The unit of currency is Korean Won (KRW), expressed as ￦. Coin denominations are ￦10, ￦50, ￦100 and ￦500. Bank notes are ￦1,000, ￦5,000, ￦10,000 and ￦50,000. As of March 2020, the exchange rate is approximately ￦1,190 for $1 (USD).

Currency exchange

Foreign banknotes can be exchanged at most banks and other authorized moneychangers.

Traveler's checks

Traveler's checks can also be exchanged at most banks, but may be difficult to change in smaller towns. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, we advise you to take traveler’s checks in US dollar.

Banking hours

09:00 ~ 16:00, Monday to Friday

Visa, and MasterCard are accepted at almost all retail outlets, but Diners Club and American Express may only be accepted at major hotels, shops and restaurants in the larger cities. Check with your credit card company for details on merchant acceptance and other available services.

Outlets for 220 Volts/60Hz are mostly used in Korea. In order to convert the power into 110 volts please contact the hotel housekeeping and current transformer will be available.

Korea is 9 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT +9) and does not observe daylight savings time.
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/south-korea/seoul

• 112: Police
• 119: Fire & Ambulance
• 1339: Medical Emergency

※These services are available 24 hours.

Tip

Tipping is not regularly practiced in Korea. Service charges are often included in the bill for rooms, meals, and other services at hotels and upscale restaurants. Koreans occasionally do tip when they are especially pleased with the services provided.

Tax

Upon request, visitors can receive VAT refunds of about 10 percent for purchases at "Duty Free Shopping" outlets. Goods must be taken out of Korea within three months of purchase to be eligible for a tax refund. Only foreign tourists in Korea can apply for this tax refund. Visitors can receive refund on receipts with a minimum purchase amount of KR￦ 50,000 (around US$ 50). To receive this refundable, present refund receipts together with the purchased goods at the customs desk at the airport on your day of departure. These receipts can be cashed in at the Cash Refund Office in front of the Airport Duty Free Shop.

• Incheon International Airport https://www.airport.kr/ap/en/index.do
• Gimpo International Airport http://www.airport.co.kr/gimpoeng/index.do
• About Seoul http://english.seoul.go.kr
• About Korea http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trades http://www.mofat.go.kr