I did extensive tests to find the top VPNs with servers in South Korea and fast speeds even if you are located far away from the country. You need good speeds to stream K-dramas and pay online through Shinhan Bank from anywhere without delay. Of all the VPNs I tested, I recommend ExpressVPN for South Korea as it offers the best privacy protection and the fastest connection speeds. The VPN is also backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can buy ExpressVPN with confidence. Get a South Korea IP address with ExpressVPN
Quick Guide: 3 Easy Steps to Get an IP Address in South Korea
Get a South Korea IP address with ExpressVPN
The Best VPNs to Get a South Korea IP Address (Tested in January 2023)
1. ExpressVPN — #1 VPN to Get a South Korea IP Address Without Losing Privacy
Key Features: ExpressVPN’s TrustedServer technology protects your private data when browsing South Korean content. It makes sure none of your search history and other sensitive information is saved anywhere to prevent data theft and leakage. It’s also audited by PwC which confirms the VPN’s no-log claim. ExpressVPN’s other privacy and security features are:
“Network Lock” kill switch — hides your actual location when your internet connection is unstable, especially on public WiFi Leak protection — makes sure your traffic stays within the encrypted tunnel to prevent cyber spies from monitoring your activities in South Korean cyberspace Threat Manager — prevents the sites you visit in South Korea from recording your browsing data and sharing it with third parties for digital profiling or targeted advertising Military-grade 256-bit encryption — makes hacking your data almost impossible Perfect Forward Secrecy system — changes your encryption keys every time your page loads to further confuse hackers Based in the British Virgin Islands — doesn’t request your browsing history from ExpressVPN as it’s not part of the 14 Eyes Alliance that monitors online activities
When I tested with my home network, ExpressVPN consistently gave me excellent speeds above 90Mbps with servers in South Korea, almost 3,000 miles away. The further away servers are, the longer they should take to transfer data but my speed only decreased by 8% from baseline. This is the smallest decline I saw during tests. Thanks to this speed, I could upload reels to Instagram up to 4X faster than with other VPNs. One of the reasons ExpressVPN is fast is its proprietary Lightway protocol. The VPN also supports OpenVPN which prioritizes security and IKEv2 which optimizes speed, but Lightway combines the best of both worlds. This made it possible to get a South Korea IP address and watch Gomak So Nyeon Dan on Kakao TV without lag. Plus, when a few episodes had to be watched on a smartphone, Lightway didn’t drain the battery quickly. I also found out that this VPN has servers in the most countries compared to other VPNs on this list. ExpressVPN’s 3000+ servers in over 94 countries can unblock many international streaming services including those in South Korea: Another thing I like is that ExpressVPN’s apps can be used in the South Korean language. All you have to do is go to settings, click the ‘Advanced’ tab and change the language. The apps are available for all major devices and took me less than 5 minutes to install on my iPhone and Windows computer. You can secure a maximum of 5 devices at the same time without noticing any difference in performance. As the best VPN for South Korea, expect to pay a premium price for it. The 1-year + 3 months plan is $6.67 per month but other VPNs won’t give you similar service. ExpressVPN has top privacy features, limited unblocking capabilities, and lightning-fast speeds for South Korea. You can use ExpressVPN to get a South Korea IP address without risk as it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Even though I was happy with the VPN, I asked for a refund via its live chat to test the policy and I got my money back within 5 days. Get a South Korea IP address with ExpressVPN
2. CyberGhost — Download Torrents Anonymously With Optimized Servers in South Korea
Key Features: CyberGhost has servers in South Korea optimized for downloading torrents. I don’t condone watching pirated K-dramas or movies. But when downloading perfectly legal files, CyberGhost helps you remain anonymous. This way, other peers and leeches won’t be able to see your IP address and launch a cyberattack. Besides that, CyberGhost also has optimized servers to stream Netflix Korea in HD from anywhere. Compared to the regular servers in South Korea, the optimized servers accessed Netflix Korea with just one click. Plus, they were 10% faster, which means shows like Insider loaded quickly and didn’t buffer throughout a binge-watching session. Overall, CyberGhost’s servers are capable of unblocking many South Korean and international streaming services like: Although it doesn’t have a proprietary protocol like ExpressVPN, CyberGhost supports IKEv2, WireGuard, and OpenVPN. IKEv2 is faster for browsing South Korean websites but less secure than OpenVPN. But I managed to download a 5Gb public domain documentary 8% faster with Wireguard than with IKEv2, and it was just as safe as OpenVPN. With all these features, CyberGhost prioritizes your privacy and security no matter where you’re using it to get a South Korea IP address. Some of the features to safeguard you include:
Military-grade 256-bit encryption — makes sure hackers can’t view your data even if they intercept your online traffic NoSpy servers — eliminates third-party data center staff who can access your data as they’re fully owned and maintained by CyberGhost Headquartered in privacy-friendly Romania — doesn’t have any data retention laws that require your data to be logged WiFi protection — prevents your device from connecting to unsecure public network without starting the VPN connection first Split-tunneling — lets you route some of your traffic via CyberGhost and others directly to the internet if you need to use local and South Korean servers at the same time
The only downside to CyberGhost is that the split tunneling feature is only available on Android devices which is disappointing since I use CyberGhost on my iPhone. It’s also not available on Windows and Mac computers. Still, it’s no bother because it’s easy to change servers between South Korea and other countries for what I want to do online. Considering all it can do, CyberGhost offers a very competitive price. The 2-year + 2 months plan is only $2.19 per month and you can secure up to 7 devices at the same time with a single subscription. It also comes with a 45-day money-back guarantee. I tested it by asking for a refund via the live chat and got my money back within a week. Get a South Korea IP address with CyberGhost
3. PrivateVPN — Stealth Mode Unblocks Many Sites Restricted in South Korea
Key Features: PrivateVPN’s Stealth Mode bypasses firewalls to access restricted content in South Korea. Services like Netflix are geo-restricted to protect copyright licensing while South Korea bans PUBG in South Korea. They have firewalls to prevent unauthorized access to content by detecting and blocking VPN traffic, which the Stealth Mode avoids. Besides this, I was also impressed by PrivateVPN’s other security and privacy features like:
Military-grade 256-bit encryption with Perfect Forward Secrecy — keeps your browsing with a South Korea IP address private on all networks, including unsecure public WiFi Strict no-log policy — only collects data that’s necessary to run the program, not your sensitive information Obfuscated servers — unblocks international services and restricted content in China while protecting privacy Cryptocurrency payments — accepts Bitcoin to maintain anonymity when subscribing to the VPN
PrivateVPN supports both OpenVPN and IKEv2. When tested, IKEv2 was the faster of the two and averaged at 76Mbps. Although not as fast as ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol, speeds like this made it easy to check out several shows on EBS TV. Videos like The World You Are Missing played without delay or buffers. If you’re new to VPNs and have a Mac, Windows, or Linux device, PrivateVPN offers remote setup via TeamViewer. But you can install the app in less than 4 minutes without help. Also great for beginners is the Simple View, which you’ll see when you log in. I got an IP address in South Korea instantly in this view. The Advanced View has customization options like turning on the Stealth Mode but I found it incredibly intuitive to use. Unlike most VPNs, PrivateVPN offers port forwarding and allows torrenting on all its servers, including the ones in South Korea. I found it easy to get the port number from my PrivateVPN client and change it on BitTorrent’s settings. As a result, the public-domain South Korean anime I downloaded was fast and hidden from third parties and hackers. I was concerned about PrivateVPN’s network, which is the smallest on this list. With just 200+ servers in 63 countries, there was a chance it couldn’t access some of the popular global streaming services. However, PrivateVPN’s servers in South Korea and other locations could access streaming services like: PrivateVPN is one of the best monthly VPNs if you’d like to give it a try without committing to a long-term plan right away. But if you want a cheaper option, the 3-year plan is only $2.00 per month. If you choose PrivateVPN to get an IP address in South Korea, you’ll get a 30-day money-back guarantee on all its plans. I was reassured the VPN honors the policy as I got my money back in a week when I asked for a refund via email. Get a South Korea IP address with PrivateVPN
4. IPVanish — Get an IP Address in South Korea on All Your Devices
Key Features: IPVanish allows unlimited connections to get a South Korea IP address on all devices. You won’t be forced to disconnect some of your devices from IPVanish. I connected 8 of my devices without any connection problems. Plus, it has apps for all major operating systems so you won’t have to do any manual installations. I also found IPVanish’s speeds impressive, averaging 75Mbps on local servers and around 68Mbps on South Korean servers. Since you only need 25Mbps to watch videos in UHD quality, IPVanish’s speeds exceed what you need for a buffer-free streaming experience. During tests, an episode of Tuesday Night is the Best didn’t buffer on TV Chosun despite the long-distance connection. When you select South Korea from IPVanish’s list of countries, you’ll be able to select one of the 4 servers available in the country. These and IPVanish’s 2000+ servers in 75 countries were able to unblock a variety of geo-blocked streaming services like: You don’t have to worry about your privacy and security when you’re using IPVanish’s IP address from South Korea. The VPN has plenty of privacy and security features to make sure you and your devices are safe from hackers and other third parties that watch what you do online. Some of these include:
Military-grade 256-bit encryption — keeps you safe when accessing the internet with an IP address in South Korea on unsecured public networks DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leak protection — makes sure your traffic is always encrypted when you’re connected to a server in South Korea VIPRE antivirus — prevents malware when downloading files and clicking unverified links Independently audited no-log servers — self-destruct connection data after every session
One minor con to using IPVanish is that it doesn’t accept cryptocurrency payments if you’d like to remain anonymous to the VPN. I have no problems with this since IPVanish has an audited no-log policy and I can pay for the service using a Visa or Mastercard, or even PayPal. If you’d like to use IPVanish to get an IP address in South Korea, I recommend the 1 year plan as it’s only $3.99 per month. It comes with VIPRE and a 30-day money-back guarantee. I know the VPN takes this seriously because they automatically processed my refund after I canceled my account via the control panel. I got my money back after a week without even following up. Get a South Korea IP address with IPVanish
5. PureVPN — Self-Managed Network of 14 Servers in South Korea for Privacy
Key Features: PureVPN has 14 servers in Seoul that it manages on its own to protect your privacy. Since there’s no involvement from third-party data centers, your browsing history and data on the South Korean net is only subject to PureVPN’s privacy policy. This relieved me because PureVPN has a no-log policy that has been audited by KPMG. Other security and privacy features include:
Quantum-Resistant Encryption — protects your browsing data from future hacking with servers in the US, UK, Australia, Germany, Canada, and the Netherlands Military-grade 356-bit encryption — prevents hackers from ever breaking into your data Kill switch on all apps — makes sure your location is not exposed when you’re accessing South Korean content using an unstable internet connection
In testing the speed, I found that PureVPN is one of the fastest VPNs. My connection averaged 65Mbps when I connected to a server in South Korea for a video call on WhatsApp. I experienced no dropped calls or frozen screens throughout the 1-hour call despite being thousands of miles away. Besides being able to access Kakao TV, PureVPN could also unblock Netflix US from anywhere. Thanks to PureVPN’s 6500+ servers in 78+ countries, the VPN is capable of accessing other streaming services like: You can use PureVPN on Windows, iOS, Mac, and Android devices to get an IP address from South Korea. The apps can be installed in less than 5 minutes and I found you can connect up to 10 devices to PureVPN simultaneously. Unfortunately, compared to the other VPNs on this list, it’s not as easy to get a refund from PureVPN. It took many emails back and forth. I was also offered 2 months of free service if I stayed on but I declined. I only got my money after close to a month. Since I eventually got my money back, it’s not too bad as long as you’re patient but firm. Still, it’s a great VPN for South Korea. If you’d like to get an IP address in South Korea with PureVPN, the 5-year plan is $1.33 per month. It comes with a 31-day money-back guarantee. Get a South Korea IP address with PureVPN
How Does a VPN Get a South Korea IP Address?
When you connect to a VPN server in South Korea, your real location will be hidden and a new IP address belonging to the VPN in the country will be assigned to you. Your traffic will appear as if you’re connecting from South Korea even though you’re actually located elsewhere. If a website has a geoblock, it will be lifted since you now appear to be in the right region. This is useful when you’re traveling outside the country, especially when you need to access your South Korean bank account or a streaming service you’re subscribed to. However, remember that using a VPN to access South Korean content from other parts of the world is against many streaming services’ terms of use. Get an IP address in South Korea with ExpressVPN
Research Methodology: How I Tested the Best VPNs for a South Korea IP Address
I tested all the top VPNs in 2023 using these criteria to find the best ones to get a South Korea IP address:
Servers in South Korea — Only VPN providers with servers in South Korea can provide an IP address for that country so I eliminated VPNs that didn’t meet this criteria. Ability to access local content — Having a server in South Korea alone is not enough to access local content as some streaming sites have strong firewalls and VPN blockers. I made sure the VPNs on this list can unblock plenty of South Korean content. Fast speeds — All VPNs reduce speed due to the distance between you and the server and the encryption process involved. But the best VPNs for South Korea like ExpressVPN maintain high speeds, even when you’re located somewhere far away. Strong security and privacy — At a minimum, your VPN of choice must have 256-bit encryption, an automatic kill switch, and DNS leak protection so hackers can’t see your data. Apps for popular devices — I only chose VPNs with apps for all major operating systems like Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. Customer support — Without 24/7 live chat support, it’ll be difficult to solve your technical problems, especially when you’re constantly on the move or in a different time zone than the VPN’s headquarters.
Get a South Korea IP address with ExpressVPN
Are VPNs legal in South Korea?
Yes, it’s 100% legal. The top VPNs for South Korea on this list can be used safely in South Korea to access local social media accounts, bank accounts, and streaming services. While using a VPN to strictly protect your privacy online is legal, it’s illegal to play banned games or watch adult content in South Korea with a VPN. It’s also against many streaming sites’ terms of use to unblock geo-restricted content with a VPN, even if you’re a paid subscriber.
Can I use a proxy to get a South Korea IP address instead of a VPN?
Yes, but it’s very risky. The criteria used to determine the best VPNs to get a South Korea IP address include several security features that proxies lack. Although proxies can hide your actual IP address, they don’t send your traffic through an encrypted tunnel like a VPN. So anyone with the intention and means to see what you’re doing online can do so easily. Most top-ranked VPNs have transparent and audited no-log policies to prove they don’t store data about what you do with a South Korea IP address. Without a guarantee like this, proxy operators could sell your data on the deep web. Another huge disadvantage is that proxies only reroute traffic from a specific application on your device like a browser. A VPN secures all the traffic from your device when you have it installed. Finally, proxies are not capable of unblocking many major streaming services you’re likely subscribed to in South Korea.
How do I check if my IP address has changed?
This IP lookup tool can check it very quickly. If the pin on the map is situated on the location of the server you selected, your VPN is working. But if it’s showing your actual location, there might be a leak and you should contact your VPN provider to find out why.
Can I use a free VPN to get a South Korea IP address?
Yes, but it’s unlikely you’ll find one that’ll give you an IP address in South Korea. Even the best free VPNs don’t have servers in South Korea. If they do, there’ll be just one, resulting in overcrowding and slow speeds. Others limit bandwidth so it’s not enough to watch even a single episode of K-drama. But the worst are free VPNs that install malware on your device to hijack its processing power for cryptocurrency mining or collect your data secretly to sell it to them in the black market. In the end, free VPNs are not worth the risk. Just take advantage of CyberGhost’s 45-day money-back guarantee and use all of its premium features for free. Once you’re done using it after your trip outside South Korea, you can ask for a refund within the 45 days. Get a South Korea IP address with CyberGhost
Start Browsing the Internet in South Korea With a VPN
Choosing the wrong VPN to get a South Korea IP address will mean you won’t access the content you want. Or worse, you could download one that will track your information, worth more than the subscription cost. After testing dozens of top VPNs, I only recommend the ones on this list as they have servers in South Korea, don’t record your data, and have fast enough speeds. ExpressVPN is the best at unlocking all South Korean content at lightning-fast speeds. Get ExpressVPN and stay safe browsing through South Korean with advanced privacy features. Everything you do online will be hidden from cyber criminals and other third parties. You can get it risk free as it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
