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SAFETY · GUIDE
Retrace the exact place and operator first, search Police Lost112, make a police report when needed, and contact your embassy immediately when a passport is missing.
USE IT ON THE TRIP
QUICK ANSWER
WHAT TO DO
If a phone or wallet is missing, use the device or bank's official controls to lock it and protect payment access. Call 112 if theft is happening now or you are in danger.
Write the Korean place name, date, time window, route, station exit, vehicle plate or receipt, item description and unique marks before memory fades.
Ask the taxi app, railway, bus, airport, hotel, restaurant or venue lost-and-found desk using the trip or payment record. Keep the case number.
Search the official found-property records using broad and narrow Korean categories, dates and areas. A found item may remain with the original institution before transfer.
Look for 분실물 · 유실물 · 습득물 · 경찰서 · 지구대
Travelers who cannot use the online identity process can visit a police station or police box. Ask for the loss-report receipt when needed for insurance or replacement.
Watch out Do not publish a passport number, full card number, IMEI or unlock code in a community post.
For a lost passport, contact your embassy or consulate immediately and follow its replacement-document instructions. Recheck airline, visa and onward-entry requirements after replacement.
COMPARE OPTIONS
| Option | Best for | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator lost-and-found | A known taxi, train, bus, airport, hotel or venue. | Usually no search fee · Fastest soon after the loss | Use the official contact from the app, receipt or operator site, not a stranger requesting payment. |
| Police Lost112 search and report | Property transferred between institutions or found in a public place. | Official police service · Records can appear after the item is registered | Foreign visitors without the required online identity may need to report in person. |
| Embassy or consulate replacement | A lost or stolen passport or emergency travel document. | Set by the traveler's government · Country and case dependent | It cannot restore visas or onward permissions automatically; verify each requirement. |
AVOID THESE MISTAKES
Do this instead Use Korean place, operator and item-category terms with the date and area.
Do this instead Use the trip, receipt or payment record as soon as the loss is noticed.
Do this instead Share only a non-sensitive description; give serial and identity details privately to the official handler.
Do this instead Contact the embassy or consulate and verify every onward travel document separately.
TRAVELER FAQ
Use the Korean National Police Lost112 portal and also contact the exact operator or venue because items can remain there before appearing in the national system.
The official FAQ says online identity requirements can prevent some foreign visitors without an alien registration number from filing online; visit a nearby police office in that case.
Lost112 identifies 182 as the police civil-service call center. Use 112 for an emergency, immediate danger or active crime.
Lock the device and payment accounts through official controls, contact the operator and police route, and preserve the IMEI or serial privately for matching and insurance.
Contact your embassy or consulate immediately, obtain the requested police documentation, and recheck airline, visa and destination rules for the replacement document.
Every changing rule stays attached to the organization responsible for it.
Last checked August 22, 2026. Korea Era edits these guides from official sources and does not decide eligibility, fares or schedules on your behalf.