Your EMS Parcel Came Back to Korea and the Post Office Wants ID. What You Can Do From Abroad.
You posted a box home by EMS, flew out, and now it is back at a Korean post office that wants ID or someone in Korea to call. Why EMS parcels bounce, which cosmetics and other items cause it, what the post office will and will not do for you from abroad, and how to get it out and sent again.
If an EMS parcel you sent from Korea has come back and is now sitting at a Korean post office, you usually cannot sort it out from abroad on your own. Returned items are excluded from Korea Post's online address-change service, and a held parcel is only handed over to the addressee, a cohabitant or a designated receiver. Someone in Korea has to call, collect it and send it again.
We have had three messages like this in October alone. The most recent one, word for word: “I’m told ID is required but they said if someone in Korea can call them they could explain the options. I was told someone in Korea needs to call them.” That is exactly how it goes, and this page is what you need to know before that call happens.
Quick Answer
First find out why it came back, because that decides what happens next: an item caught by Korea's own security screening before the flight, or a parcel refused at the other end. Then have someone in Korea phone the post office that holds it, in Korean, with your tracking number. They can arrange collection with whatever documents that office asks for, remove the item that caused the problem, repack, and ship it again by EMS or by a courier that carries what is inside. The postage you already paid is not refunded. Budget for shipping twice.
Where did it stop: in Korea, or in your country?
An EMS parcel can be turned back in two very different places, and people often do not know which one happened to them.
- Before it left Korea. Korea Post X-rays outbound EMS before the flight. When an item is caught there, the parcel goes back to the post office where you sent it, and it has to be collected in person at that office.
- After it arrived abroad. If the destination could not deliver it or could not clear it through customs, it is sent back to Korea. Korea Post warns that a parcel returned from abroad containing powders, liquids, batteries or electronics may come back by sea rather than by air, so it can take weeks.
The tracking history usually shows which one it was. If it never shows a departure from Korea, it was the X-ray. If it reached your country first, it was refused or undeliverable there.
Why EMS parcels from Korea get stopped
Most returns we see come down to one item in an otherwise ordinary box of holiday shopping. Checked on 19 October 2026, Korea Post's own list of what EMS will and will not carry says:
| Item | EMS from Korea |
|---|---|
| Perfume | Not allowed |
| Spray or aerosol in a metal can | Not allowed |
| Rechargeable batteries (except nickel types), including ones built into a device | Not allowed |
| Nail polish and remover | Only without a flammable / DG mark (acetone: no) |
| Cosmetics | Allowed without a DG mark; samples need a safety data sheet (MSDS) |
| Alcohol | 60% ABV and above not allowed |
| Food | Not if your country bans it (kimchi is the classic example) |
The battery rule is stricter than most travel guides say. Korea Post's list does not make an exception for batteries inside a device: an iPad-style built-in battery is refused too. If the battery comes out, the device can go without it. This is also why we quote battery items on couriers that handle dangerous-goods paperwork instead of EMS.
Cosmetics: what your country allows
A box of Korean skincare is usually fine to post. Whether it is fine to receive depends on the country, and this is where a lot of outdated advice circulates.
- Japan. The Ministry of Health says personal imports of cosmetics without a permit are limited to 24 items per product at standard size. Lipstick counts as one product, whatever the brand or shade.
- Taiwan. The old personal-use cap on special-purpose cosmetics such as sunscreen and hair dye (12 per type) was abolished from 1 July 2024. If you have read “no more than 12 bottles”, that rule is gone.
- United States. The FDA applies the same rules to imported cosmetics as to American ones, and colour additives must be approved for the use. Separately, Korean news reported in August 2025 that Korea Post stopped accepting ordinary US-bound EMS after the US ended its duty-free threshold. Ask at the counter what is accepted for the US before you post anything.
For other countries, check your own customs authority rather than a forum post. Rules change, and the forum post is often from before the change.
Why the post office says someone in Korea has to call
This is not the post office being difficult. Under the rules they work to:
- A registered item at the counter is handed over against confirmation by the addressee, a cohabitant or co-worker, or a designated receiver. A stranger walking in with your tracking number is none of those.
- A sender can ask for a change of address or for the item back only before it is delivered or handed over, and the office may refuse if it would disrupt their work.
- The online delivery-place change service explicitly excludes returned items and items already being held. So a returned EMS cannot be redirected online. It is a phone call or a visit.
What a proxy has to bring varies by post office and by item. Reported examples include the arrival notice, the proxy’s ID and the sender’s consent in writing. We will not give you a fixed list, because the office holding your parcel decides. That is exactly what the call is for.
How long they keep it, and what it costs
The general rule for items held at a Korean post office is 10 days from the day after arrival, extendable up to 20 days. Ask whether that applies to your returned EMS, because no official page we found says so for international returns specifically. If an item can be neither delivered nor returned, the post office may open it. Items without value are destroyed after three months, and items of value go to the state if nobody claims them within a year.
On money, three things to expect:
- Your original postage is not refunded. Korean postal law lists the cases where postage is refunded, such as the post office overcharging, and a parcel coming back is not one of them.
- A return can carry its own charge. For international parcels, the official fee notice sets the return fee as the destination country’s charge, and a returned parcel that had duty assessed carries a ₩4,000 customs fee. In a returned-EMS case we handled, the hotel it went back to was asked for ₩8,000.
- Sending it again is a new shipment. If the item that caused the problem stays in the box, it will be stopped again.
What we do when this happens
We call the post office holding it, in Korean, and find out three things: why it was returned, what that office needs to release it, and how long it will hold it. Then, with your go-ahead:
- We collect it with the documents that office asks for, or have it sent on to our office in Seoul where that is possible.
- We open it, photograph everything and send you the photos. Nothing is thrown away without your approval.
- We take out what caused the return and tell you the options for it, whether that is a courier that carries batteries or simply not sending it.
- We repack it properly and send it again, by EMS or the courier that fits what is inside.
International shipping is charged at the carrier’s actual rate with no margin, and we can keep a box at our office free for 30 days if you would rather wait for a friend’s trip to Korea than pay for shipping again. If your parcel went back to a hotel rather than a post office, the steps are slightly different: see what happens when a parcel bounces back to a Korean hotel.
What to send us
- The EMS tracking number, and any return tracking number you were given.
- The post office’s message, email or notice, even if it is in Korean. A screenshot is fine.
- The sender name exactly as you wrote it on the form.
- Roughly what is inside, and anything with a battery, perfume, spray or alcohol named.
- Where it should go now, and whether speed or cost matters more.
Planning to post things home before your next trip ends? How to ship Korean shopping home after you leave covers the duty side, and what to do with too much luggage on your last day covers the timing.
FAQ
My EMS was returned to a Korean post office. Can I pick it up from abroad?
Not in person, and not online: Korea Post's online delivery-place change service excludes returned and held items. A held registered item is handed to the addressee, a cohabitant or a designated receiver, so someone in Korea needs to call the office and arrange collection with the documents that office asks for.
The post office said someone in Korea needs to call them. Why?
Because a returned EMS can only be redirected by phone or at the counter, and the documents for a proxy vary by office. The person calling has to be able to talk it through in Korean and then turn up with what they ask for. That is the call we make.
Why was my EMS parcel returned?
Either Korea's pre-flight X-ray caught something, in which case it goes back to the office you sent it from, or the destination could not deliver or clear it. Perfume, metal aerosol sprays and rechargeable batteries, including built-in ones, are refused by EMS from Korea. Check the tracking history to see which side stopped it.
Can I send cosmetics and skincare from Korea by EMS?
Usually yes, if they carry no flammable / DG mark; samples need a safety data sheet. Perfume and metal spray cans cannot go. Your country may also limit quantities: Japan allows 24 items per product at standard size for personal use, while Taiwan scrapped its 12-per-type cap on special-purpose cosmetics in July 2024.
Can I ship perfume from Korea to the US?
Not by EMS: Korea Post does not accept perfume. You need a courier that handles dangerous goods. Ordinary US-bound EMS was also reported suspended in August 2025, so ask at the counter what currently goes to the US.
Will I get my EMS postage back if the parcel is returned?
No. Korean postal law only refunds postage in specific cases, such as the post office overcharging, and a return is not one of them. The return itself can also carry a charge.
How long will the post office keep my returned parcel?
The general rule for held items is 10 days from the day after arrival, extendable to 20. Confirm with the office, because returned international items are not spelled out. Unclaimed items without value are destroyed after three months.
Parcel stuck at a Korean post office after you flew home? Send the tracking number and the post office’s message in chat. We will call them in Korean, find out what is holding it, and tell you the real cost before anything is charged.