How does the Korean postal system work?
How does the Korean postal system work? How can foreigners send domestic and international mail, and what services does Korea Post offer?
1 Answer
Korea Post (우체국) is reliable, cheap and present in every neighbourhood, with branches generally open on weekdays from 9am to 6pm.
Domestic mail. An ordinary letter arrives within one to two days almost anywhere in the country, and registered post (등기) adds tracking and proof of delivery. Domestic parcels are inexpensive and priced by weight and distance. Current postage is published on the Korea Post site, and since the rates are revised periodically it is worth checking the rate lookup rather than a remembered figure.
International mail. There are three things you will actually use. EMS (Express Mail Service) is the fast tracked option to most countries. Ordinary airmail for letters and small packets is slower and cheaper. Surface mail is the cheapest and takes one to two months. You can price any of them, and see the delivery conditions for the destination country, at ems.epost.go.kr, which has an English version.
K-Packet deserves a clarification, because it is often described wrongly. It is a small-packet service for items up to 2kg — the published rate table runs from 100g to 2,000g and stops there — and it is a contract product, arranged through a post office marketing team rather than handed over at the counter. It is aimed at sellers shipping regular volumes of light parcels, not at someone posting a heavy box once.
Before you send internationally, check two things on the Korea Post site: the destination country conditions, and the notice board. Suspensions and restrictions are live, not theoretical — as of late September 2026 there were active notices covering suspended destinations and, for the United States, restrictions on items falling under quota and anti-dumping HTSUS codes following the US tariff policy change. Note too that the US de minimis exemption ended on 29 August 2025, so a low declared value no longer means duty-free entry.
Other services. Post offices also handle banking and insurance, and foreign residents can open a post office account. You can order packing supplies at the counter, and you can book a home pickup for parcels through the website or app rather than carrying the box in yourself. The customer centre is 1588-1300, with an overseas line on 82-42-609-4295, weekdays 09:00 to 18:00.
Sources: 인터넷우체국 (epost.go.kr, ems.epost.go.kr), 우정사업본부 notices.
Last verified: 2026-09-28