Going Postal in Seoul - How to send parcels from South Korea

by Anna
(Oslo, Norway)

So, have you been shopping your wallets out in Seoul and considering sending some parcels?

There are two ways of sending packages from South Korea, by air and by ferry. I've tried both and I'm going to explain you how.

By air: A common service used in Seoul is the EMS (Express Mail Service) by Korea Post which delivers parcels and letters abroad.

When I decided to send a package by air from Seoul, I used EMS' site and ordered service online. They came at my place and picked up the package. For 22 kilo I paid whopping 184,500 won (the pick-up was free). I paid when they picked up the parcel. The package arrived in Norway after 5-7 days.



For neighboring countries like China, Hong Kong and Japan, the package can arrive after 2-4 days.

Some important EMS guidelines:
- A package can weigh maximum 30 kilo. For certain countries, the weight can't exceed 15-20 kilos
- You can't send money or credit cards and of course, illegal stuff like drugs

Check out EMS rates

By ferry (surface): If you want the cheapest option, sending parcels as surface mail is really cheap. I sent two packages by ferry:

For 18.45 kilos I paid 52,100 won and for 9,55 kilos I paid 30,400 won. So in total = 82,500 won.

So, how to send parcels:
I tracked down the closest postal office, for me that would be the office in Eunpyeong district in Eungamdong neighborhood. It was pretty close to the apartment I was staying at in Seoul. I lived in Seoul for one year from 2011 to 2012.

I needed to ship a lot to Norway, so I used a suitcase to transport all my stuff. There's a ticket and queue system in Seoul. Grab a ticket and get in line. When it was my turn, I handed in the suit case. They had to pack it in the right way so it would be shippable, and I had to pay 10,000 won extra. I filled out a form and got a receipt.





The surface packages arrived in Norway after about three months.

Information provided by Anna Villaruel.

Postal service in Seoul used: June 2012

Posted on: Feb 4, 2013

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