Busan eSIM
In Busan you connect to SKT or KT, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The typical speed across the country is 104 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- SKT and KT
- Typical speed in South Korea
- 104 Mbps typical, 36 Mbps at busy times
- 5G
- yes, standalone
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Busan
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $5.89 | $5.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $2.96 | $8.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $2.18 | $10.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $1.59 | $15.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $1.19 | $23.89 | |
| 50 GB | Never expires | $0.94 | $46.89 |
How South Korea compares across Asia
- Regional typical speed
- 42.95 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, SKT, KT
- 5G
- Yes, standalone
- Next fastest nearby
- Singapore, 119 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Hong Kong, 92 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 4: Seoul, Busan, Jeju, Incheon
Landing at Gimhae International Airport (PUS)
- Airport
- PUS / RKPK
- Wifi on arrival
- Free wifi in the terminalKorea Airports Corporation lists a free airport wireless network named Public WiFi FREE at Gimhae, usable throughout the terminal halls and joined straight from the device wireless settings screen.
- SIM on arrival
- SIM counters or vending in the terminalThe airport facility contact list shows SKT Roaming, KT Roaming and LG U Plus in the international terminal only, plus rental wifi from Wide Mobile.
Getting into Busan
- Busan-Gimhae Light Rail Transit from Gimhae International Airport station (PUS)
- Limousine bus to Seomyeon and Bujeon, from Platform 3, Floor 1 of the international and domestic terminals, 6,000 won, credit card only (PUS)
Underground and on the metro
Busan Metro runs 4 lines. It opened in 1985. The operator does not publish whether the tunnels carry a mobile signal, so we do not claim either way.
Worth knowing about Busan
- The airport is not on the numbered Busan Metro lines: it is reached by the separate Busan-Gimhae Light Rail Transit, which then interchanges with the metro.
- Gimhae is a joint civil-military airport in western Busan operating beyond its design capacity, with a replacement airport under development on Gadeok Island.
- Busan's metro has carried S-DMB mobile broadcast signal across the whole underground network since 2006 via 530 in-tunnel emitters, so the system is wired for in-tunnel radio reception.
- Busan city publishes two free public wifi network names, Dynamic Busan and Public WiFi Free, and its own connection instruction is simply Settings, then Wi-Fi, then the network name.
- The Dynamic Busan network covers Haeundae, Gwangalli, Dadaepo, Songjeong, Songdo and Ilgwang beaches, plus Taejongdae Observatory, Jagalchi Market, Yongdusan Park, City Hall Square and Busan Station.
- On Korea's Public WiFi Free network you open a browser and press the use public wifi button on the portal page. Public WiFi Secure takes a user name and password, both the word wifi.
- Free public wifi runs at 635 Busan bus stops fitted with a bus information terminal, under the network names Busan_WiFi and Public WiFi Secure.
- Busan's local buses carry wifi named Public WiFi@BUS, chosen from the phone's wireless network list. The rollout started with 270 buses in March 2019 and was planned for 2,517.
- Busan's prepaid transit cards are Cashbee, Mybi and Busan Hanaro. They are sold at metro stations, convenience stores and card charging stations, and work on the metro, local buses, toll roads and taxis.
- Both Gimhae airport limousine bus routes are credit card only, 6,000 won to Seomyeon and Bujeon and 9,500 won to Haeundae and Gijang, from Platform 3 on floor 1.
- Visit Busan calls the light rail, transferring at Sasang for metro line 2 or Daejeo for line 3, the best and cheapest way downtown, and puts the airport about an hour from downtown.
- Korea's tourism board lists carrier roaming centres at Incheon, Gimpo, Gimhae and Jeju airports, and SIM cards on sale at 7-Eleven stores in Seoul, Busan, Jeju and other major cities.
- Busan Port is the world's second largest port in transshipment throughput, handling 11,430,000 TEU of transshipment containers, which is 53 percent of its total throughput.
- Gwangan Bridge is 7,420 metres long and Busan Harbour Bridge 3,330 metres, two of the seven coastal bridges the city lists.
- The Gyeongbu line linking Seoul and Busan is 447.1 kilometres long, and KTX trains run at a maximum speed of 330 km/h. Tickets sell through the Korail website, the Korail app and station kiosks.