Lost Items in Korea: How to Find What You Left Behind

What should I do first?

Go back to the place you lost the item, or ask the nearest staff member, as soon as you notice. Found items in Korea pass through a short chain: the operator (subway, bus, taxi company, airport), then the police. The earlier you ask, the fewer places you need to search.

Write down four things before you call anyone: the time, the place or route, the vehicle or train details, and how you paid. Seoul’s transport department lists those details as what speeds up a search.

Where do I search online?

Police Minwon24 at minwon24.police.go.kr is the National Police Agency’s portal for lost item reports and found item searches. The portal has an English option in its language menu, and you can search found items without logging in. The same portal takes lost item reports.

Search by the date, the region and the type of item. Incheon Airport, for example, tells visitors to filter by the region “Incheon” and the place “airport” when checking items that have moved to the police.

The police lost and found call center is 182 (paid call, weekdays 09:00 to 18:00). From abroad, the portal lists +82-182 with the same hours.

Lost on the Seoul subway or a bus?

Ask at the station office or call the operator first. Seoul’s transport department says the operators keep found items for 7 days and then hand anything unclaimed to the police, after which you search Police Minwon24.

Seoul Metro runs lost and found centers at major stations, including City Hall, Chungmuro, Wangsimni, Taereung Entrance and Sports Complex. The city notes that items are logged after the day’s service ends, so note your train and the time you got off. Details on reading train numbers and transfers are in Seoul subway basics.

For a city bus, Seoul points you to the bus company’s customer service. Buses are checked at the depot once the route finishes, so give the route number and the stop where you got off.

If you are not sure who to call, Seoul’s 120 Dasan Call Center (24 hours, every day) can check registration status and give you the right agency’s number. Seoul also lists 02-731-2120 for the same line. Calls are charged.

Lost in a taxi?

Contact the driver or the taxi company if you have the receipt or a ride record in an app. A card payment leaves a record that helps identify the car, per Seoul’s transport page.

The T-money taxi portal offers a lost item vehicle lookup for passengers. Its customer center is 1644-1188, weekdays 09:00 to 18:00. More on paying and booking cabs is in taxis in Korea.

Lost at Incheon Airport?

Incheon Airport runs a lost and found office in each terminal, both open every day of the year from 07:00 to 21:30, according to the airport’s Korean lost and found page.

Terminal	Where	Phone	Email
Terminal 1	Basement 1, west side	032-741-3110, 3114	lostnfound@biz.airport.kr
Terminal 2	Basement 1, east side	032-741-8988, 8989	lostnfound2@biz.airport.kr

Call before you go.

How long does the airport keep things?

The holding time depends on the item. These periods come from Incheon Airport’s lost and found page.

Item	What happens
General items	Kept for 6 months, the legal period
Foreign passport	Kept 1 month from the day found, then sent to that country’s embassy
Korean passport	Passed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the next day
Phone, tablet, smartwatch	Kept 1 month, then sent to the lost phone call center
Perishable food	Thrown away the next day

How do I get my item back from the airport?

You have three ways to collect, each needing the lost item receipt number.

1. In person: bring your ID and the receipt number.
2. Through someone else: the collector brings a copy of your ID and their own ID, plus the receipt number, and you must tell the office the collector’s details in advance.
3. By courier: send a copy of your ID and the receipt number. Delivery is charged on arrival, from ₩7,000.

Courier return helps if you have already flown home, though the page does not say whether it ships abroad. Ask the office when you call.

Common mistakes

• Going to the airport office for something left on the plane. Items left on board go to the airline, not the airport. Contact your carrier.
• Waiting a week before searching. After 7 days, Seoul transport items move to the police. Search both the operator and Police Minwon24.
• Forgetting how you paid. A card or app record is often the only way to trace a taxi. Keep your receipts.
• Calling 182 on a weekend. The police call center lists weekday hours only. Use the website, or ask 1330 for help in English.

When this does not apply

If your passport is lost, a replacement travel document comes from your own embassy or consulate, not from a lost and found office. Keep its number with the others in emergency numbers.

Outside Seoul, buses, taxis and subways are run by other cities and companies, so the 120 line and the station list above may not cover them. The 1330 Korea Travel Hotline is open 24 hours a day in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese, and can connect callers to services such as safety, immigration and complaint centers.

Holding periods and office hours can change. Check the official pages listed below before you go.