Losing your phone, wallet, passport, or bag while traveling in Korea can be stressful, especially if you do not speak Korean.
Fortunately, Korea has a nationwide lost-property system, and subway stations, train operators, airports, police stations, hotels, restaurants, and other facilities regularly handle found belongings.
The most important thing is to act quickly and contact the place where you probably lost the item before relying only on an online search.
This guide explains how lost and found in Korea works in 2026, including what to do if you lose something on the subway, KTX, bus, at Incheon Airport, or elsewhere during your trip.
Quick Answer: What Should You Do First?
If you realize that something is missing, follow these steps in order:
- Think about the last place where you definitely had the item.
- Contact that location or transportation operator immediately.
- Write down the exact time, route, station, seat, or vehicle information.
- Search Korea’s official police lost-property system.
- File a lost-property report if the item has not appeared yet.
- Take additional action immediately if you lost a passport, phone, bank card, or other important item.
Important: If you believe your property was stolen rather than simply lost, treat it as a possible theft and contact the police instead of filing only a lost-property report.
For police, fire, medical, and other urgent numbers, see our Emergency Numbers in Korea guide.
Use Police Civil Service 24 for Lost Property in Korea
Korea’s national police lost-property services are available through Police Civil Service 24, known in Korean as 경찰민원24.
Older travel guides may still refer to LOST112. In 2026, you should use the current Police Civil Service 24 service for lost-property reports and found-item searches.
You can access the official service here:
Police Civil Service 24 – Official Website
The service allows users to search items that have been handed to participating organizations or police.
According to the Korean National Police Agency, found items may initially be kept by the organization where they were found before being transferred to the police or a lost-property center. This means an item may not appear online immediately.
What Information Should You Prepare?
The more specific you are, the easier it is for staff to identify your property.
- Date and approximate time of loss
- Location where you last saw the item
- Subway line or bus number
- Train number and seat number
- Station where you boarded or exited
- Color and brand
- Size and shape
- Contents of a wallet or bag
- Unique marks, stickers, cases, or scratches
- A photo of the item, if available
Do not post sensitive information such as full card numbers, passwords, or security codes when describing your property.
What to Do If You Lose Something on the Seoul Subway
If you realize that you left something on a Seoul subway train, tell station staff as soon as possible.
Try to give them three important pieces of information:
- The approximate time you were on the train
- The train car or platform screen-door position
- Where the item was left, such as on a seat, under a seat, or on a luggage rack
This information can help subway staff identify the correct train before it travels much farther.
Seoul’s official guidance recommends contacting the nearest station customer service office or the Seoul Metro customer center if you notice the loss immediately.
Seoul Metro Customer Center: 1577-1234
You can check the latest official Seoul information here:
Seoul Metropolitan Government – Subway Lost Property Information
If the item is not found that day, continue checking Police Civil Service 24 because found subway property can later be registered in the national system.
If you are unfamiliar with the subway itself, our How to Use the Seoul Subway guide explains lines, transfers, fares, and basic subway travel.
What to Do If You Lose Something on KTX or a Korean Train
If you are still on the train when you notice something is missing, tell a train crew member immediately.
If you have already left the train, contact KORAIL or ask staff at a nearby KORAIL station.
KORAIL advises passengers who lose belongings during a train journey to contact the railway customer center or a station lost-property center.
KORAIL Customer Center: 1544-7788 or 1588-7788
Have your ticket information ready if possible, including:
- Train number
- Departure and arrival stations
- Departure time
- Car number
- Seat number
You can check KORAIL’s official customer information here:
If KORAIL staff cannot locate the item immediately, also search Police Civil Service 24 later.
What to Do If You Lose Something on a Bus
Bus lost property is slightly more complicated because buses in Korea are operated by many different companies and local transportation systems.
If you know the bus number, write it down immediately.
Also record:
- Bus route number
- Approximate boarding time
- Boarding stop
- Exit stop
- Direction of travel
- Approximate location where you were sitting
If possible, contact the bus operator or local transportation information center quickly.
If you cannot identify the operator, ask your hotel, tourist information center, or station staff to help you identify the company from the bus route number.
You should also continue checking Police Civil Service 24 because unclaimed property may later be transferred into the police lost-property system.
What to Do If You Lose Something in a Taxi
Your chances of recovering an item from a taxi improve significantly if you can identify the vehicle.
If you booked the taxi through an app, check your trip history first.
If you paid by card, keep the payment record because it may contain information that can help identify the ride.
If you received a taxi receipt, do not throw it away. It may include useful company or vehicle information.
Prepare:
- Pickup location
- Drop-off location
- Approximate pickup time
- Fare
- Payment method
- Taxi company or vehicle information, if known
If you cannot contact the driver directly, check Police Civil Service 24 periodically in case the item is later handed in.
What to Do If You Lose Something at Incheon Airport
Incheon International Airport operates official Lost and Found Offices for items lost inside the passenger terminals.
However, different organizations handle items lost in certain places.
For example, property lost:
- Inside an aircraft should normally be reported to the airline.
- On an airport bus should be reported to the relevant bus operator.
- On the Airport Railroad should be reported to the railway operator.
- Inside the airport terminal can be reported to the airport Lost and Found Office.
The airport currently lists the following Lost and Found Office information:
Terminal 1
- Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., daily
- Phone: 032-741-3110 / 032-741-3114
- Location: B1 Floor, Terminal 1
Terminal 2
- Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., daily
- Phone: 032-741-8988 / 032-741-8989
- Location: One-stop Public Service area, 2nd Floor, public area of Terminal 2
Check the latest airport information before visiting because operating details can change.
Incheon International Airport – Official Lost and Found
What If You Lose Your Phone in Korea?
A lost phone requires faster action than most ordinary belongings because it may contain payment apps, email accounts, travel documents, and personal information.
First, use your device’s official location or lost-device feature if it is available.
Then:
- Call your phone from another device.
- Activate Lost Mode or the equivalent security feature.
- Temporarily protect important financial or payment accounts if necessary.
- Contact the place or transportation operator where you probably lost it.
- Search Police Civil Service 24.
- Contact your mobile carrier if the phone remains missing.
If your phone was lost at Incheon Airport, note that the airport says mobile phones, tablet PCs, and smartwatches are kept for a limited period before being transferred to the designated mobile-phone lost-and-found system.
Do not remotely erase your phone immediately unless you believe the data is at serious risk. Erasing it may affect your ability to track the device, depending on the device and service you use.
What If You Lose Your Wallet or Credit Card?
If a wallet is missing, searching for the wallet and protecting your payment cards should happen at the same time.
Contact your bank or card issuer immediately if you believe there is a risk of unauthorized use.
Most international banks provide an emergency card-blocking function through their banking app or international customer-service number.
After protecting the cards, search Police Civil Service 24 and contact the place where you last used the wallet.
If you were using cash because your foreign card was not working in Korea, our How to Withdraw Cash in Korea guide may also be useful after your cards have been secured.
What If You Lose Your Passport in Korea?
A lost passport should be treated differently from an ordinary lost item.
First, check the location where you may have lost it and search Korea’s police lost-property system.
If the passport cannot be found quickly, contact your country’s embassy or consulate in South Korea.
Passport replacement and emergency travel-document procedures are determined by your own government, so requirements differ depending on nationality.
The Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides an official directory of foreign diplomatic missions in Korea:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Foreign Missions in Korea
Your embassy or consulate can tell you what documents, photographs, police reports, appointments, or fees are required for a replacement passport or emergency travel document.
Do not assume that a passport reported lost can simply be used again if it is later recovered. Whether it remains valid depends on your issuing country’s rules. Confirm this directly with your embassy or passport authority.
What If You Lose Something at Your Hotel?
Contact the hotel before leaving the city if possible.
Give the staff:
- Your full name
- Room number
- Check-in and check-out dates
- Description of the missing item
- Where you think you left it
- Your email address or another reliable contact method
If the property is found after you leave Korea, ask the hotel whether international shipping is possible and who must pay the delivery cost.
Do not assume every hotel has the same storage or shipping policy.
What If You Lose Something at a Restaurant, Café, or Store?
Go back as soon as possible.
Korean businesses often temporarily keep items left by customers, which means checking the business directly may be faster than waiting for the item to appear in a national database.
If you cannot return, call the business or ask hotel staff to help you make the call.
Naver Map can be useful for finding the business phone number and confirming the exact branch you visited.
Our Naver Map and Google Maps in Korea guide explains how to search Korean businesses and locations.
How Do You Collect a Lost Item?
The exact collection procedure depends on the organization holding the property.
You may be asked to prove that the item belongs to you.
Useful evidence can include:
- Passport or another form of identification
- A photograph of the item
- Brand and model information
- Phone serial number or device information
- Description of contents inside a wallet or bag
- Train ticket or travel record
- A unique feature that is not obvious from the outside
If another person will collect the item for you, ask the holding organization in advance whether authorization documents are required.
Useful Korean Phrases for Lost Items
You do not need to speak fluent Korean, but these short phrases can help.
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| I lost something. | 물건을 잃어버렸어요. |
| I lost my phone. | 휴대폰을 잃어버렸어요. |
| I lost my wallet. | 지갑을 잃어버렸어요. |
| I lost my passport. | 여권을 잃어버렸어요. |
| Is there a lost and found? | 유실물 센터가 어디예요? |
| Has this item been found? | 이 물건이 들어왔나요? |
| I left it on the subway. | 지하철에 두고 내렸어요. |
| I left it on the train. | 기차에 두고 내렸어요. |
You can also show a photograph of the missing item on your phone instead of trying to describe every detail in Korean.
Common Mistakes Travelers Make
Waiting Too Long
If you know exactly where you lost something, contacting that location immediately is usually more useful than waiting several hours for an online record to appear.
Searching Only Once
A found item may not appear in the police system immediately because it may first be held by a subway station, railway station, business, airport office, or another organization.
Check again later if your first search does not produce a result.
Giving a Vague Description
“Black bag” is usually not enough.
Include the brand, approximate size, material, contents, distinctive marks, and where you think you left it.
Forgetting Transportation Details
For subway and train losses, details such as time, direction, train number, car number, seat number, and station can dramatically narrow the search.
Treating Theft as an Ordinary Lost Item
If someone took your property or you have evidence of theft, contact the police. A normal lost-property report is intended for property that was lost rather than stolen.
Ignoring Cards and Digital Security
Finding the wallet or phone is important, but protecting bank cards, payment accounts, email, and other sensitive information should not wait.
Quick Lost Property Checklist
- Return to the last known location.
- Ask nearby staff immediately.
- Record the exact time and place.
- Save subway, bus, taxi, or train details.
- Search Police Civil Service 24.
- File a lost-property report if necessary.
- Contact the relevant transportation operator.
- Lock a missing phone.
- Block missing payment cards if necessary.
- Contact your embassy or consulate for a missing passport.
- Keep checking the lost-property system for newly registered items.
Final Thoughts
Losing something in another country is stressful, but Korea has several organized ways to recover lost property.
The best strategy is to work from the most specific place to the broader system: first contact the subway station, train operator, bus company, airport, hotel, restaurant, or other location where the item disappeared, and then use Korea’s national police lost-property service.
For valuable items such as passports, phones, wallets, and bank cards, take security measures at the same time rather than waiting to see whether the item is returned.
Finally, lost-property procedures, contact numbers, and operating hours can change. Always check the latest information on the relevant official website before traveling to a lost-and-found office.