Lost and Found: How It Works in Korea

April 24, 2020

Lost and Found: How It Works in Korea

Article by: Irina Yu

Lost and Found: How It Works in Korea

 Each of us sometimes lose something.  This especially often happens at the most inappropriate and unexpected moments: on the road, in a hurry, or while exploring the historical and modern beauties of a new country. Whether it’s your newest mobile phone, a favorite ring or newly-bought gifts for the friends back at home, a wallet, or a bag – every minor loss strikes our mental state, spoils our mood, not to mention material damage. 

However, if this happened to you while traveling or living in South Korea, then do not immediately give up and recede in despair - it is strongly recommended that you try to find the lost item.  Fortunately, in this country there is such a phenomenon as the return of not only ordinary personal items, but also valuable items - mobile phones, wallets with money, and even golden jewelry to their owners. Sometimes it happens completely for free, sometimes – for a small monetary reward.  

 What do I do to find my lost items? First, it’s enough to quickly contact your travel agency that organized the trip, or if you travelled independently, ask for help at the nearest police station or call the tourist information desk by telephone (1330). If you lost something on a bus, a good option is to call Seoul Global Center (1688- 0120) – its staff will help with interpretation and information. They are open Mondays to Fridays from 9am to 6pm.   If this happened in a hotel or private office, you can contact the hotel reception or office directly. Most lost items are returned within several hours or 1-3 days but in some cases the process can take longer.  There is a story of a pair of lost pants that had been left at a Seoul hotel room. They were found and returned to the guest a couple months after her trip to Korea was over.

  I lost something in the Seoul subway!  

Lost & Found Centers for Line 1-8:  Lost & Found Center Operation Locations:  Line 1,2 : City Hall Lost & Found Center (☏02-6110-1122) Line 3,4 : Chungmuro Lost & Found Center (☏02-6110-3344) Line 5,8 : Wangsimni Lost & Found Center (☏02-6311-6765,6768) Line 6,7 : Wangsimni Lost & Found Center (☏02-6311-6766,6767) Lost properties after operation hours- Use call center (1577-1234) and inquire at closest subway station  Read more at the Seoul Metro website.  Since Line 9 is operated by a private company, please follow this link if you lose something on Line 9 Also starting from April 1, 2020, the Lost and Found service of Line 9 has been integrated into the National Police Agency combined Lost and Found system (call 182 without area code). 

  I lost my passport!

If you happened to have lost your passport, the first thing you should do after reporting to the police is to contact your country’s embassy in Seoul.  

List of embassies  

 How do expats or South Koreans find their lost items? For those who have local friends and acquaintances, there are other ways that are commonly used. Very effective methods include using a website or calling the lost and found services. The most essential thing in a successful search for the lost item is to remember where, when and under what circumstances you lost your belonging.  This is important since depending on the place of loss you can determine where to go.  On the United National Police Agency website,  you can search for lost items throughout the country - at public places, on all types of transportation as well as find contacts of different Lost and Found services. 

  If you have lost something on public transportation (subway, bus or taxi) or at the airport, you should contact (through an interpreter) the Lost and Found service of the company that manages this kind of transportation or the combined service of public transportation of the entire Seoul metropolis.If personal items are lost on the train or train station, try calling the railway information desk or go to Korail.com or a specific train station Lost and Found service.  

If things were left in a Seoul taxi, you can leave an ad on the website of the Association of Capital Taxi Services. Private taxis have their own site.  Better yet, make it a habit to pay the taxi fare with your bank card and save the receipt. If you lose an item, you have the taxi information and phone number to call right there on the receipt. I lost my smartphone!After having lost your mobile phone try calling your number as soon as possible several or many times – there is a high chance someone will find it and pick it up before the battery dies. If someone picks up, negotiate with the receiving end on ways to get it back.  

In Korea, mobile phones rarely get stolen, so if found, they are usually returned to the owner with some monetary finders compensation. E.g. if you called a taxi driver and he agreed to drive back to your place to return your items you are supposed to cover the round trip travel cost in cash and a bit more (about 20-30,000 won is standard but negotiable case by case).  The newer and better the phone model, the more compensation is expected from you. If you lose a phone it is recommended to report to your mobile service provider as they can track the location of the last signal sent by your phone. One more useful tip is to download tracking applications as they can be really helpful.

When purchasing a new phone (especially if it's an expensive new model) don’t forget to subscribe to insurance service.  I lost my ARC (Alien Registration Card)!In case of losing your ARC (Alien Registration Card: the ID card issued by Korea Immigration Service to long-term foreign residents), it's important to promptly inform your Immigration regional branch and get a replacement, if your ID is not recovered.

   I lost my bank card! 

Lost a bank card and haven’t found it? Then report it to your bank to block card transactions by someone else and apply for a new card.   The chances of finding your things are always quite good in Korea– most law-abiding South Koreans usually take what they find either to the police or to any other governing body nearby - everything goes from there to the automated Lost and Found service, where it is stored until a request is received from the owner or police. 

There is also cyber police - Korean citizens can send requests there not only for lost items but also for all kinds of violations of law and order. Very often local residents or drivers of vehicles themselves directly contact those who have lost their wallet or bag if they find documents with contact details inside. Of course, a certain percentage of lost items are never found.  This is especially true of remote provincial areas where there is no developed transport infrastructure, and “new” owners find it difficult to go to a remote district center and report lost items to authorities. 

 In case you don’t remember where and how exactly you lost your items, you can contact Seoul Dasan call center (120), Korea Travel Hotline (1330), SGC by (1688- 0120) or try this website - it's just good in general for anyone who has lost something and it has English support.

  Irina Yu is a Seoul Correspondent for a non-English foreign media covering all major events in Korea and East Asia region. Her second job is Eurasia Division Director at a Korean consulting company, in charge of developing science, technology, and industry

Copyright 2020 © Expat Guide Korea

Originally published:

https://expatguidekorea.com/article/lost-and-found-how-it-works-in-korea.html