Instant
QR activation, before you board
Buy the eSIM online, receive a QR by email the same business day, scan into your phone, and land in Korea already online. No waiting at an airport kiosk at midnight with heavy luggage.
Korvia Partner SpotlightTelecom · eSIM
Arrive already online — the Korvia × Kimchi Mobile way.
Kimchi Mobile delivers a prepaid eSIM on the KT nationwide network by QR before you leave home, and lets you convert to a KT postpaid plan on the same number once your Residence Card arrives. Korvia partnered with them so no arriving teacher lands in Korea offline.
In partnership
KT
Network (Nationwide)
60 GB
Prepaid 2026 Data
QR
Activation
20 yrs
Korvia Anniversary
Why This Partnership
The connectivity problem every arriving teacher runs into on day one
Wi-Fi at Incheon is free for about five minutes, and your homestay or school apartment often doesn't have internet installed on move-in day. Without a Korean mobile line, you can't reach your airport greeter, can't book a taxi, can't register for bank apps, and can't complete Korean 본인인증 (identity verification) for services like Coupang, Naver Pay, or 배달의민족. Arriving offline turns a smooth first day into a multi-hour scramble.
Korvia partnered with Kimchi Mobile to solve this with a single decision: order before departure, scan QR on arrival, run prepaid for the first weeks, then convert to postpaid on the same number once the Residence Card is issued. For our 20th anniversary we layered in anniversary pricing for teachers placed through Korvia — pricing and enrolment are on the /esim promo page.
What Kimchi Mobile Does
Six reasons this is our default recommendation
Each feature below addresses a specific Korvia-teacher pain point we've seen repeat across arrival cohorts.
KT Network
Nationwide coverage on Korea's blue-chip carrier
KT runs one of Korea's two nationwide LTE/5G networks with full coverage at ICN and GMP airports, Seoul, Busan, Jeju, and the rural provinces where Korvia teachers are placed. No surprise dead zones on day one.
Pre-RC to Post-RC
Prepaid now, postpaid after your Residence Card
Korean postpaid contracts require a Residence Card (RC, formerly ARC) and a Korean bank account — documents you don't have for the first 2–6 weeks. Kimchi Mobile bridges both sides: prepaid eSIM on arrival, then postpaid conversion on the same phone number when the RC is issued.
Same Number
Convert without a SIM swap or number change
When it's time to move to postpaid, send a scan of your RC and Korean bank info to Kimchi Mobile. Conversion happens on your existing number — no new physical SIM, no phone swap, just a reboot.
English Support
Support that speaks your language
Kimchi Mobile's team handles onboarding, billing, and postpaid conversion in English. For Korvia teachers, support also routes through Korvia — so if something goes sideways, you have two lines into a fix, not one.
본인인증
The key to Korean digital life — 본인인증
Korean services like Coupang, Naver Pay, banking apps, and government portals run on 본인인증 (identity verification) via a phone number tied to a Korean ID. Once you're on postpaid in your own name with your RC, the PASS app works too — a single biometric tap that replaces the SMS-verification loops expats hate.
From Order to Online
Four steps between booking and Korean data
- 1
Order your eSIM
Complete the Korvia × Kimchi Mobile order form. Pay Kimchi Mobile directly — Korvia doesn't charge for the eSIM.
- 2
Receive QR by email
Kimchi Mobile sends your activation QR the same business day. Save it to a laptop or print a copy for arrival.
- 3
Land in Korea, scan, online
Scan the QR on your phone at the gate or on the plane — your line activates the moment immigration clears you.
- 4
Convert to postpaid after RC
Once your Residence Card is issued (typically 2–6 weeks), send RC + Korean bank info to Kimchi Mobile for postpaid conversion on the same number.
Once you're online in Korea and your Residence Card + Korean bank account are both set up, the next question is usually: how do I send my first paycheck home? See our Sentbe partnership →
FAQ
Questions teachers ask us about Kimchi Mobile
Q.Why does Korvia recommend Kimchi Mobile?
Our teachers needed a way to arrive already online, to pass Korean identity verification (본인인증) on local apps, and to move to a discounted postpaid contract once their Residence Card was issued. Kimchi Mobile covers all three in one partner. For Korvia's 20th anniversary (2006–2026) we negotiated a promo bundle for every teacher arriving through Korvia — details live on /esim.
Q.Is my phone compatible with eSIM?
Most iPhone XS / XR (2018) and newer, Google Pixel 3 and newer, and Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer support eSIM. Phones sold in mainland China, Hong Kong, and some other markets may have eSIM disabled by the carrier. Check your device for an 'Add eSIM' or 'Add Cellular Plan' option before purchase — if it's missing, Kimchi Mobile also offers a physical SIM on the same KT network.
Q.When do I actually need to scan the QR — before the flight or on arrival?
Either works. You can pre-activate up to a few days before departure if your device is eSIM-ready, or scan at the gate / in-flight / on landing. The moment immigration clears you at Incheon, the line is live — no kiosk visit needed.
Q.What's the difference between the /partners/kimchi-mobile page and the /esim page?
This page is the partner profile — who Kimchi Mobile is, why Korvia partners with them, and how the service works. The /esim page is the detailed 20th-anniversary promo page with current pricing, enrolment steps, RC postpaid conversion terms, and device compatibility specifics. Use /esim when you're ready to order; use this page when you're deciding whether Kimchi Mobile is the right partner for you.
Q.Who do I pay — Korvia or Kimchi Mobile?
Kimchi Mobile directly. Korvia does not charge for the eSIM; the anniversary pricing is what we negotiated with Kimchi Mobile for teachers who booked through us. The discount applies automatically when you order through the Korvia × Kimchi Mobile enrolment link on /esim.
Q.What if I don't want a postpaid contract?
The eSIM-Only path exists for exactly that reason. Take the prepaid data for your arrival period and skip the postpaid conversion — you won't be charged postpaid rates and you can switch to any carrier (or back to prepaid) once your Residence Card is in hand.
Land in Korea online.
Order before departure, scan at the gate, and walk out of immigration with full data. See the current Korvia × Kimchi Mobile promo — including the 20th-anniversary pricing — on the /esim page.
Kimchi Mobile is a trademark of its operator. Logo and imagery used with permission under the Korvia × Kimchi Mobile partnership. Pricing, data allowances, and postpaid terms are set by Kimchi Mobile and may change — always see the Kimchi Mobile site and the Korvia /esim promo page for current terms.