Lost something in Korea? What to do, step by step
Korea is good at returning lost items: wallets, phones and bags are routinely handed in to police stations, subway stations and lost-and-found centers. The hard part is finding where yours went — most of the information is in Korean, and items often turn up far from where you lost them.
1. Act quickly where you lost it
- Subway or train: tell the staff at the nearest station office. Note the line, the direction, the time and roughly which car you were in.
- Taxi: your card receipt shows the car details. If you booked through the Kakao T app, open the ride in your history to contact the driver or report a lost item.
- Shop, café, hotel or venue: call or go back and ask — many places keep items for a while before handing them to the police.
- Airport: ask the airport's lost-and-found service.
2. Search Korea's lost-and-found data — in your language
Items handed in to the police and many public offices are registered in Korea's national lost-and-found database (LOST112). It is in Korean only, and registration can take a few days after the item is found.
LostKorea searches that public data for you. Describe your item in any language (or upload a photo); it matches by meaning, shows you why each result may be yours, where it is held and the office's phone number — and if nothing matches yet, it re-checks every day and emails you when a candidate appears.
3. Need help with a Korean phone call?
Call 1330 — Korea Travel Helpline (24 hours). Interpreters can help you talk to the holding office. From a foreign phone number, dial +82-2-1330. In an emergency, dial 112 (police).
4. Picking it up
- Call the holding office first to confirm they still have it and when you can come.
- Bring your passport or ID — they will check you are the owner.
- Be ready to describe the item (contents of a wallet, phone lock screen, case color) to prove it's yours.
- Don't wait too long: under Korean law the owner's claim generally lasts about 6 months.
5. If you lost your passport
Report it to the police and contact your country's embassy or consulate in Korea for a replacement or an emergency travel document — keep searching in the meantime, as passports are often handed in.