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South Korea: SMS delivery facts

SMS delivery to South Korea uses calling code +82. Sender IDs for bulk messaging require pre-registration under the KISA regime, which runs the carrier verification system. Korean Hangul forces UCS-2 encoding, yielding 70-character single segments or 67 when concatenated.

+82 XXX XXX XXXcountry code (South Korea)national subscriber numberE.164 caps the whole string at 15 digits - the example digits are placeholders(national number length varies by market); only the +82 prefix is South Korea-specific
Country calling code+82 (ITU-T E.164 assigned country codes, retrieved 2026-07-27)
E.164 format+82 followed by the national subscriber number, no leading trunk zero, 15 digits maximum overall (ITU-T E.164)
Alphanumeric sender IDpre registration (per KISA sender number pre-registration requirement, retrieved 2026-07-26)
Registration regimeKISA
Dominant language(s)Korean
Native-text charsetUCS-2 — 70 characters per single SMS, 67 per concatenated segment (GSM 03.38 default alphabet vs script analysis, retrieved 2026-07-27)
Published smsroute rateUSD 0.045 per message, dated snapshot (source, retrieved 2026-07-27). Current rate and send path: rate card for South Korea

Sender-ID rules

Sender numbers/IDs used for bulk messaging must be pre-registered; KISA operates the sender number verification system used by carriers. (per KISA sender number pre-registration requirement, verified 2026-07-26)

Sender numbers and IDs used for bulk messaging must be pre-registered; KISA operates the sender number verification system used by carriers. Hangul forces UCS-2. This produces segment lengths of 70 characters single and 67 concatenated.

Character set and message length

Native Korean text is classed as UCS-2 here: 70 characters fit a single SMS and 67 per segment once a message is concatenated.

UCS-2 (70 chars/segment, 67 concatenated)1 segment = 70 chars2 segments = 134 chars3 segments = 201 chars
Cost per message at the published rate (0.045 USD, 2026-07-27)1 segment = $0.0452 segments = $0.093 segments = $0.135Multipart messages are commonly billed per segment - the segment ruler above shows where each boundary falls.

Hangul forces UCS-2.

To count segments for a concrete message, use the UDH segment surgeon; to compare all 40 countries side by side, the country requirements explorer reads the same open dataset (CC-BY 4.0).

Every figure above is maintained by SMSRoute guides with a named source and retrieval date - the machine-readable copy for South Korea lives in api/v2/countries.json (CC-BY), field-level provenance included.

Frequently asked

Do sender IDs need pre-registration for South Korea SMS?
Yes. Sender numbers/IDs used for bulk messaging must be pre-registered; KISA operates the sender number verification system used by carriers.
What charset and segment sizes apply to SMS in South Korea?
Hangul forces UCS-2, so single segments hold 70 characters and concatenated segments hold 67.
What is the calling code and published SMS rate for South Korea?
The calling code is +82. The published rate is 0.045 USD (retrieved 2026-07-27).
How do I test SMS delivery to South Korea without a local SIM?
Delivery-testing services send to real local numbers in South Korea. SMSRoute accounts include free test credits that prove delivery to +82 destinations.
Can I use my company name as a sender ID for SMS in South Korea?
Alphanumeric sender IDs require pre-registration. Sender numbers/IDs used for bulk messaging must be pre-registered; KISA operates the sender number verification system used by carriers.

Related

Facts on this page are dated snapshots with named sources; rates change — the linked rate card is authoritative. Corrections: ops@smsroute.cc. Last verified 2026-07-27.