5 Best VPNs for South Korea: Unblock Content

Despite being extremely technologically advanced, South Korea has a censored and heavily monitored internet. That’s why VPN use in South Korea is very common, particularly among younger citizens. The South Korean government monitors citizens’ online activity and sometimes issues penalties that can be severe. VPN services provide encryption that keeps you secure and private online.

As well as protecting your online privacy, a VPN will also allow you to access content that is blocked within South Korea. Alternatively, if want to access South Korean streaming sites, you can also use a VPN to get a South Korean IP address.

In this guide, we list the best VPNs for South Korea and give you some top tips on using a VPN in the country.

What are the best VPNs for South Korea?

Here is a quick look at the best VPNs for South Korea. If you want to know more about each provider, please keep scrolling!

[[post-object type=”steroid-list” /]]

[[post-object type=”loophole” id=”26″ /]]

[[post-object type=”versus-table” group-properties=”235,59,60,233,61,62,46,47,45,44,7,8,32″ single-properties=”452,453,434,13″ website=”true” ranking=”South Korea” /]]

Best South Korea VPN – In-depth analysis

We take a closer look at our recommended South Korea VPN services. If you want any further information about these providers, check out our detailed VPN reviews.

[[post-object type=”summary-section” pros-cons=”true” /]]

How to get a South Korean IP address 

By using one of the providers listed, you can get a South Korean IP address and access content that is only available within the country.

That’s it. You will now be able to unblock South Korean services!

What can I unblock with a South Korea VPN?

Use a VPN for South Korea to unblock porn

Since 2008, most pornographic websites have been blocked by the South Korean government. While some of these sites are still accessible, and social sharing isn’t uncommon, porn is still difficult to access in South Korea. Luckily, since a VPN can make you appear in a different location, you will be able to unblock any website without any issues.

Access blocked streaming services

A more general benefit of using a VPN in South Korea is that it gives you access to streaming media services in other countries. These services try to block people from outside their service area from viewing their content due to contract requirements.

A VPN gets you around these blocks by letting you connect to the streaming media servers using a VPN server located in an allowed country.

The streaming services try to prevent this, but the VPNs on our list are able to get around those restrictions.

What features does a South Korea VPN need?

There are hundreds of consumer-facing VPNs on the market, but they were not all created equally. Some services are slow, others do not provide the high levels of privacy you need. Below, we’ve provided a list of all the features we searched for when making this list of the best VPNs for South Korea:

• A large network of servers located worldwide – with plenty of servers in and around Asia.
• Fast servers that are good for streaming in HD, torrenting, gaming, and VoIP or video conferencing.
• A no-logs policy that ensures the VPN never stores records of what its users do online.
• Strong military-grade OpenVPN encryption to secure your data from government snoops, hackers, and ISPs.
• Lots of advanced VPN features to let you bypass censorship and use the internet with high levels of freedom and security.
• Apps for all platforms that let you enjoy your VPN on any device you own.
• Servers that work with sought-after services like Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, etc.
• Excellent value for money.

Improve your online privacy with a South Korea VPN

The government in SK tries to maintain traditional values. That means they do not like people visiting websites that cover topics like pornography, gay rights, or even social media sites where you can comment without their control.

A South Korean VPN (a VPN that works well in South Korea) can protect you against the government’s snooping. The VPN will disguise messages going to and from your computer so that the censors can’t read them. All they will be able to tell is that you are using a VPN (which so far remains legal in South Korea).

Can I use a free VPN for South Korea?

Most free VPN services are not safe to use because they collect their users’ data and sell it to third parties to create a revenue stream. In addition, these free services often have poor or out-of-date encryption, and problems such as data leaks that render them unsafe to use. Studies have even found that depreciated free services often contain spyware and adware, so it’s vitally important to do your research before downloading one.

Take a look at our free VPN page for a list of services that we recommend. These services do not snoop on their users, and they all have secure apps that provide watertight levels of online privacy and so they are completely safe to use.

However, please bear in mind that the VPNs we have recommended have certain restrictions. This means that you can only use those free services a limited amount of time each month, and you do not get as many server location choices as you do when subscribed to a premium VPN plan. Click on the link above to find out more.

There are plenty of Cheap VPN providers out there that will provide strong encryption, fast servers, and unblock geo-restricted services.

What services can I unblock with a South Korean VPN?

The VPNs we have recommended in this article have servers located worldwide to let you unblock geo-restricted services. Our recommendations will also allow you to bypass any blocks implemented by ISPs on behalf of the government. Below, we have included a list of the things you can do with a VPN in South Korea:

• Bypass any blocks implemented by a local network administrator. In schools and workplaces, it is common for the network administrator to block social media sites, games like Minecraft or Fortnite, or streaming sites like YouTube. With a VPN, you can bypass those restrictions.
• Bypass any censorship imposed by the government. You can access any website that has been blocked in South Korea with a VPN.
• Watch international TV channels by bypassing geo-restrictions. With a VPN you can pretend to be in the UK to watch BBC iPlayer abroad, or in the US to unblock ESPN or NBC. Just connect to a VPN server in a different part of the world, and you can use the internet as if you were there.
• Access content from South Korea when you are away on vacation or are traveling for business reasons.
• Watch more Netflix content by unblocking Netflix US.
• Watch foreign sports competitions by unblocking foreign streaming services.

Can I access Korean and Japanese TV services with a VPN?

Yes. With a VPN you can connect to a VPN server in South Korea from overseas. This will give you a valid IP address there so that you can watch popular TV shows while traveling overseas. This is perfect if you are on vacation – or even if you have moved to live in Japan permanently.

Below, we have included a list of Korean services that you can access by connecting to a VPN server in South Korea:

• Netflix Korea 
• Naver TV
• Viki
• Wavve
• Tving 
• Kakao TV
• Seezn
• Pooq
• Oksusu
• U+Mobile TV

In addition to accessing Korea services from abroad, you can also use a VPN to access international services in Japan. For example, you can connect to a server in the US to watch Netflix or Hulu, and a server in the UK to watch BBC iPlayer. 

As many people in Korea are interested in accessing Japanese streaming services, we have included a list of platforms that you c an access with a VPN below. If you want to watch any of those platforms in Korea, simply connect to a VPN server in Japan.

• Netflix Japan
• Hulu Japan
• Amazon Prime Video Japan
• AbemaTV
• dTV
• U-Next
• FOD
• Paravi
• WOWOW
• TVer

What online content is restricted in South Korea?

In South Korea, the government restricts certain types of online content. This includes pornography, gambling, pro-North Korea content, unrated console games, and illegal films. These restrictions are enforced by the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC). If you try to access such sites, you’ll likely be redirected to a warning page. Despite these restrictions, South Korea still has a high level of internet freedom, with a diverse online ecosystem and limited self-censorship.

How we pick the best VPNs for Korea – VPN testing methodology

Searching for a VPN that is reliable and secure can lead to confusion. There are dozens of competing services on the market and they all have similarities. Unfortunately, some VPNs are willing to deceive consumers to sell subscriptions. This makes it easy to pay for a VPN that is lacking.

At ProPrivacy we want to help consumers in South Korea to find the perfect VPN. To achieve this, our experts compare market-leading VPN providers across many different categories. Our VPN testing methodology lets us confidently grade VPNs and list them from best to worst.

As part of our review process, we check the security that a VPN provides. We test for DNS, IP, and WebRTC leaks to be sure the VPN is performing as it claims to give you online privacy. We also check the reliability of the encryption and ensure that the VPN is fast and versatile enough to provide you with online freedom in South Korea.

Below, we have included some of the important features we looked for when recommending the best VPNs for South Korea:

• A global server network, including servers in South Korea and nearby Asia.
• Servers where you need them to be able to bypass government censorship.
• Servers in Japan to let you access popular Japanese services in South Korea.
• Apps for all devices to let you gain online privacy on any platform, whether at home or on public wifi.
• Military-grade AES encryption, a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, and obfuscation to protect your digital footprint at all times.
• A trustworthy no-logs policy.
• The ability to access popular international services like Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, and Hulu.

VPNs for South Korea Conclusion

Despite the government’s best efforts to control what people say and do online, choosing the right VPN for South Korea will let you evade the government’s controls. It will also provide lightning-fast connection speeds to ensure you can do data-intensive tasks online.

However, you need to be sure that the VPN you chose is secure and reliable enough. Don’t take a chance on a substandard VPN. Use one of the best VPNs for South Korea and stay safe while enjoying truly free internet. 

Once again, here are our top picks:

[[post-object type=”best-buy-table” /]]

The best VPNs for South Korea – FAQs

[[post-object type=”accordion” question=”Are VPNs legal in South Korea?” answer=”Yes, using a VPN to protect your online privacy and secure your data is perfectly legal in South Korea. Although the government has control of what content is allowed on TV, the internet, print, and in most other media, there is still no law in the country that forbids the usage of VPNs.

Keep in mind, though, that illegal online activities remain illegal in South Korea, even if you use a VPN to conduct them in privacy. For example, torrenting copyrighted materials and <a href=’/vpn/comparison/best-vpn-porn’>pornography</a> are against the law, so you could get in trouble if the authorities find out that you’ve been using a VPN to unblock such websites. That being said, so far, there haven’t been instances of someone ending up in jail for using a VPN for torrenting in North Korea, as the government is more interested in fighting large-scale cyber criminals like cyber bullies and thieves.” /]]

[[post-object type=”accordion” question=”Can I use a VPN to watch the South Korean Netflix?” answer=”Yes. You can use a VPN to connect to a server in Seoul, or any other South Korean city available, and continue watching your favorite South Korean Netflix shows even when abroad. A good VPN will change your IP address and make it look like you’re coming from North Korea (or any other country you pick), enabling you to bypass even the strongest firewalls and enjoy the content from around the world” /]]