A Korean address in English usually starts with the building number and road name, followed by the district, city, five-digit postal code, and country.
For apartments, you’ll also need the building (dong) and unit (ho) numbers.
Below, you’ll find formatting examples and a step-by-step guide to checking your address before placing an order or sending a package.
Korean Address in English: The Basic Order
Korea Post’s own sample reads: 33, Beobwonbuk-ro, Yeonje-gu, Busan, 47502 Rep. of KOREA. The Korean original is 부산시 연제구 법원북로 33, with postal code 47502.
The order runs from the smallest unit to the largest. Here’s the sequence to follow.
- Building number and road name
- District (gu)
- City
- Five-digit postal code
- Country
Korea Post also says to write the destination city and country in capital letters. Don’t underline the country, city, or postal code.
Road Name Address vs Lot-Number Address
Korea has two address styles, and both can show up on the same website or delivery slip. According to the IBS Korea living guide, the road name address (도로명주소) officially started on January 1, 2014.
The older lot-number address (지번 주소) was officially decommissioned on December 31, 2013. It is still widely used today, though.
- Road name address: built on a street name and building number, like addresses in North America or Europe.
- Lot-number address: built on neighborhood (dong) and lot number, with no street name.
Use the road name address whenever you can. Korea Post notes that a lot number (번지) is written without a marker, so 141번지 becomes 141.
How to Read the Parts of a Korean Address
Each Korean place name ends with a short unit word. Korea Post’s guide joins that suffix to the name with a hyphen in English.
For example, 군산시 becomes Gunsan-si, 구로구 becomes Guro-gu, and 반포동 becomes Banpo-dong.
Road names also end in a type word. The IBS guide lists three:
- daero (대로): a boulevard with more than eight lanes
- ro (로): a road with 2 to 7 lanes
- gil (길): a street for anything else
These suffixes generally indicate different types of roads. Still, the official address should always be used as written.
A name such as 사직로3길 is a side street off Sajik-ro. Its English form can appear in different styles, such as “Sajik-ro 3-gil” and “Sajik-ro-3-gil.” Copy the form shown by the official address search.
Apartments: How to Write Dong and Ho
Apartment addresses need extra care, because the dong and ho numbers must match the Korean address exactly.
Dong (동) is the building number, and ho (호) is the unit number. The IBS guide shows that 102동 304호 can be written as “102-dong 304-ho” or simply “102-304.” Another reference gives “Apt. 102-304” and “Bldg. 102 Unit 304.”
The IBS guide also explains the unit number pattern. In 304, the first digit is the floor, so the unit sits on the third floor. This is a common pattern, not a rule for every building.
- Keep the building (dong) and unit (ho) numbers exactly as provided by the recipient.
- Put them on their own line if the form has a second address line.
- Follow the format your shop or carrier asks for.
If you’re settling into a Korean apartment for the first time, local systems can feel unfamiliar beyond just the address. Our guide to Korean trash sorting for foreign residents covers another everyday system that trips people up early on.
How to Find Your Postal Code for a Korean Address in English
The official Road Name Address website, https://www.juso.go.kr helps you check a Korean address in English using a road name, building name, or older lot-number address. You can also use the service to look up English address information and postal codes.
Follow these steps:
- Search for your address. Visit Juso.go.kr and enter the Korean road name address, building name, or lot-number address.
- Check the correct building. Make sure the road name, building number, and location match the recipient’s address.
- Check the English address and postal code. Use the official English spelling and note the five-digit postal code shown for the matching address.
- Add apartment details. If the recipient lives in an apartment, include the building (dong) and unit (ho) numbers exactly as provided.
You may see English addresses written with or without a comma after the building number, such as “58 Banpo-daero” and “58, Banpo-daero.”
The Korean government’s English address formatting guidance, from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, is a recommendation. It isn’t a single mandatory format for every situation.
The safest approach is to use the English address provided by the official address service. Then follow the shipping carrier’s requirements on top of that.
There are also physical clues worth checking. The IBS guide says apartments might display the postal code near the mailboxes or inside the elevator on the inner doors.
Always verify the complete address and postal code before submitting an order or sending a package.
Address Examples
The examples below demonstrate common formats for a Korean address in English. Always verify the actual address and postal code before shipping. The recipient in the second example is a sample name, not a real person.
| Type | Korean | English |
|---|---|---|
| Building (Korea Post sample) | 부산시 연제구 법원북로 33, 47502 | 33, Beobwonbuk-ro, Yeonje-gu, Busan, 47502 Rep. of KOREA |
| Apartment (format example) | 서울 종로구 사직로3길 23, 102동 304호, 30174 | Gildong Hong, 102-dong 304-ho, 23 Sajik-ro 3-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul 30174, SOUTH KOREA |
- Double-check the postal code against the official address search before shipping.
Both comma styles appear in English address examples. Follow the official address search result and your shipping provider’s formatting requirements.
Filling In Online Shopping and Parcel Forms
Forms differ from site to site, so match the fields to the parts you actually have.
- Address line 1: building number and road name
- Address line 2: dong and ho, or the building name
- District, city, postal code, country: each in its own field if the form has one
If the form asks for only one line, write the whole address in the order shown above. When there’s a separate country field, select South Korea or Republic of Korea instead of repeating the country in the street address.
For parcels sent to Korea, Korea Post advises writing addresses in English and in the language of the destination country. That’s its general guidance for international mail.
Adding the Korean address as well may help local staff read it. Customs rules and fees are a separate topic, so check them with your carrier or Korea Post.
If you’re shopping from a Korean site like Olive Young and shipping internationally, this same field-matching approach applies at checkout.
Common Mistakes
- Writing the city first, as in a Korean address, instead of last.
- Mixing the road name address and the lot-number address in one line.
- Dropping the dong or ho number for an apartment.
- Leaving out the postal code, or copying an old one from a lot-number address.
- Spelling a name differently from the official English result.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use the road name address or the lot-number address?
Use the road name address if you have it. The lot-number system was officially decommissioned on December 31, 2013, though it is still widely used.
How many digits is a Korean postal code?
The current examples from Korea Post have five digits, such as 47502 and 03187.
How do I write 102동 304호 in English?
The IBS guide gives “102-dong 304-ho” and “102-304.” Other references show “Apt. 102-304” and “Bldg. 102 Unit 304.” Keep the numbers the same as the Korean address.
Do I need to write Korea at the end?
If the form has a country field, select South Korea or Republic of Korea. Korea Post’s written sample puts “Rep. of KOREA” at the bottom of the address.
Can I write the Korean address in Hangul on an English form?
Some forms accept Hangul and some don’t. For international parcels, Korea Post advises including the address in the destination country’s language alongside English.
Key points
- Use the road name address when possible.
- Korean postal codes have five digits.
- Keep dong and ho numbers exactly as given.
Official Sources
- Korea Post, Korean addresses in English: https://jodal.koreapost.go.kr/eng/subIndex/4425.do
- Road Name Address Information System (Juso.go.kr): https://www.juso.go.kr/
- Ministry of the Interior and Safety, English road name address guidance (2012)
- IBS Korea Living Guide, Addresses: https://centers.ibs.re.kr/html/living_en/housing/addy.html
- IBS Korea Living Guide, Zip codes: https://centers.ibs.re.kr/html/living_en/housing/zipcode.html
- Wikipedia, Addresses in South Korea (secondary source): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addresses_in_South_Korea
This guide was compiled on October 21, 2026 from the pages listed above under Official Sources. Postal codes and address rules can change, so confirm your Korean address in English on the official tools before you order or ship anything.
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