Below you’ll find the list of prohibited items in South Korea, but one thing you must have is a transportation card for convenient rides in the bus and subway! Get one here 🚌

In a nutshell
- What are the items that you shouldn’t pack for your Korea trip? Among others, beef jerky, canned goods, egg-based, and dairy products are prohibited in South Korea under the Contagious Animal Diseases Prevention Act.
- What happens if I don’t comply? If you are caught carrying any restricted item, you will be asked to report to the Quarantine Office and may pay a fine of up to $8,500 or ₩10,00,000.
- Complete your trip! Did you know that you can save money if you purchase this popular attraction pass in Korea? 🏰

Prohibited items in South Korea: What tourists should refrain from bringing
In accordance with the Contagious Animal Diseases Prevention Act, the following items are restricted from being brought in by individuals who will enter Korea:

- Animals, such as dogs, cats, birds, etc.
- Livestock Products, such as beef, pork, chicken, duck, sausage, ham, beef jerky, canned meat, boiled meat, milk, beef tallow processed products (curry), etc.
- Animal Products, like Antlers, bones, feathers, etc.
- Dairy products, like milk, cheese, butter, etc.
- Egg and egg products, including chicken eggs, bird eggs, egg whites, egg powder, etc.
- Pet food, snacks, vitamins, etc.
Those who will bring in any of the prohibited items (or similar) must report to the Quarantine Office at the airport or seaport. Those who will fail to comply may be fined a fee of up to ₩10,00,000.
3 Things to Prepare for Your Korea Trip
After listing the items that are prohibited by South Korea’s immigration, let’s now look into the travel essentials you can consider booking:
1. Discover Seoul Pass
The Discover Seoul Pass is an integrated transportation and attraction pass that gives you free admission to over 50 attractions and access to Seoul’s city transportation network!

Get one here starting at only $51.5 (vs. regular price of $55.7)
2. Namane Card
This is a prepaid transportation card in South Korea that you can customize according to the design you want! The card can be used in the subway, buses, online transactions, and select in-store purchases.
3. T-Money Card
This is the most popular public transportation in South Korea that’s widely used by locals and tourists alike — a must have when traveling in Seoul!
Reference
To see the Embassy of Korea’s notice on the list of prohibited items to bring to Korea, click here.