🧳 Lost Something in Korea? How to Get It Back
Leaving your phone in a taxi or your bag on the subway is a classic travel nightmare. The good news: Korea is one of the easiest countries in the world to get lost things back. Found items usually get handed in, and there’s a system for tracing almost every taxi and train. What you do in the first hour, and how you paid, makes all the difference.
Left It in a Taxi? It Depends How You Paid
Your payment method is the thread that leads back to the driver. Find yours below.
Kakao Taxi
Check your Kakao T ride history
Open Kakao T, find the trip in your ride history and use the lost-item contact option to reach the driver.
✓ Driver can be reached
T-money
Look up the taxi through T-money
Use the lost-item lookup on the T-money Taxi portal about 30 minutes after your ride, or call T-money Mobility at 1644-1188.
✓ Driver can be reached
Credit or debit card
Trace it through the card payment
Check the approval record in your card app or statement. The merchant details identify the taxi company or vehicle, which you can then contact.
✓ Driver can be reached
Cash
Contact the local taxi association
There’s no digital record, so you’ll need the receipt or the taxi number. Ask the local taxi association, or call Seoul’s 120 Dasan Call Center for help.
◐ Harder to trace
Handed in anywhere
Search LOST112
Drivers and passengers often turn items in to police. Search the national police lost-and-found portal, LOST112, by item type, date and area. The site is in Korean, so use your browser’s translate feature.
✓ Works for any lost item
⚡ Quick Tip: Pay by card, and keep the receipt
A card or T-money payment leaves a record that leads straight back to the taxi. If you do pay cash, ask for a receipt (yeong-su-jeung ju-se-yo) and snap a photo of it. It shows the taxi’s details.
Left It on the Subway?
- Act fast. Tell station staff at the nearest station office, or call Seoul Metro at 1577-1234.
- Give the details. The line, direction, the time you got off and the station. If you remember the door number on the platform (e.g. 4-3), that helps staff find the right car.
- Check the lost-and-found centers. Seoul Metro runs four, each covering certain lines.
| Lost & found center | Lines covered |
|---|---|
| City Hall Station | Lines 1 and 2 |
| Chungmuro Station | Lines 3 and 4 |
| Wangsimni Station | Lines 5 and 8 |
| Taereung Station | Lines 6 and 7 |
Other lines, such as Line 9, AREX and Korail-run lines, are run by different operators with their own lost-and-found desks. Station staff can point you to the right one.
Useful Numbers
| 1330 | Korea Travel Hotline. Help in English and other languages |
| 182 | Police civil service line for lost-item reports (non-emergency) |
| 1577-1234 | Seoul Metro customer center |
| 1644-1188 | T-money Mobility (taxi lookups) |
| 120 | Seoul Dasan Call Center, city information |
| 112 | Police emergency, for theft |
K Local Tip: Put a small tag with your phone number or email on your bag, wallet and phone case. Seoul Metro’s lost-and-found staff recommend it, because it’s the fastest way for them to reach you.
Lost your passport? Report it to the police and contact your embassy right away. Keep a photo of your passport on your phone before you travel. See our Emergency Numbers page for more contacts.
Paying with T-money makes taxi items easier to trace. New to it? Read our guide to using a T-money card in Korea.
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