Tap water in South Korea

Generally safe to drink

The WHO and UNICEF put safely managed drinking water within reach of 98% of people in South Korea. National figures describe a country, not the tap in front of you.

What the sources say

WHO / UNICEF JMP

98% of the population has safely managed drinking water, meaning it is free from contamination at the point of use.

US CDC Travelers' Health

Advises travellers that tap water is generally safe to drink in South Korea.

Numbeo

71.27/100 on the water drinkability and accessibility index, which Numbeo reads as “High”. This one is crowdsourced from residents rather than measured.

Lonely Planet

South Korea has some of the cleanest tap water in the world, though most locals and visitors drink filtered or purified water from bottles or dispensers. The practice comes from a belief that bottled water is healthier, and the fear that old pipes can contain heavy metals. Filtered or bottled water is served free in most restaurants and machines with free purified hot and cold water are available in most motels, guesthouses and shopping plaza entrances.

Safe nationally still means ask locally. Older buildings can carry lead or copper pipework, and a single street can differ from the network feeding it. If you are staying somewhere old, ask your host.

What bottled water costs you here

Drinking tap water instead of bottled would save one adult about 832$ a year in South Korea, and keep several hundred plastic bottles out of circulation.

Work out your own saving

Places in South Korea

Water quality is local. These places have their own readings.

Elsewhere in Asia