You can withdraw Korean won from a compatible ATM in Korea with many foreign-issued cards.
The most important first step is choosing an ATM that supports your card’s international network. Do not assume that every ATM in Korea accepts overseas cards.
Look for wording such as Global ATM or International Card, and check for a network logo that matches your card, such as Visa/PLUS or Mastercard/Cirrus/Maestro where applicable.
How to find a compatible ATM
Bank ATMs and airport ATMs are practical places to start.
ATMs can also be found in stations, convenience stores, and shopping facilities, but foreign-card support is machine-specific.
Location alone is not enough. Two nearby ATMs can support different card networks or services.
Before inserting your card, check the machine for:
- Global ATM or International Card wording
- your card’s international network logo
- an English-language option, if available
If one ATM immediately rejects your card or does not appear to support its network, try another clearly compatible ATM instead of repeatedly retrying the same machine.
How does the withdrawal process work?
The exact screen order varies by ATM, but the basic process is usually similar:
- Choose English if available.
- Select an overseas-card, foreign-card, or cash-withdrawal option if prompted.
- Insert your card.
- Enter your card’s ATM PIN.
- Choose a withdrawal amount and, if the ATM asks, follow the account options shown on screen.
- Review any fee or currency-conversion screen.
- Confirm the transaction.
- Collect your cash, card, and receipt before leaving.
Do not rely on a fixed screen order. Some ATMs ask for the amount earlier, some present account choices, and the card or cash may be returned in a different sequence.
There is also no universal rule that foreign visitors should always choose Checking, Savings, or Credit. Follow the options that apply to your card and issuer.
What fees can an ATM withdrawal include?
There can be more than one type of cost.
ATM or operator fee
The Korean ATM may show a local fee before you confirm the withdrawal.
If a fee appears, review it before continuing. The amount varies by ATM, operator, card network, and arrangement, so there is no single Korea-wide ATM fee.
Card-issuer fee
Your own bank or card issuer may separately charge an overseas ATM withdrawal fee, foreign-transaction fee, cash-advance fee, or another account-specific charge.
Those costs may not all appear on the Korean ATM screen.
Before traveling, check your issuer’s overseas ATM terms rather than assuming the fee shown by the machine is the total cost.
What is DCC at a Korean ATM?
Some ATMs may offer to convert the withdrawal into your home currency instead of leaving it in Korean won.
This is Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC).
If DCC is offered, the screen may show the KRW amount, a home-currency amount, an exchange rate, and additional markup or fees.
Review the conversion carefully before accepting it.
If you choose KRW, you decline the ATM’s own DCC conversion and leave the currency conversion to your card network or issuer.
Not every ATM offers DCC, so this screen will not appear on every withdrawal.
How much can you withdraw?
There is no single Korea-wide withdrawal limit for foreign cards.
Two different limits can affect the transaction:
- your card issuer’s daily or per-transaction ATM limit
- the Korean ATM or operator’s own transaction limit
A machine can reject an amount even if your card’s daily limit has not been reached, and the reverse can also happen.
If you need a larger withdrawal, check both the ATM’s limit and your issuer’s limit rather than assuming one nationwide KRW maximum.
What if your foreign card is declined?
A declined withdrawal does not automatically mean your card cannot be used in Korea.
Possible causes include:
- the ATM does not support your card’s network
- an incorrect PIN
- an issuer security setting
- insufficient available funds or credit
- an issuer withdrawal limit
- an ATM transaction limit
- a temporary ATM or network problem
Treat these as possibilities, not a diagnosis.
A practical fallback is:
- Confirm that the ATM supports your card’s international network.
- Do not repeatedly guess your PIN.
- Try another clearly compatible ATM, preferably a major bank ATM.
- Try a second card if you have one.
- Check your issuer’s app, security settings, or support if repeated withdrawals fail.
- If a limit seems to be the problem, remember that the issuer limit and ATM limit are separate.
For general card-payment problems outside ATM withdrawals, see Can You Use a Foreign Credit Card in Korea?.
If you are deciding how much backup cash you actually need during the trip, see Do You Need Cash in Korea?.