Why does a Korea eSIM show a Singapore IP address?

A Kedanto Korea eSIM shows a Singapore IP address because it is a roaming line: your phone connects to SK Telecom or LG U+ in Korea, and that network carries your data to an internet exit in Singapore. Websites only see the exit, so to them you are in Singapore. Your signal bars, your 5G or LTE icon and the blue dot on your map are still Korean. This post is based on Kedanto's own Korea page and setup guide, the GSMA's roaming guidelines, and help pages from Google, Netflix and KB Kookmin Bank, all checked on 10 October 2026.

Why does my Korea eSIM give me a Singapore IP address?

Because the data takes two steps: a Korean radio network first, an internet exit in Singapore second. Kedanto's Korea page says the eSIM uses the SK Telecom and LG U+ networks and that "your internet traffic exits through Singapore, so some Korean websites and apps may treat you as connecting from abroad." Kedanto's setup guide also tells you to "Turn on Data Roaming for the travel line." That instruction says what the line is: a visitor on the Korean networks, not one of their own subscribers.

The GSMA, the mobile industry's trade body, sets out the possible designs in its roaming guidelines (document IR.88, version 28.0, May 2024). A roaming user's traffic can be "Home Routed", which means the visited network passes it through a tunnel to a gateway run for the network that issued the SIM, or it can be "broken out" in the visited network itself. Only a breakout inside Korea would give you a Korean address. Kedanto's Korea line exits in Singapore instead, so the IP address websites see belongs there.

You may see IR.21 mentioned on forums. It is the GSMA's roaming database, where operators file the technical details their roaming partners need. It is not a setting, and nothing on your phone moves the exit. Kedanto gives no APN for its Korea plans, and the no-internet checklist explains why you should leave that field alone.

Am I still on a Korean network?

Yes. Signal, coverage and the 5G or LTE icon all come from SK Telecom or LG U+. Every Korea product page lists the network as "SK Telecom · LG U+ (5G where available)" and says speed varies with the area, the time of day and how busy the network is. The subway, KTX and mountain coverage described in the signal post applies to this line the same way.

What changes is the distance after the radio. Seoul and Singapore are about 4,670 km apart in a straight line. When you open a website hosted in Seoul, the request travels Seoul to Singapore to Seoul, and the reply comes back the same way: roughly 18,700 km in total. Light in optical fibre covers about 200 km per millisecond, so that detour costs at least 90 milliseconds per round trip. That figure is our own arithmetic, not a measurement, and real cables run longer than straight lines. It is not enough to stop a map, a chat or a video call, but it is one reason a speed test on the line won't match Korea's published averages, as the 5G post explains.

How do I check which country my connection appears to come from?

Turn off Wi-Fi, open fast.com, tap "Show more info" and read the country next to "Client". That is the check Netflix's help centre gives for finding out where your connection appears to be. On a Kedanto Korea line it should say Singapore. That is normal and does not mean a VPN is switched on. Run the same test on your hotel Wi-Fi: a connection on a Korean broadband line normally shows Korea.

Google gives a second clue. Its help page says that when your IP address was used to estimate your area, the location line at the bottom of the search results page says "From your internet address."

Which Korean websites and apps treat a Singapore IP as overseas?

The clearest official example we found is an opt-in security service at KB Kookmin Bank, and other Korean services offer similar switches. KB's overseas IP blocking service (해외IP차단서비스) is for internet and mobile banking customers who sign up for it. When the connecting IP address is not a domestic IP registered with KISA, the Korea Internet & Security Agency, KB restricts transfers, certificate issuance, closing deposit accounts and other filings, while simple look-ups still work. KB says IPs not registered with KISA are treated as overseas, and that customers who want to bank from abroad should cancel the service before they leave. Under that rule a Singapore exit counts as overseas, even when you are standing in Seoul.

Most short-term visitors have no Korean bank account, so this matters most if you live, work or study in Korea. Kakao has a comparable opt-in, the country login restriction for Kakao Accounts, covered in the messaging apps post. If you have turned it on, assume Kakao may see you in Singapore rather than Korea.

We found no official list of Korean consumer websites that block every foreign IP address, so this post doesn't name any. If a Korean site fails at one step only on mobile data and works on Wi-Fi, the Singapore exit is the first thing to suspect.

Will Netflix show me a different catalogue?

It can. Netflix's help centre says choices for streaming and downloading "vary by country", and that outside the European Union "your available choices may be different." Its VPN help treats the country shown on fast.com as the place your connection appears to be, and on a Kedanto Korea line that country is Singapore. So the titles you see on mobile data may differ from the ones on Korean hotel Wi-Fi, and both may differ from home.

Two more points from the same help pages:

• Downloads. Downloaded titles may not be available in a different country, so a download made at home is not guaranteed to play in Korea.
• VPNs. A VPN set to another country is not a clean fix. Netflix says VPN apps can make a device look like it is connecting from somewhere other than its physical location, which can cause an error, and VPNs aren't supported on its ad-supported plans.

Why does Google show results for Singapore?

When it can't use your device location, Google estimates where you are from your IP address, and its help page says "IP addresses are roughly based on geography." Google lists IP address alongside device location, saved home and work addresses and past searches as the signals it uses. If the bottom of the results page says Singapore and "From your internet address", you are seeing the Singapore exit.

There are two ways to fix it:

• Let Google use your phone's location. Google says many devices can work out their precise location. Allowing location for the Google app or your browser gives results for where you actually are.
• Choose the region yourself. On a computer, open Search settings and pick a region under "Region Settings". In the Google app for Android, go to Settings › Language & region › Search region. In the Google app on iPhone, go to Settings › Other Settings › Language and region settings and choose under "Region for Search Results".

Changing Google's display language won't help here. Google's help page says it "doesn't change the language of your search results."

Will my bank or email ask me to prove it's me?

It may, because to them you are signing in from a new place. Google's search location page says it estimates your general area partly to "keep your account safe by detecting unusual activity, such as signing in from a new city." Its advice for travelers adds: "When you sign in from a new place, Google might ask you to take an extra step to check that it's you." It suggests checking your recovery phone number and email address before you leave, making sure the recovery phone can receive text messages while you travel, and keeping backup codes. Banks and other services that watch for unusual locations work on the same idea, and on a Kedanto line the new place they see may be Singapore rather than Korea.

So a security alert that mentions Singapore while you are in Korea may be your own sign-in. Check it by opening the app or website directly, not through a link in the message. Codes sent by text to your usual number arrive on your home SIM, not on the eSIM; the post on verification texts covers how to keep that line reachable without paying roaming data.

What should I do when a service only works from a Korean IP?

Do that task on Korean Wi-Fi, and let location-aware apps use the phone's GPS.

• Use Korean Wi-Fi for the one step that fails. Wi-Fi in a hotel or café runs on a Korean internet provider and normally shows a Korean IP address. Check it with fast.com before you start a payment or transfer.
• Grant location permission instead of relying on IP. Map, taxi and weather apps that ask for your location use the phone's own positioning, so the Singapore exit doesn't move your blue dot. The map apps post covers NAVER Map and KakaoMap.
• Don't change network settings. No APN or network choice on the phone moves the exit to Korea.
• If you need Korean banking on mobile data every day, choose a different product. For a long stay, a Korean SIM with a Korean number fits better, and the long-stay comparison sets out the trade-offs. Kedanto refunds in full until the eSIM is installed, so make that call before you scan the QR code.

When a Korean booking page stalls at the last step while you are in a café in Seongsu, the quickest test is not a settings menu. Join the café's Wi-Fi, try the step once more, then switch back to the eSIM for the walk to your next stop.