Lost your phone in a Seoul taxi or train? Contact the operator and search the police found-item database before travelling to a collection office. The place where you noticed the loss may be different from the place holding the phone. For example, AREX lists its lost-property center at Geomam Station, with personal collection and no parcel service—not an automatic pickup at your airport terminal. AREX’s official collection rules explain the restriction.
Official guidance and the public police search screen below were checked on October 23, 2026 (UTC). A search result or report does not guarantee recovery.
Choose the first contact from the journey
| Last place you remember the phone | Start here | Details to have ready |
|---|---|---|
| Taxi booked through an app | The booking account’s trip record and that app’s support | Trip date, pickup/drop-off, vehicle or driver details, payment record |
| Street-hailed taxi | The driver/company identified on your receipt; ask for help identifying the ride if you have no receipt | Approximate time, route, plate if known, payment time and amount |
| Subway or airport train | Station staff or the operator for that service | Station, direction, alighting time, train/car/seat if known |
| Shop, restaurant or hotel | That exact branch’s staff | Visit time, seat/table or area, description and reachable contact |
For a Kakao T ride, use Kakao Mobility’s official customer-support page, which links its service help and consultation chat. If a companion booked the taxi, start with their booking record. An unrelated account will not contain the trip.
Without a receipt, write down what you actually know before asking for help. A card charge can provide a time and amount, but do not assume its merchant label identifies the driver. If you paid cash and have no plate or app record, say so; do not guess a vehicle number.
For trains, Metro9’s lost-property instructions specifically ask for the alighting time and location, direction, service type and train number if known. Tell station staff promptly when you notice the loss just after getting off. Its directory also distinguishes different rail operators; a line color alone is not a collection address.
Write one clear description you can reuse
Give the person helping you a short note rather than separate fragments across several calls:
Item: [phone brand/model], [phone color], [case color], [distinctive mark].
Journey: [date], approximately [time] Korea time, from [place] to [place].
Last definitely seen: [location/time].
Possible location: [seat, car or venue—mark uncertainty].
Ride reference: [booking/receipt/train details available].
Contact that still works: [companion’s number or your accessible email].
Leaving Korea: [date/time, if relevant].
Describe the case separately from the phone. “Black phone” is less useful than a model, a green case and a cracked corner. Keep a copy of the note and a small log of who you contacted, when, and any reference number.
Use another device you control to follow your phone maker’s lost-device guidance. For iPhones, Apple explains Find My and Lost Mode, including locking the device and displaying a reachable contact. Never give a helper your account password, verification code or device passcode.
LOST112 has moved: search found items on Police Civil Service24
AREX’s current notice says LOST112 was integrated into Police Civil Service24 (경찰민원24) on January 26, 2026. Seoul’s official July 2026 police guide also directs users to the new portal.
Open the official found-item search, 습득물 검색. We could view its search controls and listings without signing in; we did not submit a report or test identity verification.
| Korean label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 습득물 검색 | Search items that have been found |
| 휴대폰 | Mobile phone category |
| 습득일자 | Date the item was found |
| 습득지역 / 습득장소 | Found region / place |
| 보관장소 | Holding location |
| 관리번호 | Item management/reference number |
| 분실물 신고 | Report your loss |
Start with the phone category and a sensible date range. If nothing matches, widen the found date and location: your taxi continued after you got out, and an item may be handed in later. Avoid filtering every field at once. The screen also provides serial-number and IMEI fields; use device identifiers only in the official service or with verified staff, not a public post.
No match yet? Keep the operator inquiry open. Searching found items and reporting your own loss are separate actions. The police loss-report guidance lists online and in-person reporting, including a nearby police station or local police post. If online identification prevents you from proceeding, use the in-person route instead of assuming a tourist cannot report a loss. The ordinary loss-report service excludes theft; tell police if theft is suspected.
Confirm the holding desk before crossing Seoul
Ask the current holder to confirm the item reference, exact pickup location, collection hours and proof required. An old listing, a station where you changed trains, and an airport terminal can be three different places.
Two official examples show why that matters:
- AREX: its customer information center inside Geomam Station Exit 1, 06:30–23:00, telephone 1599-7788. The published policy requires the owner to collect in person with identification such as a passport and says parcel delivery is unavailable. Call before going. AREX source
- Metro9: the listed Dongjak and Sports Complex lost-property centers operate weekdays 10:00–19:00, excluding weekends and public holidays. Ask which center holds your item. A running train service does not establish that its collection desk is open. Metro9 source
Do not extrapolate those rules to every operator. If your flight leaves before pickup is possible, ask the actual holder about permitted arrangements, required documents and deadlines. A friend collecting the item or international shipping is not automatically allowed.
Korean questions and help when your phone is unavailable
Show these sentences to staff or a helper; they are practical wording, not a report submission:
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 휴대폰을 잃어버렸어요. | I lost my phone. |
| 택시에 휴대폰을 두고 내린 것 같아요. | I think I left my phone in a taxi. |
| 어디에 보관되어 있나요? | Where is it being held? |
| 오늘 몇 시까지 찾으러 갈 수 있나요? | Until what time can I collect it today? |
| 찾으러 갈 때 어떤 신분증이 필요한가요? | What identification do I need to collect it? |
For tourism interpretation and help finding the appropriate contact, use KTO’s 1330 Travel Helpline: 1330 within Korea, or +82-2-1330 from abroad. KTO also offers online contact options; check the live channel and language availability. A hotel front desk or companion may help you make a call when the missing phone was your only device. Agree on a reachable callback contact before the helper leaves.
Once a desk confirms pickup, save its Korean address and hours somewhere you can access without the lost phone. Our Korean transit phrases help with the journey, and the Naver Map address-search guide explains how to check the exact building and entrance before setting off.
If you need another taxi, the Kakao T payment guide explains what to check when a foreign card will not register in the app.