You can mail letters, postcards and little parcels by putting them in a mailbox on the street or by visiting a post office in your neighborhood. You should go to the post office when using nonstandard envelopes or postcards. You need to write down the zip code when you send a letter or a package. Post offices, DHL, Federal Express, UPS, Hanjin Shipping Company, and EMS provide shipping services.
Domestic postal service
National zip code directories are available at post offices. You can use domestic postal services by writing down the recipient’s zip code and attaching stamps for regular mail or express mail. When you choose registered mail, you can receive a receipt. Registered mail is more expensive than regular mail. However, the process of the delivery of registered mail is recorded, so it is possible to track the mail. The hours of most post offices are 9 am to 6 pm, Monday through Friday, but some post offices are open until 8 pm, and some are open even on Saturdays.
For more information on rates, fees, zip codes, compensation for damages, and so forth, contact the following number. (Tel. 1588-1300)
● General Postage Rates (As of 2007)
Content
Weight
Standard mail rates
General mail
Standard mail
up to 5g
220 won
5g~ 25g
250 won
25g~50g
270 won
Non-standard mail
up to 50g
340 won
above 50g
120 won
Overseas postal service
For overseas mail, a direct visit to a post office is mandatory. Express Mail Service provides the fastest and safest international postal service that delivers urgent letters, documents and packages. EMS is operated by the Korea Post under special agreements with reliable, overseas postal counterparts. Before sending your mail, make sure to write down the address and names of senders and recipients, phone numbers and the contents, numbers and costs of items. Rates vary depending on the kind of mail and its weight, so you need to check the information through homepages or the post office’s window. After sending your mail through EMS, air mail and registered mail, you can check out the status of delivery through the customer service center for international mail in the post office’s call center.When you call in Korea, use the following number (Tel. 02-2108-0050~60). If you’re calling from outside Korea, dial the following number (Tel. 02-2108-0051~0059)
● Transmissible and Non-transmissible items for Overseas Mail
Transmissible items
Non-transmissible items
● Official Communications
● Commercial Papers
● Computer Data
● Check Clearances
● Business Samples
● Magnetic Tape
● Microfilm
● Merchandise (some countries may prohibit
● sending certain merchandises.)
● Coins and Bank Notes
● Money Remittances
● Negotiable Articles
● Prohibited Articles
● Items that are dangerous to handle or can destroy or contaminate other items.
● Flammable or explosive materials or dangerous materials (paint, ink, etc.)
● Obscene or indecent items
● Processed or unprocessed gold, silver, platinum, gems and other valuables
● Items that are prohibited at the receiving country
● Easily perishable foods
● Animals and plants
Door-to-door delivery
Door-to-door delivery refers to a service directly delivered to a recipient. It is more costly, but safer and faster than regular mail. Because senders leave the receiver’s contact information, it is less likely to lose the delivered items. With a call, an employee of a door-to-door delivery company visits your place and delivers various items including documents, parcels and heavy goods on the next day of receiving the items anywhere in the nation (On holidays or in certain areas including islands or mountainous areas, the delivery might be delayed for one or two more days). Other than calling, you can make a reservation through the homepage of the doorto- door delivery company. For the post office door-to-door delivery service, you can visit a post officeandsignup for the service.
Rates for the door-to-door service vary depending on the receiver’s area, the kind and size of the items and the number of items. You can verify this information on the homepage of the door-to-door delivery company.
- The post office door-to-door delivery service delivers the items the next day and items sent to Jeju-do by sea are delivered in two days.
- The size refers to the sum of width, length, and height. If any of these exceeds the standard, you should pay additional charges.
- The same delivery area refers to Si or Do where receipt and delivery of items were made and other areas and Jeju-do are separated from the same delivery areas. The delivery areas are divided into nine areas (Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi / Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongnam / Daejeong, Chungnam/Chungbuk /Gwangju, Jeonnam / Daegu, Gyeongbuk / Jeonbuk/Gwangwon/Jeju)
- For the Jeju area, receipt of delivery items is made in Jeju-do and the rates of Jeju are applied to the delivery items sent to other areas. For the items sent from other areas, the rates are applied depending on the delivery area.
- Additional fees for a registered package might be charged.
● (Ex) Basic rates for post office door-to-door delivery service (As of 2007)
Weight (size)
up to 2kg
(up to 60cm)
up to 5kg
(up to 80cm)
up to 10kg
(up to 120cm)
up to 20kg
(up to 140cm)
up to 30kg
(up to 160cm)
Post office
door-to-door
delivery
Within the
same area
4,000 won
5,000 won
6,000 won
7,000 won
7,000 won
Other areas
5,000 won
6,000 won
7,000 won
8,000 won
9,000 won
Delivery to
Jeju by air
6,000 won
7,000 won
8,000 won
9,000 won
11,000 won
Delivery to
Jeju by sea
5,000 won
6,000 won
7,000 won
8,000 won
9,000 won
Quick service
Quick service is faster than door-to-door delivery service. Quick service delivers items to the recipient within 24 hours by a motorcycle or car. Many quick services are available through the internet and operate 24 hours, all year round. You can pay for the service through various payment methods such as cash, credit cards, money transfer or cell phones.
Rates for quick service are different depending on the distance between the place of origin and the place of receipt of the item, and the size of items. Investigate this information in advance on the websites of quick service companies.