Lost Something in Korea? How Foreigners Can Use Lost112, Seoul Metro & Taxi Lost & Found (2026)

Losing a phone, wallet or passport in Korea is frightening, but speed and precise trip details matter more than fluent Korean. Start with the operator that controlled the place where the item disappeared—a taxi platform, station office, railway operator or shop—then use the National Police Agency’s Lost112 database if the item has moved into public custody.

The 10-Minute Recovery Checklist

1. Stop and write down the last confirmed time and place you had the item.
2. Save screenshots of the taxi ride, card charge, subway route or store receipt.
3. Call the operator or return to the nearest station office immediately.
4. Lock payment cards and use your phone maker’s lost-device controls without erasing useful location data too early.
5. Search Lost112 repeatedly over the next several days because handover and registration are not instantaneous.

If a passport is missing, contact your embassy or consulate as well as police. If theft, danger or a crime is involved, call 112. For non-emergency police questions, 182 is the police civil-service line. The multilingual 1330 Korea Travel Helpline can help a visitor explain a situation or contact a tourism business, but it does not replace an official police report.

Step 1: Track a Taxi or Subway Immediately

Lost in a taxi

Open the ride history first if you booked with Kakao T, UT/Uber or another platform. Use its lost-item contact route rather than calling random taxi companies. If you hailed the taxi, inspect the card receipt or banking record. A printed receipt may contain the operator, vehicle information, approval number or contact details; what appears varies by payment processor.

Prepare the pickup point, drop-off point, approximate ride time, fare and payment method. If you have a receipt, photograph the entire slip. Seoul’s 120 Dasan Call Center or 1330 may help identify the correct next contact, but neither can guarantee recovery or disclose private driver information.

Do not publish card authorization numbers or personal data in a public forum. Share them only with the relevant operator or official support channel.

Lost on the subway

Go to the station office before leaving the system. Tell staff the line, direction of travel, station where you exited, approximate time and—if remembered—the car-and-door marker printed on the platform, such as 4-3. This lets staff narrow the train rather than search an entire line.

If you notice the loss later, contact the operator for the specific line; Seoul-area railways are run by more than one organization. Describe the item precisely: brand, color, case, distinctive marks and what is inside. Items can move from a station or operator’s custody into the police network, so keep both the operator reference and any Lost112 management number.

For a broader route and payment checklist, use Koursea’s 2026 Transit Survival Guide. Save the Korea emergency contact guide offline before a travel day.

Step 2: Search Lost112 Without Getting Lost in the Portal

Open the official National Police Agency Lost112 portal. Its public found-item search can be used without logging in, while filing an online loss report requires an account. Foreign visitors who cannot complete Korean identity verification can visit a police substation (지구대) or police box (파출소) in person with a passport or other identification.

The interface remains Korean-heavy, so browser translation is useful. Search the found property area (습득물 검색), not only the list of losses reported by other people. Filter broadly at first:

• choose the item category, such as phone, wallet, bag or portable device;
• set a found-date range beginning one day before the loss and extending several days after it;
• select the province or city, then try a district such as Mapo-gu, Jung-gu or Gangnam-gu;
• search again with fewer filters if the first result is empty.

Open likely records and compare photographs, color, model and found location. The detail page identifies the custody location, telephone number and a management number (관리번호). Lost112 itself advises calling the listed custodian before visiting. Give the management number and ask whether the item is still there, what proof of ownership is required and when collection is possible.

For a phone, prepare the IMEI, serial number, lock-screen image or purchase record. For a wallet, describe non-sensitive contents without exposing full card numbers. For a passport, bring another photo ID or a copy if available and follow embassy instructions.

Step 3: Korean Phrases to Show Staff or Police

Screenshot these cards and replace the bracketed details.

택시에 휴대폰을 두고 내린 것 같습니다. 결제 내역과 승차 시간이 있습니다. 확인해 주실 수 있나요?
I think I left my phone in a taxi. I have the payment record and ride time. Could you check?

방금 이 역에서 내렸습니다. 열차는 [방향] 방면이고, [4-3] 칸 근처에 있었습니다.
I just got off at this station. The train was toward [direction], and I was near car/door [4-3].

분실물 관리번호는 [번호]입니다. 이 물건이 아직 여기 보관되어 있나요?
The Lost112 management number is [number]. Is this item still held here?

여권을 잃어버렸습니다. 분실신고 접수증이 필요합니다.
I lost my passport. I need a loss-report receipt.

Collection, Proof and Common Mistakes

Call before traveling to the custody office. Bring identification and evidence that only the owner should know. If another person will collect it, ask in advance about authorization requirements. Never pay an unofficial broker who claims to have inside access to police records.

Avoid three common mistakes: searching only the English product name, assuming the item will appear immediately, and visiting a police station shown in an old screenshot without checking the current custody field. Lost112 records can use Korean descriptions, and the item may be transferred after the first report.

Koursea also maintains a practical lost-and-found action guide with Korean show cards for use at a counter.

Official Sources

• Lost112 found-property search
• Lost112 reporting and search help
• Korea Travel Helpline 1330