SMS destination

South Korea

Dialing code +82 · Asia. Everything you need to send compliant SMS to South Korea with the Bird SMS API.

Policy last updated July 13, 2026

What you can send

SMS

Two-way messaging

Supported

Sender types

Every way you can originate a message to this country, with how each is cleared for use and how long that takes. Listed best route first.

Sender	Activation	Setup time	Notes
Alphanumeric Sender ID	Instant activation	Same day	One-way only.
Long code (phone number)	Instant activation	Same day	Supports two-way replies.

Rules & regulations

What local regulators expect before you send, as the destination's own policy record states it.

Template approvalNot required

Quiet hoursApply

International Sender Prefix

[국외발신] or [국제발신] will be automatically appended to SMS on the operator's end. These phrases mean "Overseas Sending" or "International Sending" respectively. These words are not counted in the message length.

Character Limits

One SMS segment can contain up to 140 bytes only, which is equivalent to:

140 characters using GSM-7 encoding
70 characters using UCS-2 16-bit encoding

Concatenated SMS (LMS)

Concatenated SMS is known as LMS in South Korea. By default, it is not supported. Messages may be:

Trimmed
Delivered with different parts
Split into parts that are not received in the correct sequential order

One API

How sending works

You send to every destination through the same endpoint and the same keys. Bird picks a compliant route for the country, applies opt-out handling on every message, and reports delivery from carrier receipts. The country-specific part is which sender you register. The API call does not change.

Sending to South Korea, answered

What senders ask before their first message to South Korea.

Do I need to register a sender before sending SMS to South Korea?

No. Any sender Bird offers here can send without being registered.

Can I use an alphanumeric sender ID in South Korea?

Yes, and it needs no registration.

Can I receive replies from South Korea?

Yes, if you send from a long code. Replies are delivered to you as signed webhooks.

Are there quiet hours for SMS in South Korea?

Yes. Local rules limit the hours in which you can send.

What other channels can Bird reach South Korea on?

WhatsApp and Voice, from the same account and API.

The rest of the SMS platform

One API, one set of keys. Explore the other capabilities.

Sender-ID registrationPre-register alphanumeric and dedicated senders where countries require it.Routing190+ countries, 240 direct-to-carrier links, and automatic failover.NumbersLong codes, short codes, toll-free, and alphanumeric sender IDs.SendingThe send API: segments, Unicode safety, batch, and idempotency.Two-wayInbound SMS and conversational replies as HMAC-signed webhooks.All destinationsCoverage, sender types, and rules for every country Bird reaches.

Put it into practice.

Continue with the documentation, guides and examples for this topic. Resources are in English.

Implementation guideSMS overview Explore the capabilitySMS destinations

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Start sending to South Korea

Create a workspace, register a sender, and send your first message from the same API you will scale on.

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