recharge. All the credit cards are available for payment. You might experience language barrier but in that case, you can show the note below to the reception staff.

Recharge at CVS.jpg

Otherwise, CU has PIN code-based top up system. (customer top-up on their own) Once the staff is done processing, you will get a receipt with PIN codes printed (11 digits). Then call 080-013-0114 (for free of charge) and follow the message on the line. English instruction will be provided.

When recharge is finished, you will receive notification message in real time.

How to Check Credit Balance

Call ARS 080-012-0114 (for free of charge). Then you will receive SMS that contains the information of the remaining credit balance.

Or, you can call 080-770-0114 and ask the staff there. They will let you know the credit balance.

Availability, from “EG mobile” to “kt Mmobile”: the History

If you have been ever to Korea and have made choices for some prepaid SIM services for foreigners in the past 3 years, I guess that you may have heard the SIM card which is called “EG mobile”. It is the name of the company, that started prepaid SIM business for foreigners about 3 years ago, in 2013. It concentrated on the sales in shops around Incheon Int’l Airport, Korean convenience store GS25,  (in offline) and internet open market shop (in online).

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EG SIM which offer 1GB data at KRW30,000

At that time, there were no competitors in the market and the contents they provide was reasonable to the price. It was so small company that it didn’t worry about Korean government regulation which was not determined at that time (what condition must legally be fulfilled to activate the prepaid SIM for travelers… and so on), and invested aggressively in marketing their products whereas the potential competitors hesitated to enter the business worrying the uncertainty in policy and waited for the decision regarding the market regulation. Sometimes it was recklessly too brave to offend the government. Anyway, as the result, it became the name of prepaid SIM in Korea, itself. It’s the reason why you encounter the name so often in Google search results about prepaid SIM in Korea.

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One of the Korean Top Actors, Song Joong Gi became the model of kt(Korea Telecom)

But as time went by, the direction of government regulation became somewhat concrete. At last, the subsidiary company of “kt” (korea telecom; the no. 1 telecommunication company who has the most subscribers in S. Korea), “kt Mmobile” began to play in the market and to take up the position in 2015. They have supplied their kt Mmobile SIM card for travelers to the Korean major 2 convenience stores, the Seven-Eleven(7-11) and CU since then and opened internet shopping site, krsim.net, too. Finally, travelers have become to enjoy the trustful services that the Korean top telecommunication company provides.

kt Mmobile SIM which offer 1GB at KRW29,900

On 1st. March, 2016. GS25 came to be out from the Arrival floor in Incheon Int’l Airport and EG mobile lost the place to sell their products there. Now the Airport has only three CU convenience store there, so kt Mmobile SIM card comes to be the most dominant and popular prepaid SIM card for traveler in S. Korea, now.

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One of the 3 CU convenience stores on the arrival floor in the Incheon Int’l Airport, S. Korea