TABLE OF CONTENTS
How to Ship Phones to South Korea
Looking to ship Phones to South Korea for your remote team? At Workwize, we specialise in managing IT hardware distribution across borders, making it straightforward to get your Phones to South Korea without the complexity. From handling procurement and logistics to ensuring compliance with local regulations and managing customs clearance, Workwize takes care of it all.
This guide covers everything you need to know about shipping Phones to South Korea: import regulations, customs duties, required documentation, carrier options, local equipment costs, public holidays that affect shipping, and how to retrieve devices when employees leave.
At a glance: South Korea
CURRENCY
KRW (South Korean Won)
Local currency used
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
Korean
Primary business language
TIMEZONE
KST / UTC+9 (no daylight saving)
Local time zone
CUSTOMS DUTY ON ELECTRONICS
0–8% duty + 10% VAT
Rate applied to imported devices
SHIPPING LEAD TIME
3–5 business days
Typical delivery from order
CUSTOMS HANDLED BY WORKWIZE
Yes
DDP shipping included
Overview: IT landscape in South Korea
South Korea is a global technology leader and home to Samsung, LG, SK Hynix, and Hyundai. Seoul and Busan are major tech hubs with a highly educated, technology-savvy workforce. Korean business culture values hierarchy and formal communication. KCC certification is mandatory for all wireless devices and strictly enforced by the Korea Communications Commission.
Understanding the local IT market and regulations is important for companies planning to equip remote employees in South Korea. Workwize operates across 100+ countries and manages the full hardware lifecycle for IT teams shipping Phones internationally.
How Workwize ships Phones to South Korea
Workwize replaces the manual, multi-vendor process of sourcing, shipping, and deploying Phones internationally with a single platform:
- 1.Order from the Workwize dashboard
Select device type, quantity, and delivery address in South Korea. Workwize sources locally where possible to reduce import costs and complexity. - 2.Workwize handles customs, duties, and delivery
All import documentation, duty payments, and customs clearance for South Korea are managed by Workwize. DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) shipping means your employee receives the device with no customs involvement on their end. - 3.Employee receives a ready-to-use device
The Phone arrives pre-configured and MDM-enrolled. Your employee opens the box and starts working immediately.
Shipping Phones to South Korea: what you need to know
Customs regulations
KCC certification required; DDP recommended. All commercial shipments of electronics into South Korea are subject to standard import declaration and clearance procedures. Workwize manages this process on your behalf using DDP shipping terms.
Duties and taxes
- Duty rate: 0–8% duty + 10% VAT
- Required certifications: KCC certification
- E-waste compliance: Act on Resource Recycling of EEE
- Import restrictions: No significant B2B restrictions
Required documentation
Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Airway Bill, Korea import declaration
Customs clearance process
Workwize handles customs clearance for South Korea using DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) terms. This means:
- All import documentation is prepared and submitted by Workwize before shipment arrives
- Duties and taxes are pre-paid by Workwize so your employee receives the device with no fees due on arrival
- A customs broker is engaged where needed for complex markets
- Pre-arrival filing is completed to avoid clearance delays
Penalties for non-compliance
KCC certification violations: fines up to KRW 30 million and/or criminal prosecution. ISMS-P (privacy/security) violations (KISA): fines up to 3% of related revenue. Customs duty evasion: up to 5x the evaded duty. WEEE non-compliance (Act on Resource Recycling of EEE): fines up to KRW 10 million.
Checklist for shipping Phones to South Korea
Follow this checklist to ensure your Phones shipment to South Korea goes smoothly:
- ✓ Select a trusted carrier: Workwize works with DHL, FedEx, UPS, and local carriers in South Korea. See carrier rates below.
- ✓ Prepare documentation: Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Airway Bill, Korea import declaration
- ✓ Confirm certification compliance: KCC certification must be in place before customs submission.
- ✓ Declare the correct value: Accurate commercial invoice value prevents customs delays and incorrect duty assessment.
- ✓ Use DDP shipping terms: Ensure duties are pre-paid so your employee in South Korea receives the device without being charged at the door.
- ✓ Ensure MDM enrollment: Phones should be enrolled in your MDM before dispatch so the device is ready to use on arrival.
- ✓ Verify e-waste compliance: Act on Resource Recycling of EEE
- ✓ Account for public holidays: Check South Korea public holidays (listed below) that may affect customs processing and delivery timelines.
- ✓ Protect against loss: Workwize provides end-to-end shipment tracking from order to confirmed delivery at your employee's address in South Korea.
Choosing the right shipping method for South Korea
Air freight
Fastest option for shipping Phones to South Korea. Ideal for urgent new hires or replacement units where the device must arrive quickly. Higher cost per unit.
Sea freight
Cost-effective for large fleet deployments to South Korea. Best when equipping a new office or large team over several weeks. Plan lead time accordingly.
Express courier
DHL, FedEx, and regional carriers offer door-to-door delivery to South Korea with simplified customs clearance. Best for individual new hires or executive shipments.
Local procurement
Where Workwize has local supply relationships in South Korea, devices are sourced locally and delivered without any cross-border customs process. No import duties, faster delivery. Workwize will advise at time of booking whether local procurement is available.
Why ship Phones with Workwize
Workwize provisions and ships smartphones to employees: carrier-agnostic, eSIM-compatible, and MDM-enrolled before delivery. Whether you're equipping a single new hire or deploying a fleet of company phones, Workwize handles the full provisioning workflow from a single dashboard.
Phones are enrolled in your mobile MDM before dispatch. Workwize supports iOS (ABM) and Android Enterprise enrollment. eSIM provisioning is available where supported by local carriers.
Workwize vs. using a courier directly
| What you need | Courier only | Workwize |
|---|---|---|
| Procurement | You source the device | Local or global sourcing via Workwize |
| MDM enrollment | You configure before shipping | Pre-enrolled before dispatch |
| Customs and duties | You handle all documentation | DDP shipping, managed end-to-end |
| Delivery to employee | Courier drops at address | Tracked door-to-door, confirmed delivery |
| Asset tracking | Spreadsheet or nothing | Live dashboard from order to disposal |
| Device retrieval | You coordinate collection | Workwize retrieves on employee departure |
Public holidays and IT work hours in South Korea
Public holidays in South Korea can affect customs processing times, carrier operations, and last-mile delivery. Plan your shipments around the following dates:
New Year's Day (Jan 1), Seollal/Korean New Year - 3 days (January/February, lunar calendar), Independence Movement Day (Mar 1), Children's Day (May 5), Buddha's Birthday (April/May, lunar calendar), Memorial Day (Jun 6), Liberation Day (Aug 15), Chuseok/Korean Thanksgiving - 3 days (September/October, lunar calendar), National Foundation Day (Oct 3), Hangeul Day (Oct 9), Christmas Day (Dec 25).
Typical IT work hours in South Korea:
- Standard work week: Monday to Friday, 40 hours
- Typical hours: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM local time (KST / UTC+9 (no daylight saving))
- Note: factor in local holidays and timezone differences when coordinating device delivery with your employee
Let Workwize handle Phones delivery in South Korea
Workwize is a zero-touch IT hardware platform built for companies managing distributed and remote teams across multiple countries. Instead of dealing with separate vendors for procurement, logistics, MDM, and asset management, you do everything from one dashboard.
For South Korea specifically: Local warehousing in South Korea. Your team typically receives their Phones in 3–5 business days, fully configured and ready to use.
What Workwize covers for every South Korea deployment:
- ✓ Procurement: local sourcing in South Korea where available; global with DDP where not
- ✓ Zero-touch deployment: Phones arrive pre-enrolled in your MDM of choice
- ✓ Customs and duties: DDP shipping, all fees handled by Workwize
- ✓ Delivery in 3–5 business days: tracked door-to-door to your employee's address in South Korea
- ✓ Asset tracking: live inventory from order to disposal
- ✓ Compliance: WEEE compliant
- ✓ End-of-life retrieval: Workwize collects the device when the employee leaves
Retrieving Phones from employees in South Korea
When an employee leaves your company in South Korea, retrieving their Phone promptly is important for security, compliance, and asset reuse. Workwize manages the full retrieval process:
- Collection: Workwize coordinates pickup from the employee's address in South Korea. Workwize retrieves devices from any South Korea location using CJ Logistics, DHL, or Korea Post. Seoul and major cities: collection within 1-2 business days. Island and remote areas (Jeju, rural): 2-3 business days.
- IT inventory management: Retrieved devices are logged back into your Workwize dashboard. Assets are tracked from collection through to redeployment or disposal.
- Offboarding procedure: Device retrieval is coordinated with your offboarding workflow. Workwize ensures the device is collected before or on the employee's last day.
- Data wiping: Workwize performs certified data erasure on all retrieved devices before redeployment or disposal, WEEE compliant.
Disposing of Phones in South Korea
When Phones reach end of life or need to be retired in South Korea, proper disposal is a legal and environmental obligation. Workwize manages ITAD (IT Asset Disposition) in compliance with local regulations:
Data wiping
- Workwize uses certified data destruction tools to fully wipe all data from retired Phones
- Physical destruction is available for devices where data wiping is not sufficient
- Workwize provides a certificate of data destruction on request
E-waste compliance
Act on Resource Recycling of EEE.
Workwize disposes of retired devices in compliance with South Korea's Act on Resource Recycling of Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Vehicles, enforced by the Korea Environment Corporation (KECO). Devices are collected by registered EPR recyclers.
- Workwize ensures retired devices are disposed of in compliance with South Korea e-waste regulations
- Devices are taken to authorised recycling or disposal points
- Batteries are disposed of separately in accordance with hazardous waste guidelines
Donation or reuse
- Devices with remaining value can be refurbished and redeployed to new employees via the Workwize platform
- Charitable donation is available for devices that are still functional but no longer needed
