Jio, Airtel & Vi roaming in South Korea vs a travel eSIM
Seoul and Tokyo get the same answer from Jio international roaming South Korea packs, from 
Airtel and from Vi prepaid; only Vi postpaid differs. Vi puts South Korea in its non-UL zone, so prepaid Ultra gives 2 GB for 7 days, not data printed as FREE. All 19 rows below are dated and linked.
Get an eSIM for South Korea — from ≈ ₹285
Short answer: which Indian packs cover South Korea
Which Indian SIM works in South Korea? A Jio, Airtel or Vi SIM does once roaming is on, and each operator sells packs that list it. There is no Jio South Korea pack as such. A week in Seoul fits Airtel’s ₹1,298 pack (6 GB, 10 days), about ₹216 per GB; two weeks fit Jio’s ₹1,551 (8 GB), about ₹194. Prices as listed on 13 Oct 2026.
A South Korea eSIM from India means data only; ours comes with no Korean number. Install the eSIM in India; it connects when you land abroad.
The India Tourism Data Compendium counts 65,007 departures to South Korea in 2024; the 2025 dashboard gives no value.
We sell travel eSIMs, so we have an interest here. The table still shows when your operator pack is the better choice.
Jio international roaming plans that cover South Korea
The Jio international roaming South Korea packs come from four lists: the 100-country pack, the World Pack, the 75-country pack and the data packs. The seven rows below are a selection, the same for prepaid and postpaid; the two data packs have no minutes.
eSIM Go is not affiliated with Jio, Airtel, Vi or BSNL. Pack details are taken from their own pages on the date shown.
| Jio pack | Days | Data | Price | Minutes, SMS | ≈ ₹ per GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data pack | 7 | 1 GB | ₹599 | none | ₹599 |
| Data pack | 14 | 2 GB | ₹999 | none | ₹500 |
| 100-country | 10 | 4 GB | ₹951 | 100 out, 100 in, 25 SMS | ₹238 |
| 100-country | 14 | 8 GB | ₹1,551 | 100 out, 100 in, 50 SMS | ₹194 |
| East Asia, Europe and US (100-country list) | 30 | 12 GB | ₹2,851 | 150 out, 150 in, 100 SMS | ₹238 |
| 100-country | 30 | 20 GB | ₹3,999 | 250 out, free incoming, 100 SMS | ₹200 |
| 100-country | 30 | 30 GB | ₹5,999 | 400 incl. rest of world, 500 SMS | ₹200 |
Source: Jio.
On pack validity, Jio states: “Your plan validity begins only with your first usage—call, text, or data.”
Airtel and Vi packs for South Korea, and why Vi’s Ultra is not unlimited there (table)
The Airtel IR pack South Korea travellers buy is Airtel’s single prepaid set, priced in the T&C dated 24 Sep 2026. Vi roaming South Korea rows come from the non-UL zone for Ultra and from Budget Set 1.
| Pack | Days | Data | Price | Minutes | Lasts 7 d | Lasts 14 d | ≈ ₹ per GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airtel prepaid | 1 | 1 GB | ₹698 | 100 in + out | no | no | ₹698 |
| Airtel prepaid | 5 | 4 GB | ₹998 | 150 | no | no | ₹250 |
| Airtel prepaid | 10 | 6 GB | ₹1,298 | 200 | yes | no | ₹216 |
| Airtel prepaid | 30 | 10 GB | ₹2,998 | 300 | yes | yes | ₹300 |
| Airtel postpaid | 30 | 30 GB high-speed | ₹3,999 | 100 a day | yes | yes | ₹133 |
| Vi Budget, Set 1 | 5 | 1 GB | ₹755 | none | no | no | ₹755 |
| Vi Budget, Set 1 | 10 | 1.25 GB | ₹995 | 100 | yes | no | ₹796 |
| Vi Budget, Set 1 | 15 | 2 GB | ₹1,495 | 200 | yes | yes | ₹748 |
| Vi Budget, Set 1 | 30 | 5 GB | ₹2,998 | 200 | yes | yes | ₹600 |
| Vi Ultra, non-UL | 7 | 2 GB | ₹3,495 | 200 | yes | no | ₹1,748 |
| Vi Ultra, non-UL | 10 | 3 GB | ₹4,695 | 300 | yes | no | ₹1,565 |
| Vi Ultra, non-UL | 14 | 5 GB | ₹5,195 | 500 | yes | yes | ₹1,039 |
The reason sits in Vi’s zone lists: its 40-country UL zone prints Ultra data as FREE, and South Korea is on the 101-country non-UL list, which caps Ultra at 2 to 5 GB. Vi’s IR packs are “not applicable for customers in J&K, Assam and North East”, in Vi’s words. Airtel’s FAQ page still shows older prices; the T&C list ₹998 and ₹1,298.
South Korea with Japan on one trip: packs vs the Asia plan
The operators’ lists treat Seoul and Tokyo almost alike:
| Operator list | South Korea | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Jio 100-country, World Pack, 75-country, data packs | listed | listed |
| Airtel single set | listed | listed |
| Vi prepaid Ultra | non-UL zone | non-UL zone |
| Vi prepaid Budget | Set 1 | Set 1 |
| Vi postpaid | Set 2 | Set 1, data printed as FREE |
In Vi’s postpaid Set 2, ₹4,999 for 14 days gives 21 GB in Korea; in Set 1 the same price prints FREE data for Japan. We could not confirm that this country table is current, so check both in the Vi app. On Jio or Airtel one pack covers the trip; Japan roaming has the Tokyo side.
Our Korea plans run on the SK network with 5G, with no Korean number: six fixed-data plans and six unlimited ones that slow to 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day, APN entered by hand on Android. Our Asia plan lists Korea and Japan, with no unlimited rows. On 12 Oct 2026 its 2, 3, 5 and 10 GB rows cost less than the Korea plan’s (5 GB: ≈ ₹857 (13 Oct rate) against ≈ ₹1,047 (13 Oct rate)), its 1 GB row more, and its 20 GB row about the same. Keep an Asia line switched off until you land abroad; see the Asia eSIM page.
Cost per GB for a 7-day and a 14-day trip
Rule used: for every operator, pick the shortest pack that covers all the days, then rank by price divided by GB, setting aside Vi’s FREE-data rows (none apply to South Korea prepaid).
A Seoul week: Airtel’s ₹1,298 pack ranks first, about ₹216 per GB or ₹185 a day. Jio’s ₹599 data pack runs exactly 7 days at about ₹599 with no calls, and ₹951 with calls runs 10 days at about ₹238. Vi’s 7-day Ultra sits at about ₹1,748.
A fortnight: Jio’s ₹1,551 pack ranks first, about ₹194 per GB or ₹111 a day. Airtel sells no 14-day prepaid pack, which leaves ₹2,998 for 30 days at about ₹300. On Vi, Ultra ₹5,195 works out at about ₹1,039 and the 15-day Budget ₹1,495 at about ₹748.
In our catalogue on 12 Oct 2026, 1 GB over 7 days costs ≈ ₹285 (13 Oct rate) and the 7-day unlimited plan, 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day, ≈ ₹2,381 (13 Oct rate). Nearest to Airtel’s 6 GB, the 5 GB plan for 30 days costs about ₹210 (US$2.20) per GB, charged US$10.99 by card; nearest to Jio’s 8 GB, the 10 GB plan costs ≈ ₹1,714 (13 Oct rate). Packs include minutes on your Indian number; our plans do not. Your card is charged in US dollars. Your bank converts the amount at its own rate and may add a foreign-transaction (forex markup) fee. How card payments work.
A month in Seoul: 30-day packs against 30-day plans
For a month-long stay, the 30-day rows decide. Jio’s ₹3,999 (20 GB) and ₹5,999 (30 GB) both work out at about ₹200 per GB, ₹2,851 (12 GB) at about ₹238. Airtel prepaid ₹2,998 (10 GB) is about ₹300, postpaid ₹3,999 (30 GB high-speed) about ₹133; Vi Budget ₹2,998 (5 GB) about ₹600. Every one carries minutes.
Our 20 GB plan for 30 days costs ≈ ₹1,905 (13 Oct rate), about ₹95 (US$1.00) per GB, and the 30-day unlimited plan ≈ ₹6,573 (13 Oct rate), slowing to 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day. At 0.8 GB a day a month takes about 24 GB (our calculation), past the 20 GB row, which points to the unlimited plan.
Plan days start at the first connection to a Korean network. See the South Korea eSIM page, the South Korea SIM card guide for a local SIM after landing (a physical Korean SIM card from a local operator needs a free slot), and the APN settings guide for Android.
Your bank texts OTPs to the Indian number, which our data-only eSIM does not carry, so the Indian SIM stays in as a second line with data off. No page can promise that every code arrives; the guide to keep Indian number for OTP has the settings.
Full refund within 30 days of purchase, as long as the eSIM has not connected to any network. If the eSIM doesn’t work and it isn’t your phone’s fault, we refund the payment whether or not it was installed.
How we checked these prices
Each row carries its checked on date: the day we read the Jio international roaming South Korea plan list and four country lists, Airtel’s T&C PDF dated 24 Sep 2026, and Vi’s prepaid and postpaid T&C PDFs. Vi’s prepaid zone lists are an image we copied by hand, so confirm South Korea in the Vi app. Operators side by side: Jio vs Airtel vs Vi.
Updated on 14 Oct 2026: first version. Written and reviewed by Nadezhda Semenova; see the editorial policy. Operator pages: Jio, Vi; all countries: international roaming.
FAQ
Will my Jio, Airtel or Vi SIM work in South Korea?
Yes, once international roaming is on, but data needs a pack: without one, Airtel bars prepaid data and Vi keeps mobile data off. On Vi prepaid, South Korea is in the non-UL zone, so Ultra gives 2 to 5 GB instead of data printed as FREE.
How much is the Airtel IR pack for South Korea?
There is no Korea-only Airtel price: its prepaid set is the same everywhere it roams. A week in Seoul fits ₹1,298 (6 GB over 10 days); a fortnight needs ₹2,998 (10 GB over 30 days), as in the T&C dated 24 Sep 2026.
Which Jio international roaming plan covers South Korea?
South Korea is on Jio’s 100-country, World Pack, 75-country and data-pack lists. For two weeks ₹1,551 buys 8 GB; for a month ₹2,851 buys 12 GB and ₹3,999 buys 20 GB.
Is a travel eSIM cheaper than roaming in South Korea?
It depends on how long you stay. A Seoul week on Airtel’s ₹1,298 pack works out at about ₹216 per GB and a fortnight on Jio’s ₹1,551 at about ₹194, minutes included; for a month, set our 20 GB plan beside Jio’s 30-day packs. Our plans carry data only, billed in US dollars.
Can I get bank OTPs on my Indian number in South Korea while using an eSIM?
No page can promise it. A data-only eSIM receives no SMS for your Indian number, and bank OTPs arrive there. Keep the Indian SIM active as a second line with its data off, and ask your operator whether SMS works in South Korea.
Sources checked: Jio: IR plan list, international services, and the 100-country, 75-country, World Pack and data-pack lists · Airtel: IR terms dated 24 Sep 2026, IR packs page · Vi: prepaid IR terms, postpaid IR terms · India Tourism Data Compendium 2025, departures to South Korea in 2024. Last checked 13 Oct 2026.
Get an eSIM for South Korea, from ≈ ₹285 Pay by card in US$. Your bank converts the US$ charge at its own rate and may add a foreign-transaction fee. Install the profile at home on Wi-Fi before you fly. The QR code arrives by e-mail after payment. See plans