en한국in
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Managing Your Credit Score

In Korea, loans, credit cards, and some phone contracts are affected by your ‘credit score.’ Foreigners are also assessed once transaction/payment records in their own name build up. Paying on time without delinquency matters most. The below is general information. ⚠️ How scores are calculated varies by bureau and timing, so we do not state fixed criteria. Hangukin does not provide credit checks or loans.

Based on official sources · verify before deciding· as of 2026-06-09

What you need

  • To check: accounts/cards/utilities/phone contracts in your own name
  • To check: due dates for card bills/loans/utilities (any delinquency)
  • Your own score is free to check via official credit bureaus/finance apps

How to

  1. 1Use accounts/cards/utilities in your own name consistently.
  2. 2Pay card bills/utilities/phone on time without delinquency (auto-transfer recommended).
  3. 3Avoid reckless loans, cash advances, and too many cards.
  4. 4Check your own score for free via official credit-inquiry services.
  5. 5If there’s a wrong delinquency/record, ask the lender or bureau to correct it.

Tips

  • Delinquency hurts credit the most — auto-transfer is recommended.
  • Checking your own score does not lower it (free to check).
  • 🚨 Ads/texts promising to “boost your score” or “erase delinquency” are mostly scams — if they ask for money, be 100% suspicious.
  • 🚨 Being asked to hand over your account/card/certificate/ARC “for your credit” is burner-account/crime recruiting (Electronic Financial Transactions Act violation, deportation risk).
  • 🚨 “Loans for low credit” that demand an upfront fee or deposit are loan scams — legitimate finance never takes a prepayment.
  • 🚨 Don’t enter personal data into unknown credit/loan “consultation” apps or links — it can be abused for fraud.

Key contacts

  • FSS ☎1332 — credit/financial counseling; report illegal ads/loan fraud at 1332 (→ menu 3)
  • Police ☎112 — report voice-phishing/loan fraud
  • Korea Inclusive Finance Agency ☎1397 — debt/credit counseling

Related guides

Getting a Credit/Debit CardLoans for Foreigners

This is general information, not an ad or referral. Rates, fees, and conditions change often — always verify with each service or financial institution before use. ⚠️ Never use illegal high-interest lenders.
Last updated: 2026-06-09