best3vpn

What's blocked in South Korea

Moderate censorship Checked Editor review

All major apps work; adult sites, unlicensed gambling and North Korean websites are blocked.

  1. WhatsApp: Works
  2. Voice & video calls: Works
  3. Telegram: Works
  4. Signal: Works
  5. Discord: Works
  6. Facebook: Works
  7. Instagram: Works
  8. X (Twitter): Works
  9. TikTok: Works
  10. YouTube: Works
  11. Google: Works
  • Works
  • Age-gated
  • Partly blocked
  • Slowed down
  • Blocked

App by app

None of the 41 apps we track is blocked or restricted in South Korea right now.

Not offered in South Korea

These companies don't sell their service here. That's a business or sanctions decision, not government censorship.

Working normally

Chat & calls

Social media

Video, TV & music

Games

Search, AI & money

The 3 VPNs that fit South Korea

Our assessment, plus what visitors in South Korea are reporting this week.

Picked for streaming and everyday privacy.

NordVPN

Connects

Not enough votes yet. Tested it here? Tell others below.

Working for you right now?
Try NordVPN

Surfshark

Connects

Not enough votes yet. Tested it here? Tell others below.

Working for you right now?
Try Surfshark

CyberGhost

Connects

Not enough votes yet. Tested it here? Tell others below.

Working for you right now?
Try CyberGhost
Not sure about these three? See 3 more VPNs ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access and Proton VPN

ExpressVPN

Connects

Not enough votes yet. Tested it here? Tell others below.

Working for you right now?
Try ExpressVPN

Private Internet Access

Connects

Not enough votes yet. Tested it here? Tell others below.

Working for you right now?
Try Private Internet Access

Proton VPN

Connects

Not enough votes yet. Tested it here? Tell others below.

Working for you right now?
Try Proton VPN

We earn a commission if you buy a VPN through our links. It never changes what we report as blocked. How we pick and how we make money

What's going on

South Korea blocks pornography, gambling and pro-North Korean sites using SNI filtering. Global social and messaging apps work normally.

Before you connect: Mostly used for privacy and overseas streaming.

Legal

VPN use is legal.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Questions people ask

Are any apps blocked in South Korea?

None of the 41 apps we track is fully blocked in South Korea right now. All major apps work; adult sites, unlicensed gambling and North Korean websites are blocked.

Which streaming and online services are not available in South Korea?

HBO Max, Hulu, BBC iPlayer and JioHotstar are not offered in South Korea. That is the companies' decision, often because of licensing or sanctions.

Is it legal to use a VPN in South Korea?

Legal. VPN use is legal.

Which VPN works in South Korea?

Our picks for South Korea are NordVPN, Surfshark and CyberGhost. Check the live votes on this page for this week's results.

Report a block

Seeing something different in South Korea? An editor reviews every report before the page changes.

Sources