Discusses the prevalence and reliability of express delivery firms within the country, time from large U.S. cities, and relevant customs procedures, including de minimis amounts.
Last Published: 8/29/2019
Korea has a very well-defined domestic express delivery service.  On average, delivery times are next-day delivery (called “Taekbae”) or same-day delivery (called “Quick Service”).  Delivery costs depend on the size/weight of the package; usually starting at around W2,600 for next-day delivery (from 350g to 30 kg in weight) and around W10,000 for same-day delivery (if in close vicinity).  Quick Service tends to be more informal in terms of pricing, but just as reliable.  Some of the major domestic express delivery companies are the Korean Post Office (https://parcel.epost.go.kr), CJ Express Delivery (https://www.doortodoor.co.kr/main/), Lotte Global Logistics (www.lotteglogis.com), Hanjin Express (http://hanex.hanjin.co.kr), and Logen Express (www.ilogen.com).
International express delivery from the U.S. to Korea is primarily handled by Fedex (www.fedex.com), DHL (www.dhl.com), UPS (www.ups.com) and Hanjin (www.hanjin.co.kr/Global_html/us/en/index.jsp).  The average estimated delivery time is about 1-2 business days from Los Angeles to Seoul, and about four days for other areas of Korea.  The approximate cost is $55 for one pound and $10 for every additional pound.  Customs procedures are normally handled by the express delivery service company.  However, Korean Customs does require that personal recipients of a parcel sign-up for a Personal Customs Clearance (PCC) code to clear the parcel through Customs.  Korean Citizens can sign up for this PCC code through the website https://p.customs.go.kr.
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South Korea Trade Development and Promotion Transport and Logistics