For many foreigners, it is vital to be able to call home or certain family members and friends while away. At the same time, it can be very pricey to do so. You have several options for making international calls, but it is finding an economical answer that’s most important.
If you are planning to set up a fixed-line while in Korea, it is advised that you make international calls through that phone rather than with a mobile. Many people choose Hanaro to be their primary phone provider because of their super low international call rates. You can make cheap international calls from your Hanafone or Hanaro cell phone for 150 - 702 won ($0.15-0.70 USD) per minute. Between 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. from Monday to Saturday and all day on Sunday, you can take advantage of reduced calling rates.
Cell phone service providers all have different prices for international calls. If you plan on calling outside of the country a lot, you may want to figure out which provider offers the lowest international call rates to the country you’ll be calling the most.
Basic carriers and telecommunication operators offer international calling cards at different prices. Depending on what country you are calling, rates can vary from as little as $0.02 USD a minute to $0.50 USD a minute. International calling cards are sold at nearly every supermarket, convenience store, transport hub, etc.
Note: Exchange rates, numbers and information were collected in April/May 2007 and are subject to change.