Korean Phone Number Lookup (+82)

Unknown calls from South Korea

Koreans have a specific word for phone fraud — voice phishing — and the term is part of everyday conversation. Scammers posing as prosecutors, the Financial Supervisory Service or bank loan officers are a well-known threat, while smishing texts disguise malicious links as delivery notices, obituary announcements or wedding invitations. Another frequent ploy is a message claiming to be a child whose phone has broken. Since nearly every mobile number starts with 010, the number alone reveals little, so people commonly check reports for an unfamiliar 010, 070 or 1588-style number before calling back or tapping any link.

South Korea phone numbers at a glance

Country calling code: +82
Trunk prefix: 0
Number format: Mobile numbers are 11 digits in the 010-XXXX-XXXX format. Landlines use area codes such as 02 for Seoul and 051 for Busan.
Example (national): 010-1234-5678
Example (international): +82 10-1234-5678
Emergency number: 112 (police), 119 (fire and ambulance)
Telecom regulator: Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT)

To call a Korean number from abroad, drop the leading 0 and dial +82 first: 010-1234-5678 becomes +82 10-1234-5678. A missed call showing +82 at the start came from a South Korea number.

How to tell what kind of Korean number called you

Mobile numbers

Type	Starts with	Notes
Mobile	010	Unified mobile prefix for all operators, including budget MVNO plans; the number does not reveal the network.

Toll-free, premium and special numbers

Type	Starts with	Notes
Toll-free	080	Free-to-call numbers used by companies and public services.
Nationwide representative numbers	15XX / 16XX / 18XX	Eight-digit numbers such as 1588-XXXX used by banks, couriers and shops; callers pay standard rates.
Premium-rate	060	Paid information services charged above normal call rates.
Internet phone	070	VoIP numbers used by businesses and individuals; frequently seen on telemarketing and spam calls.

Mobile networks in South Korea

Numbers can be ported between networks, so the prefix alone does not prove which carrier a number is on today. A WhoCallsMe lookup reads the current carrier of record. The main mobile operators are:

SK Telecom
KT
LG U+

Common phone scams in South Korea

Prosecutor and investigator impersonation

A caller says they are from the prosecutors' office and that your account has been used in a crime. To prove innocence, you must move funds to a "secure" account or hand cash to an agent. Korean law-enforcement agencies do not take custody of citizens' money over the phone.

"Mom, my phone is broken"

A text or messenger chat from an unfamiliar number claims to be your child using a friend's phone. They ask for your ID card photo, card details or a remote-control app to fix an "urgent" payment. Call your child's regular number before doing anything.

Smishing links

Texts announce an undelivered parcel, a traffic fine, a friend's funeral or a wedding invitation and include a short link. Opening it can install malware that steals personal and banking data. Delete unexpected links and verify through the courier or sender directly.

Report scam calls in South Korea

Report spam and smishing to the Korea Internet & Security Agency on 118; report voice phishing to the police on 112 or the Financial Supervisory Service on 1332, and ask your bank to suspend payments if money was sent.

Stop unwanted calls

Do Not Call (donotcall.or.kr), a financial-sector service that lets you refuse marketing calls and texts from participating financial companies.

South Korea number lookup FAQ

Who called me from +82?+

+82 is South Korea's country code. A number continuing with 10 is a mobile; 2 after the code means a Seoul landline. Inside Korea the same numbers are dialled with a leading 0, such as 010.

Can I tell which carrier a 010 number uses?+

No. Korea uses the single 010 prefix for every mobile operator and allows number portability, so the digits show nothing about SK Telecom, KT or LG U+. Community spam reports are more useful for judging a caller.

Are 070 numbers usually spam?+

Not always. 070 is the internet telephone range and many businesses use it legitimately, but it is also heavily used for telemarketing and loan solicitation. Check the number before calling back, and report unwanted calls to 118.