When they hurl insults towards each other (between Koreans & Japanese) especially over territorial dispute, past historical incidences, products rivalry, or cultural superiority, emotions fly so high they may look ridiculous. But barks are worse than bites. Seoul streets are filled with Japanese tourists and so many Korean descendents live in Japan. When tsunami hit Japan last year with subsequent nuclear accidents, one of the first countries to offer help was Korea. So, go figure.

Don’t forget wi-fi. If you have a smarthphone, laptop, or tablet PC, you can get wifi almost anywhere in Korea.

I have 아이유- 좋은 날 as my ringtone. By the way, I’ve a question Steve. Does this mean I can buy a phone in Korea and use it back in Singapore (we don’t have any carrier restrictions here)?

so… we can buy prepaid SIM cards in Korea now?

You should be seeing more of them in stores. It will be best to contact the carriers to see where you can specifically purchase them.

That really depends on if the phone is unlocked and what restrictions Singapore has regarding imported phones.

Very little hate toward the people, but there is a lot of animosity towards the Japanese government for past actions during the “colonial” period. In my experience, when a Korean says, “I hate Japan,” it usually refers to the government, because I will start asking questions why they hate the Japanese people and then they clarify their response.

If your phone is unlocked, then it should work fine once you insert the new SIM.

Steve, do you know much about the reverse…I’m using the iPhone 4S in Korea, but when I go back home, how could I go about using it in the US? You’re a lot more technosavvy than I am, so I was just wondering if you knew anything about that. When I google it, I don’t get much info.

Steve, thanks for the great tip! i had to use coins at the phone booth and it was so inconvenient. lol. gotta get a new sim to use on my future samsung galaxy s3 when i go to korea! hehe

oh forgot to answer your question.. my ringtone is hawaiian couple from humming urban stereo. sound kind of girlish but a nice song though. haha

As far as I know the olleh 4S phones are unlocked out of the box, so taking them to the US, should just require you getting a new SIM. Both of our iPhones are unlocked and we’ll be getting local SIMs on our travel this next trip.

Right on.

Hey Steve!! Great news. But I have a quick question. I have a DroidX from the states and it doesn’t use a SIM card. Now what??? Thanks in advance for your help.

Yes and No. most public wifi networks are controlled directly by the cell providers. So you have must a phone on that carrier OR create a user ID and pay to use that wifi spot. Also you can only create a user ID if you are korean or have a visa in korea because you need a korean social security number to create an ID.

I got a question. Does this also apply to tablets for example iPads with 3g? Or is this ONLY for cell phones.

As far as I know, it is only phones.

If it doesn’t have a SIM card, you probably can’t use it on another network.

My ringtone is Big Bang – Fantastic Baby
I have a quick question.
So, I’m going to South Korea for a foreign exchange program this summer for 6 weeks, can I just use my HTC EVO Design? With the new SIM card of course. Thanks!

Yup. SIMS should be available at the airport and stores catering to international travelers.

How does one go about unlocking a phone?

There are several different ways, but it is best to contact your carrier and see what steps they require.

Just something that you left out, all phones must me compatible with the 3G Network to work, otherwise it’s useless. My GSM phone I bought from home doesn’t work here at all.

Ture, it must be compatible with the networks in place. Quad bands are usually the best bet to use when traveling outside your home country.

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