Charging your mobile phone in Korea

Is it really necessary to write a post about charging the mobile phone?

In my opinion - YES! Just because this is something that is so different from Germany.

Koreans use their smartphones, and they use them a lot! They use it for messaging (they get several messages within a minute, no kidding), calling, taking pictures (especially taking pictures of themselves), as mirrors (every strand of hair has to be perfect; this process can take a few minutes and will be repeated after five minutes), for gaming, etc... You hardly see a Korean without a smartphone in the hand. I bump into at least three people a day, who only look at their phone while walking. What's another consequence? They drop their phones! A LOT! I have seen soooooo many smartphones with broken displays (but still usable).... Seriously....  (ヘ。ヘ)

One of my Korean friends told me that her battery only lasts seven hours! Mine, in contrast, lasts normally about 1,5 days without calling people. So what do they do?

#option no. 1
They carry portable, external battery packs. Once your battery's low you can just link the smartphone to the battery pack and it starts recharging.

#option no. 2
Carry your charging cable with you. You will have a lot of possibilities to use it in Korea. There are several sockets in every coffee shop - just help yourself. You can also ask a waiter at a restaurant to charge your phone, while you eat. They will take it to the counter (where you have to pay after your meal; usually at the entrance of the restaurant) and charge it for you. I even saw a smartphone in my flight from Korea to Germany. Someone (probably Korean) plugged it into the socket at on of the washrooms and left the phone stuck in the hand paper dispenser (what's the correct English term for this??? @_@;;). Near the end of the flight there was an announcement that a phone was found in the washroom. I think that a German probably reported it, not knowing that this is a normal thing to do for Koreans ∩(︶▽︶)∩

#option no. 3
Using charging stations. The first time a saw this I didn't really know what it was. You can find this charging stations on the CNU campus in different buildings, e.g. Student Cafeteria 3 or W7...
One of my friends showed me how it works. I already forgot the exact process...
I think first you have to choose an empty box, type in four digits (like a pin code), e.g. the last four numbers of your phone number, connect your battery or the whole smartphone to one of the cables inside, close and come back after some time. The pictures tells me that it costs 500KRW (~0,34€).

Charging station for mobile phones

Using your mobile phone in Korea

Before coming to Korea you might wonder whether you can use your mobile phone or not in this country. I bought a smartphone about one year ago. During this time I knew, that I would be going to Korea, so I got one that covers a lot of frequency bands. I chose the Samsung Galaxy S2; it can also operate with UMTS, which I read in advance is also used widely in Korea. I didn't want to get the Galaxy S3, because it was too big to fit into one of my hands; I also want it to fit into my smallest handbag (*ﾟｰﾟ)ゞ

While staying here I didn't get a Korean phone number. Most of the time I used open WIFIs to comunicate. There is one open WIFI operated by Olleh. This one doesn't allow you to use the Internet, but you can most of the time receive messages on Kakaotalk (doesn't work with the messengers Whatsapp or Line).

The Kakaotalk app is the number one choice for communication in Korea. You have to activate it with a text message, so it is helpful to install this app back in your home country. I didn't, but I am able to receive and send text messages in Korea. One short message, received in another country, won't make you poor, but remember, that you might not be able to receive it, depending on your mobile phone and your contract.
Kakaotalk allows you to send messages (including group chats) and call people (up to five people at the same time) for free. It is really essential here in Korea for communicating with your Korean friends. They are not very fond of writing e-mails  (¬､¬)

Source

If you want to get a Korean number you might hear that you need to have your Alien Registration Card first (it takes some weeks until you get it). But one French exchange student here got his number during his first week. So just take a Korean friend with you and you can at least try getting a number.

One German exchange student got his number from Olleh. It's similar to a prepaid card. He pays 10.000KRW (~8€) per month and can use the Internet and call people. This is as far as I know the cheapest option. But be careful. Use open WIFIs whenever you can, because Korea doesn't have a flat-rate system for Internet usage, like Germany has.

I am in Korea for about four months, and I managed to survive without a Korean phone number. Near coffee shops, fast food places and karaoke bars you can find open WIFIs. Sometimes, they are protected by a password, but just walk into the shop and ask for it.

You might end up not having a free WIFI in the CNU dormitory. So make sure to use your notebook for sharing the Internet (doesn't work on every machine) or bring an access point with you.