You have a taped-up box and a Korean address on your phone. The confusing part is usually not finding a convenience store—it is choosing the right delivery service once you get there.
For delivery to someone's home, choose domestic delivery (국내택배) at a participating CU or GS25, or take the parcel to a Korea Post counter. Choose half-price delivery (반값택배) only when the recipient agrees to collect it from a designated store. If an app or kiosk keeps blocking you, a staffed post-office counter is a practical alternative.
Checked September 22, 2026. This guide covers parcels sent within Korea. Prices below are reference rates, not a quote for every route; packing, destination, carrier selection, and optional services can change the charge.
Choose the destination first: a home or a convenience store?
Domestic delivery: you leave the parcel at a participating store, but the delivery address is the recipient's home, office, or another agreed address. The recipient does not need to visit a convenience store.
Half-price delivery: the parcel travels to a selected branch of the same chain—CU to CU or GS25 to GS25. Agree on the exact receiving branch and check that the recipient can receive the collection notification. A nearby branch with a similar name is not interchangeable.
Korea Post counter service: bring the parcel to a post office and ask for a tracked domestic parcel, 등기소포. This is my suggested starting point if you need someone to check the address or explain why an item cannot be accepted. It does not guarantee English-speaking staff, so having the details ready in Korean helps.
Official service descriptions: CU service guide and GS25 half-price guide.
CU, GS25, and Korea Post: prices and parcel limits
Measure the packed parcel. In the table, “combined size” means length + width + height, not volume.
| Service | Price reference | Packed-parcel limit |
|---|---|---|
| CU domestic, Lotte option | ₩3,400 for the up-to-350 g same-region bracket; ₩3,900 across regions | 20 kg; combined size 160 cm; longest side 100 cm |
| GS25 domestic | From ₩3,400 in the lowest same-region bracket | 20 kg; combined size 160 cm; longest side 100 cm |
| CU half-price, store collection | ₩1,800 for under 500 g, mainland-to-mainland or within Jeju | Published packing limit: 5 kg; combined size 100 cm* |
| GS25 half-price, store collection | ₩1,900 up to 500 g, mainland-to-mainland or within Jeju | 5 kg; combined size 80 cm |
| Korea Post, counter registered parcel | ₩4,000 in the up-to-3 kg / 80 cm bracket, standard mainland rate | 30 kg; combined size 160 cm; longest side 100 cm |
*CU's packing guide says 5 kg or less, while its live half-price price selector labels the final band “under 5 kg.” Leave a little margin or confirm acceptance before bringing a parcel weighing exactly 5 kg.
Sources: CU live price selector, CU packing limits, GS25 domestic rates, GS25 domestic packing, GS25 half-price conditions, and Korea Post's official tariff.
These are different starting brackets, not a claim that one operator is always cheapest. A light but large box can move into a higher postal size band; Korea Post charges by whichever of the weight or size bands is higher. Jeju and other island routes also need a separate check. Korea Post rate guidance.
CU carrier choice matters: its current domestic guide also offers a Korea Post option. CU lists a 5 kg / 80 cm limit for that option—not the 30 kg limit at an actual post-office counter. Read the selected service's conditions rather than treating every “우체국” label as the same product.
For example, a 30 × 30 × 25 cm box has a combined size of 85 cm. Even if it weighs only 1 kg, it is too large for GS25 half-price delivery. CU's published half-price size limit is larger, but the contents and other acceptance rules still apply.
Prepare this before leaving home
- Sender: your name, a working contact number, and a real return address where you can receive a failed delivery.
- Recipient: their name, contact number, Korean road-name address, postcode, and apartment/building details—or their chosen receiving store for half-price delivery.
- Contents: an accurate item description and value. Do not select “clothes” to get around a restriction on a different item.
- Packaging and payment: a sealed, protective package and a payment method you can use at the counter.
Ask the recipient to send the address as copyable Korean text. Put the road address into the address search, then add the building/unit details in 상세주소. Keep 동 (building/block) and 호 (unit) exactly as provided. A map pin is useful for finding a building, but it is not a complete parcel address. Our Korean delivery-address troubleshooting guide explains that distinction.
For half-price delivery, ask the recipient to send both the branch name and its map location. Your sender return address should not simply be the convenience store: GS25 specifically warns that returns cannot be sent to a GS25 branch.
How to send a parcel from CU or GS25
- Find a branch that accepts your service. Use CU's store finder or GS Postbox's store finder. Do not assume every branch has a working parcel machine.
- Choose the correct service and booking route. A reservation can reduce typing at the machine. Both operators' Postbox guides also describe member and non-member reception; look for 비회원 접수 if you are not using an account.
- Weigh the whole package and enter the details. Check the sender, recipient, contents, value, and destination. For half-price delivery, confirm the receiving store rather than entering a home as the delivery destination.
- Check who pays and print the label. 선불 means the sender pays; 착불 means the delivery charge is collected from the recipient. Agree before choosing the latter. GS25 half-price is prepaid only.
- Complete acceptance with the cashier. Follow the label instructions, present the parcel and paperwork for scanning/payment, and keep the receipt. Do not leave a box unattended after printing a label.
The machine workflow is described in the CU Postbox guide and GS25 domestic guide. Screen layouts can vary; the key distinction is that entering a reservation is not the same as handing over an accepted parcel.
Take a photo of the sealed parcel and label for your records, but do not post a readable label online. Keep the 운송장번호 (tracking number) until the recipient confirms receipt.
How to use a Korea Post counter
For a first attempt, take the packed parcel and the address details to a staffed post office. Tell the clerk: “국내 등기소포로 보내고 싶어요.”—“I would like to send this as a domestic registered parcel.” Ask how to complete the sender and recipient information, have the parcel checked and measured, pay the assessed charge, and keep the receipt with its tracking number.
Choose the service deliberately: 일반소포 is not the same as tracked 등기소포. Korea Post says ordinary parcels are not recorded in the same way and do not receive loss compensation. For a purchase return or something you need to trace, that saving may not be worthwhile. Official service and rate notes.
Postal counters generally operate Monday–Friday, 09:00–18:00, excluding public holidays. Some branches close at lunchtime, and the cutoff for a parcel to leave that day can be earlier than closing time. Check the official hours and branch-finder guidance before travelling.
If you have no Korean account or phone verification fails
Try the non-member route before spending time creating another account. That avoids membership registration, but it does not mean you can omit contact details or that every foreign number will be accepted by every form.
If a machine rejects your number, ask which number format or contact method that service supports. Do not enter a random Korean number: collection notices or problem-delivery calls may go there. A data-only travel eSIM is not automatically a line that can receive the required calls or messages. For residents, our Korea SIM and identity-verification guide covers the account side.
If you cannot complete the kiosk process, take the parcel to a staffed post office and explain the contact-number problem before paying. Bring the recipient's working contact details and ask what can be recorded for you. For a visitor leaving Korea soon, a service that depends on later collection or return to your temporary address may be a poor fit.
Packaging mistakes that can stop collection
A sturdy box with padding is a sensible default for mixed items. Cover old labels, secure the seams, and check that nothing moves freely inside. Do not tape two separate boxes together and expect them to travel as one parcel.
Acceptance rules are stricter than “it fits in the box.” CU lists glassware, passports/ID documents, cash-like items, and other restricted goods; its half-price service also excludes food and liquids. Check the CU prohibited-item guide before packing cosmetics, valuables, or documents. GS25 has separate half-price packing rules.
Korea Post is not an automatic fallback for every rejected item: its parcel restrictions include fragile goods and certain electronics. Describe the exact contents to the operator before assuming that extra bubble wrap makes them acceptable.
If what you really want to move is a suitcase between hotels, a parcel service may add packing work and timing risk. Compare it with luggage forwarding or station lockers instead.
What to do when the parcel does not move—or cannot be collected
The reservation exists, but tracking shows nothing
Check that you are using the tracking number from the accepted shipment, not a reservation reference. Then look at the last recorded event. A booking, store acceptance, and courier collection are different stages. Ask the branch whether the parcel was collected; if it was, contact the carrier shown on the receipt.
A store being open overnight does not mean a truck collects parcels all night. Ask “오늘 수거가 끝났나요?”—“Has today's collection finished?” For anything time-sensitive, ask about the actual dispatch date before paying.
The recipient never received the pickup QR code
Confirm the destination store and recipient phone number first. GS25 provides an official arrival QR-code resend page; CU's official site also provides half-price QR resend guidance. Use the correct operator's support route rather than asking staff to release a parcel without its required verification.
GS25 says an uncollected half-price parcel is returned if it is not collected within four days including its store-arrival day. For CU, check the deadline in the actual arrival notice and current service instructions. Do not assume the two chains use identical rules.
You entered the wrong address or store
Contact the operator immediately with the tracking number. Before collection, ask the accepting branch about cancellation and re-entry. Once the parcel is moving, do not assume editing your account address changes that shipment. CU's service guide distinguishes cancellation while a parcel is still at the store from return arrangements after collection.
The parcel arrives damaged
Keep the box, label, padding, and damaged item. Photograph the outside and inside, retain proof of value, and contact the operator promptly for its evidence requirements and claim deadline. A declared value is not a promise of full reimbursement, especially if the contents or packaging breached the service rules.
Timing, returns, and the right support number
GS25's standard half-price guidance allows up to four days including acceptance for mainland-to-mainland and within-Jeju shipments, with a 15:00 cutoff for counting that day. Routes involving islands and holiday periods need extra allowance. Treat these as service guidance, not a guarantee for a particular birthday, flight, or check-out time.
Holiday reminder: around Chuseok or Seollal, read the current collection notice before relying on normal schedules. GS25 published a 2026 Chuseok acceptance notice on September 18. A shop may still accept a parcel even when its next dispatch is delayed.
For an online-order return, start with the seller's return instructions. Confirm the approved return address, carrier, payment arrangement, and whether pickup is already booked before creating a separate shipment. A warehouse may not match the address on the original shipping label.
- CU: its current service page lists 1688-1211 for Lotte domestic/half-price enquiries, 1588-1300 for the Korea Post option, and 1566-1025 for service/account enquiries. Check the carrier on your receipt. CU contact information.
- GS25: 1577-1287 for domestic delivery and 1544-4101 for half-price delivery. GS Postbox contact information.
- Korea Post: 1588-1300 for postal enquiries. Korea Post contact information.
Have the tracking number, acceptance date, branch, and last tracking event ready. A useful opening is: “운송장번호는 ___이고, 마지막 배송 상태는 ___입니다.”—“The tracking number is ___, and the last delivery status is ___.”
The best choice is the service the recipient can actually receive, with packaging the operator accepts. Settle those two points first; the cheapest price on the screen comes second.
Source note: This guide uses the operators' official service, packing, tariff, and contact pages linked above. CU's live price selector and carrier-specific conditions were checked on September 22, 2026. The troubleshooting suggestions are practical guidance, not a guarantee of acceptance, delivery time, or compensation.
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