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Friday, April 29, 2011

Making our(and your) electronics work!

I knew that when we came to Korea we would need plug adapters (like going to Europe), but surprisingly there's not much information on the adapters or (drum roll please) the power converters that are what you need for any high-wattage electronics. Like Computers, TV's, hair dryers, any sort of hair implement, for some reason my toothbrush charger. In other words, lots.

So here's what I hope is helpful information for any potential expats. First, here's one website that actually has some information.

Second, here's some helpful photos. (Pictures are always what I want when looking for information... reading is hard! j/j)

Here's an outlet in Korea.

And a Korean plug!
Like my chipping nail polish? Classy. ;)

Standard Adapter (Will work for small electronics... currently being used to charge our cell phones)

For bigger electronics (like I said above) you need a converter... I would bring power strips, lots of power strips.

Now, don't panic when you see these. They're actually for sale in your local HomePlus in Korea(well, at least in our local HomePlus), near the lightbulbs and other powerstrips, etc. You can count on finding them when you get here. However, be aware, they're not cheap. About $40 each.

Once again, make sure you bring all your power strips. The converters only have 2 outlets, like a normal wall outlet. I don't know if I'd plan on bringing your hairdryer, etc. It might be more of a pain then it's worth to have one of these in the bathroom when you could go to HomePlus and pick up a $20 Korean hairdryer. That's what I decided for our Iron anyway. Not worth hauling a converter around... 

Hope this helps anyone trying to find out information. Feel free to post questions if you have them! I'll try to get back to you within 24hours. :)

2 comments:

  1. Some electronics should only need an adapter plug (it does nothing except change the plug type). My work laptop adapter, my netbook adapter and my cell phone charger have full voltage and frequency range (100-240V, 50-60Hz, this information should be on the label). Note that I have no idea what kind of power they use in Korea but as long as it's in the range that your adapter supports, you just need a converter plug (probably less than $10).

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  2. I THINK (I may have to ask about this later, so correct me if I'm totally off base), that the reason you have to use a converter, not just an adapter, is that Korea uses DC instead of AC?

    Oh another comment. I used my hairdryer with the converter the other day... it makes a weird noise. I've been waiting for it to blow up, but it hasn't yet. :D

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