How to track down your belongings in Korea
If you’re too busy talking with your friends about where is the best as your next destination, you might forget something on the subway, bus or taxi.
And just like in most countries, there’s a danger that some jerk might just take it. But many times, Seoul citizens can be really forgiving for the absent minded and may leave your goods untouched.
To get your stuff back, here’s what you should do and how to find it!
- For the Seoul subway
At first, go to the closest subway station office and inform the staff of what you lost. But here are a few not-so-obvious things you should take note of :
- Take note of the time of where you got on or off. This will help the subway staff know the exact subway car they should be looking for.
- Take note of the train car and door number (i.e. 6-3 – Car 6, door 3). This can be found by looking down when getting on/off the platform.
These 2 pieces of notes will help the staff narrow down their search.
Also, the lost and found stations in Seoul are all different according to which subway line you took :
City Hall Station (For Line 1 & 2)
Chongmuro Station (For Line 3 & 4)
Wangsimni Station (For Line 5 & 8)
Taereung Station (For Line 6 & 7)
Dongjak Station (For Line 9)
* Lost and Found for Lines 1 ~ 8 are open 7AM to 10PM. Line 9 is open from 6AM to 12PM.
- For buses
The only tip I have is calling 02-120(Seoul Transportation) or 02-1330(Korea Tourism Hotline). There’s also a website you can go to, including pictures of lost items. Also, remember the bus number and time obviously!
- For taxis
You might be able to save your goods by calling the taxi driver or taxi company directly.
Tip : look at the receipt given to you for the phone number along with other information that will tell you about the exact car.
You can also call the Seoul Taxi Transportation Association (02) 420-6110~9 or the Seoul Private Taxi Association (02) 415-9521~5.
- Online resource
All the goodhearted subway staff and bus & taxi drivers will list the stuff they found along with day it was found and on what line/bus – there might even be pictures for you to check. You can narrow down the search via date, time, transportation method and a few other options.
Visit the Integrated Lost & Found Center for Public Transportations (* Website is ONLY in Korean)
* If you just remembered you forgot something when you got to your hotel, you might want to call 120, the center for all things lost in the Seoul transportation vortex.
Tip : You might need to speak Korean. If you don’t, you can always call Korea’s tourism hotline number, 1330. Call them, they’ll help you real good.
