Losing your phone, wallet, passport, or bag while traveling can be stressful — especially when you are in a foreign country and do not speak the local language.
If this happens during your trip to South Korea, don’t panic.
Korea has an organized lost-and-found system covering police stations, subway systems, trains, buses, airports, and other public facilities. Many lost items eventually enter the national police lost-and-found system, making it possible to continue searching even if you do not know exactly where your belongings were lost.
Here is what you should do.
🔎 First: Remember Where and When You Last Had the Item
Before contacting anyone, try to write down as much information as possible.
You should remember:
- The approximate time you lost the item
- The place where you last saw it
- Subway or train line and direction
- Station name
- Bus or taxi information
- A description of the item
- Brand, model, and color
- Anything distinctive inside a wallet or bag
Even a small detail can make it much easier for staff or police to identify your property.
If you lost a smartphone, also check Find My iPhone or Find My Device as soon as possible.
1. Use Korea’s National LOST112 System
One of the most important websites to know is LOST112, the lost-and-found system operated by the Korean National Police Agency.
LOST112 allows you to search for items that have been found and reported to participating institutions.
You can search for items such as:
- 📱 Mobile phones
- 👛 Wallets
- 🎒 Bags
- 💳 Cards
- 📷 Cameras
- 💻 Laptops and tablets
- ⌚ Watches
- 🔑 Keys
- 🧳 Luggage
The system allows searches using information such as the type of item, date, and location.
👉 Official LOST112 English Guide:
Korean National Police LOST112 English Guide
👉 LOST112 Lost & Found Search:
Search Korea Police LOST112
💡 Important Tip
Do not search only once.
An item may first be kept by the subway station, railway station, bus company, airport, or another organization before its information reaches the police lost-and-found system.
So if nothing appears immediately, check again later.
2. What If You Lose Something on the Subway?
If you realize that you left your phone, wallet, shopping bag, or backpack on a subway train, act quickly.
Go to the nearest station office and tell a member of staff that you lost something.
Try to provide:
- The subway line
- Direction of travel
- Station where you got off
- Approximate time
- Train or car number, if known
- Where you were sitting or standing
- Description of the item
For example, you can say:
“I lost my phone on the subway. Can you help me?”
If the item has already been collected, station staff may be able to locate it. If it is not found immediately, continue checking the relevant transit lost-and-found service and LOST112.
3. What If You Leave Something on a KTX or Train?
If you leave an item on a KTX or another train, contact railway staff as quickly as possible.
If you are still at the station, visit the customer service desk or ask a station employee for help.
Prepare information such as:
- 🚆 Train number
- 🎫 Departure and arrival stations
- 🕐 Travel time
- 💺 Seat number
- 👜 Description of the lost item
Your ticket or booking confirmation can be very useful because it contains much of this information.
If the item is not found immediately, also search LOST112 later.
4. What If You Lose Something at Incheon Airport?
Incheon International Airport has dedicated Lost and Found Offices.
If you lose an item inside the passenger terminal, contact the airport Lost and Found Office.
However, where you lost the item matters.
- Inside the passenger terminal → Airport Lost and Found
- Inside an aircraft → Contact the airline
- On an airport bus → Contact the bus operator
- On the Airport Railroad (AREX) → Contact the railroad operator
Incheon Airport separates these cases, so contacting the correct organization can save time.
👉 Official Incheon Airport Lost & Found Information:
Incheon Airport Lost and Found
📍 Incheon Airport Lost & Found Offices
Terminal 1
B1 Floor
📞 Tel: +82-32-741-3110 / +82-32-741-3114
Terminal 2
2nd Floor, Public Area
📞 Tel: +82-32-741-8988 / +82-32-741-8989
The airport currently lists the Lost and Found Offices as operating from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., year-round.
5. What If You Lose Your Wallet or Credit Cards?
If your wallet disappears, take action immediately even while searching for it.
First, contact your bank or card issuer and temporarily freeze or block your cards if possible.
Then check LOST112 and contact the place where you think you lost the wallet.
If a wallet containing identification or credit cards is turned over to Korean police, the authorities may use the identification or card information to help identify or contact the owner.
For foreign visitors, however, it is still important to actively search and report the loss rather than waiting to be contacted.
6. What If You Lose Your Phone?
Start with your phone’s location service.
For an iPhone, use Apple’s Find My service.
For Android devices, use Google’s device-finding service if it has been enabled.
Then:
- Call your phone from another device.
- Ask staff at the place where you last used it.
- Check LOST112.
- Contact your mobile carrier if necessary.
- Visit a nearby police station if you need to make a formal lost-property report.
Korean police explain that they do not perform mobile-phone location tracking themselves. Location tracking should be handled through the relevant device or telecommunications service.
LOST112 also provides information about mobile phones that have been handed in.
7. What If You Lose Your Passport?
⚠️ A lost passport should be treated differently from an ordinary lost item.
If you cannot find your passport, contact your country's embassy or consulate in Korea as soon as possible.
You may also need to visit a local police station and obtain documentation showing that the passport was lost.
Your embassy or consulate can explain the procedure for obtaining an emergency travel document or replacement passport.
If possible, keep digital copies of the following separately from your passport:
- Passport photo page
- Passport number
- Issue and expiration dates
- Travel insurance information
- Airline reservation
- Embassy contact information
Never keep the only copy of your passport information inside the same bag as your passport.
8. What If You Think the Item Was Stolen?
Losing something and having something stolen are not the same situation.
If you believe your belongings were stolen, contact the police.
🚨 Police Emergency Number in Korea: 112
On a mobile phone in Korea, tap the number above to call the police.
If your bank cards were stolen, contact your card issuer immediately as well.
For expensive electronics, passports, or insured belongings, ask whether you need an official police report for your insurance claim.
🌏 Need Help in English?
If you are having difficulty communicating in Korean, Korea's 1330 Travel Helpline can provide travel information and language assistance.
📞 Calling from Korea: 1330
📞 Calling from overseas: +82-2-1330
👉 Official Korea Tourism Organization 1330 Information:
Korea Travel Helpline 1330
🗺️ Quick Guide: Where Should You Contact?
| Where did you lose it? | What should you do first? |
|---|---|
| Subway | Ask station staff immediately |
| KTX / Train | Contact station or railway staff |
| Incheon Airport terminal | Airport Lost & Found |
| Inside an airplane | Contact your airline |
| Airport Railroad | Contact AREX |
| Bus | Contact the bus operator |
| Street / Unknown location | Search LOST112 |
| Phone | Use device tracking + LOST112 |
| Wallet | Block cards + search LOST112 |
| Passport | Police + your embassy or consulate |
| Possible theft | Call 112 |
💬 Useful Korean Phrases
You do not need to speak Korean fluently to ask for help.
Save these phrases on your phone:
🇰🇷 분실물이 있어요.
Bunsilmuri isseoyo.
“I lost something.”
🇰🇷 휴대폰을 잃어버렸어요.
Hyudaepon-eul ireobeoryeosseoyo.
“I lost my phone.”
🇰🇷 지갑을 잃어버렸어요.
Jigabeul ireobeoryeosseoyo.
“I lost my wallet.”
🇰🇷 여권을 잃어버렸어요.
Yeogwoneul ireobeoryeosseoyo.
“I lost my passport.”
🇰🇷 도와주세요.
Dowajuseyo.
“Please help me.”
You can simply show the Korean sentence on your screen to a station employee, police officer, hotel employee, or other staff member.
📌 Before Traveling in Korea: Prepare for the Unexpected
Hopefully, you will never need Korea's lost-and-found system.
But a few minutes of preparation can save hours of stress.
- ✔ Save a digital copy of your passport.
- ✔ Write down your passport number separately.
- ✔ Enable your phone's location service.
- ✔ Keep your hotel name and address saved somewhere other than your phone.
- ✔ Save your bank's international contact number.
- ✔ Take a photo of expensive belongings before your trip.
- ✔ Keep some emergency cash separately from your main wallet.
- ✔ Bookmark LOST112.
Final Tip: Don't Give Up Too Quickly
If your lost item does not appear immediately, keep checking.
Items found on public transportation or at other facilities may initially be held by the organization that found them before being transferred or registered with the police lost-and-found system.
So your search may need to continue for several days.
Losing your phone or wallet can feel like a travel disaster, but knowing where to look makes the situation much easier to handle.
If you lose something while traveling in South Korea, remember these three steps:
Ask nearby staff → Check LOST112 → Contact the police or your embassy when necessary.
And hopefully, your lost item will find its way back to you.