Lost something in Korea: where to ask (subway, taxi, airport, Lost112), how long items are kept and how to claim
Numbers checked against the official source on 2026-10-19
Start with where you lost it. On a Seoul Metro subway, tell the station office at once, then the line's lost-and-found centre (open weekdays 09:00 to 18:00). In an Incheon Airport terminal, use the airport's own lost-and-found office (07:00 to 21:30). For a taxi, Seoul's older city guides say to use the receipt's phone number, or call the 120 Dasan Call Center, or search the taxi association's lost-property centre. Everything found in transit is moved to the police within about 7 days, and the police keep it for 6 months; then it goes to the national treasury. You must show ID to collect it.
Where to ask: decision table
| Where you lost it | Ask first | Then |
|---|---|---|
| On a Seoul Metro train or in a station (Lines 1 to 9, Seoul Metro sections) | The station office immediately if you notice as the train leaves. Later: your arrival station, a nearby station or the line's lost-and-found centre. After hours: the call centre 1577-1234. | After 7 days the item is with the police: search the National Police Agency's Lost112 portal (www.lost112.go.kr) |
| Inside an Incheon Airport terminal (not on an aircraft, airport bus or airport railroad) | The airport's Lost and Found Office: Terminal 1 B1, tel 032-741-3110 or 3114; Terminal 2 tel 032-741-8988 or 8989; 07:00 to 21:30 every day | Search found items on Police Civil Service 24 (minwon24.police.go.kr); the airport page says to inquire by e-mail for unreported items |
| In a taxi (Seoul) | The driver, if you booked through a platform that shows the driver's number; the taxi company or owner-driver number on the receipt; otherwise the 120 Dasan Call Center, which (per Seoul's 2013 guide) can look up the taxi operator from the vehicle number, and (per a 2021 article) will help from the pick-up and drop-off place and time | Taxi association lost-property centre (www.taxi.or.kr); card payments can be traced through T-money (1644-1188) or Cashbee (1644-1472). After 7 days: Lost112 |
| On a Seoul city bus, village bus or taxi | Seoul's public-transport lost-and-found centre (news.seoul.go.kr/traffic/find) with lists of found items and a form to register a lost item | Lost112 |
| A mobile phone, tablet or smartwatch lost at Incheon Airport | The airport office holds it one month | Then the Mobile Phone Lost and Found Center: 1566-4300, www.handphone.or.kr |
| A foreign passport found at Incheon Airport | The airport office keeps it one month from the day it was found | Then it is transferred to the embassy of the country concerned |
The Lost112 site could not be opened from our network, so we cannot describe its pages ourselves; we only repeat what Seoul Metro, the Seoul city pages and the airport say about it.
Subway lost-and-found centres
| Lines | Centre | Station | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | City Hall | City Hall Station | 02-6110-1122 |
| 3 and 4 | Chungmuro | Chungmuro Station | 02-6110-3344 |
| 5 and 8 | Wangsimni | Wangsimni Station | 02-6311-6765, 6768 |
| 6 and 7 | Taereung | Taereung-ipgu Station | 02-6311-6766, 6767 |
| 9 (Eonju to Central Veterans Hospital) | Sports Complex (Jonghap Undongjang) | Line 9 Sports Complex Station | 02-2656-0787 |
What the subway process looks like
- An item found in a station or on a train is entered into the system at once.
- It goes to the lost-and-found centre by the day after it is found (up to three days after if that is not possible).
- The centre passes it to the police within seven days of the find.
- The police hold it for 6 months; after that it goes to the national treasury. Seoul's 2023 chart says "6 months (up to 9 months)".
- Reporting a train item: note the 4-digit train number (printed at the top front and back of the train), the time you got off, the car and position (for example the second car from the front, upper right rack), and what the item looks like. Report at the station customer-service point immediately.
- Dropped on the tracks: Seoul Metro said in 2020 that during service hours the platform doors cannot be opened for safety, so such items can usually be recovered only after service ends at night (and its 2023 note says an item dropped into the gap may not be found the same day).
- Food: opened food is discarded the same day; unopened food that can be stored (the page gives canned goods) is handled like other items; unopened food of unclear expiry or that spoils (lunch boxes, fresh and chilled food, fruit, vegetables, kimbap, kimchi, baked goods) is discarded the same day. High-value items go straight to the police.
- Home delivery (from 20 July 2026): ask the centre holding your item, then apply and pay and receive it by courier. Fees by weight: under 2 kg ₩5,000; 2 kg to under 10 kg ₩6,000; 10 kg to under 20 kg ₩7,000.
Claiming the item
- Bring photo ID. Seoul Metro says staff must verify your identification before handing an item over, under the Lost Articles Act's enforcement decree (articles 4 and 13). The Seoul Metro English page says to bring your identification card.
- Find the right holder. Use the table above; if the 7-day window has passed, the item should be at a police station, listed on Lost112.
- Go in person within the retention time. Incheon Airport states that unclaimed items are transferred to the national treasury after a statutory retention period of 6 months plus a finder's acquisition period of 3 months. Some items have shorter periods: ID cards, bank cards and bankbooks, and many small personal items one month; empty bags 7 days; disposable e-cigarettes, portable batteries and empty luxury shopping bags immediate disposal; perishable food next-day disposal (airport list).
- If you are not sure where to start in Seoul, the tourist hotline 1330 is listed by the Seoul tourism organisation; see also our emergency numbers page.
Where the official pages differ
| Topic | One official page | Another official page |
|---|---|---|
| Centre for Lines 6 and 7 | Seoul Metro Korean page (2026) and Seoul's 2023 release: Taereung, 02-6311-6766, 6767 | Seoul Metro English FAQ: lists Wangsimni for Lines 6 and 7 as well as Lines 5 and 8 |
| Centre for Line 9 | Seoul Metro Korean page (2026): Sports Complex centre, 02-2656-0787 | Visit Seoul: Dongjak, 02-2656-0009; the Seoul Metro English FAQ lists no Line 9 centre |
| Incheon Airport office | airport.kr: 07:00 to 21:30; Terminal 1 B1; e-mail lostnfound@biz.airport.kr | Visit Seoul: 07:00 to 22:00; "West Side"; e-mail find3110@gmail.com |
We follow the airport's own page and Seoul Metro's Korean page, which are the operators' pages and the newer of each pair.
Common questions
How long are lost items kept in Korea?
Seoul Metro's chart: up to 7 days at the station or centre, then 6 months with the police (Seoul's 2023 chart adds "up to 9 months"). Incheon Airport states a 6-month statutory retention plus 3 months for the finder, with shorter periods for some item types.
Can I get a lost subway item sent to my home?
Yes, since 20 July 2026 at Seoul Metro lost-and-found centres: contact the centre, apply and pay, and it is sent by courier. Fees are ₩5,000, ₩6,000 or ₩7,000 depending on weight.
What if I left something in a Seoul taxi and have no receipt?
Seoul's guide (edited 2013) says to call the 120 Dasan Call Center; with the vehicle number it can point you to the taxi operator's lost-property contact, and a 2021 city article says that if you do not remember the number, the pick-up and drop-off place and time can help. These are older pages, so confirm the number before relying on it.
The Seoul Metro Korean page prints a start date of 26.7.20 for home delivery but no revision date; the taxi advice comes from a 2021 article on Seoul's media hub and the subway process chart partly from 2020 and 2023 Seoul releases, so phone numbers there may have changed. All pages were read on 2026-10-19. The national police Lost112 site itself was not readable from our network.
Official sources
- Seoul Metro — lost-and-found centre guide (Korean) — centre locations and phones for Lines 1 to 9, hours, process chart, home delivery from 26.7.20, food rules; no revision date (read on 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
- Seoul Metro — English FAQ, lost properties — report steps, ID requirement, 7-day transfer to police, after-hours call centre 1577-1234 (checked 2026-10-19)
- Incheon International Airport — Lost and Found (English) — terminal offices, hours, retention periods, item-specific periods, phones and passports (checked 2026-10-19)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government — rail lost-property press release (Sep 2023, Korean) — station to centre to police chart with 7 days and 6 months (up to 9 months); edited 2023-09-15 (checked 2026-10-19)
- Seoul Media Hub — what to do after losing an item on the subway (Dec 2020, Korean) — reporting steps, items on the tracks, Lost112 mention (checked 2026-10-19)
- Seoul Media Hub — items lost in taxis and buses (Oct 2021, Korean) — 120 Dasan Call Center, taxi association centre, T-money and Cashbee numbers, 7-day rule (checked 2026-10-19)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government, transport news — what to do if you leave something in a taxi (Korean, edited 2013-04-29) — receipt phone number, 120 Dasan Call Center lookup by vehicle number, card payment record; old page, rule only (checked 2026-10-19)
- Seoul — public transport lost-and-found centre — city's online centre for found and lost items (page text is short) (checked 2026-10-19)
- Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization) — Lost and Found — list of centres and the 1330 tourist hotline; used only for the differences table (checked 2026-10-19)
Prices change. If an official page shows a different number from this page, the official page wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.