Can Foreigners Use Zigzag in Korea? Sign-Up, Identity Verification, Foreign Cards and Shipping

Yes, if you live in Korea and have a Korean phone line in your own name, and mostly no if you are visiting. Zigzag (지그재그) is Kakao Style's fashion shopping app, and its terms say you must complete mobile phone verification and identity verification (본인인증) when you register before you can use its checkout. The app also stopped shipping outside Korea when its global service closed in November 2023. So a visitor can browse Zigzag freely, but paying for an order is the step that usually stops them.

We checked Zigzag's official help pages and terms on 10 November 2026.

Quick Answer

If you live in Korea with an alien registration card, a Korean mobile number in your name and a Korean card, sign up and buy directly. Zigzag's sign-up, identity check and payment are built for that setup. If you are visiting, use Zigzag to find what you want, then send us the product link. We buy it with a Korean account and card and deliver it to your hotel or Airbnb, or ship it abroad after you leave.

Can foreigners sign up for Zigzag? Is a Korean phone number needed?

Creating an account is the easy part. The Zigzag login page offers Kakao, a phone number or an email address, and the privacy policy also lists sign-up through Apple, Google, Facebook and Toss. The rules that matter are these:

• A phone number is a required item for every sign-up route listed in Zigzag's privacy policy.
• The terms (Article 19) say that to use the payment service, a member must complete mobile phone verification and identity verification (본인인증) when registering. Zigzag may ask for documents if you cannot complete the check.
• For the identity check, Zigzag collects your name, date of birth, gender, foreigner status, phone number and two Korean identity keys (CI and DI). The check is handled by Korea Mobile Certification (한국모바일인증).
• Users must be 14 or older.

The form records foreigner status, so foreigners are not excluded as such. The blocker is the phone-based check. Zigzag's public pages do not say which phone numbers pass it, so a tourist SIM or a home-country number is a gamble. If you hit this wall on other apps too, our guides on identity verification for tourists and using Korean apps without a Korean number explain the background.

Do foreign cards work at Zigzag checkout?

Zigzag's checkout is called Z결제 (Z Payment), an integrated payment service Kakao Style launched in 2019. The terms (Article 24) list these payment methods, "whichever are available":

• Card payments: prepaid, debit and credit cards
• Online virtual account deposit (bank transfer)
• Mobile phone billing
• Electronic money
• Other methods Zigzag designates

Two more rules apply. You must pay with a payment method in your own name, and Zigzag may pause or cancel an order until it has confirmed the payment method is legitimate. The privacy policy names NICE Information and Communication and KG Inicis as its card and phone payment processors. None of these pages mentions PayPal.

We could not confirm on any official page whether cards issued outside Korea work in the Korean app today. The only official statement on foreign cards we found is from Zigzag Global, whose help center said it took only cards issued outside Korea and not UnionPay. That service has closed. If your card is declined on a Korean site, our guide on foreign card declines covers the usual causes.

Does Zigzag ship internationally? Is there a global app?

No. There was a global version, and it is gone. Kakao Style's help center announced that Zigzag Global for the US, Canada and Japan would close:

• The last day for global orders was 9 November 2023, and ordering was cut off on 10 November 2023.
• The global service ended completely on 30 November 2023.
• After the closure, products from all Zigzag sellers can be bought only in Korea and cannot be delivered outside Korea.
• Old global accounts continue inside the Korean Zigzag service, and the app now opens to the Korean screen.

So today there is one Zigzag: the Korean app and website, with Korean addresses only. Its App Store listing, both in Korea and in the US store, shows Korean as the only language. Zigzag publishes its terms in Korean, English and Japanese, but the terms say the Korean version wins if they differ. If you want something from Zigzag after you fly home, the item has to reach a Korean address first and then be sent abroad. Our post on shipping Korean shopping home after you leave explains how that works.

Can you get a Zigzag order delivered to your hotel in Korea?

Zigzag is a marketplace. Its own footer says Kakao Style acts as a mail-order intermediary (통신판매중개자), so each store ships its own items. On timing, the terms (Article 26) say:

• Zigzag asks sellers to take shipping steps within 3 business days of confirmed payment, and to deliver within 7 days of the order unless agreed otherwise.
• Each seller must show its shipping method, shipping cost and estimated delivery time on the product.
• Items marked 직진배송 (Zigzag's fast delivery) are described in the App Store listing as arriving the same day or the next day.

Before you give any Korean shop your hotel address, check these points:

• Ask the front desk whether it accepts and holds parcels for guests, and until when.
• Use the full Korean address, including building name and room number, plus your name exactly as on the booking.
• Couriers call or text a Korean number on delivery day. Zigzag's checkout even collects a building entrance code (공동 현관 비밀번호), which matters for Airbnbs.
• Leave a buffer before checkout. Only items marked 직진배송 are advertised as same-day or next-day, and our post on whether a Korean order will reach your hotel before you leave walks through the timing.

If the phone check or your card stops you, this is where we come in. With our shopping service, you send us the Zigzag product link with the size and colour you want. We order it with a Korean account and card and have it delivered to your hotel or Airbnb. If you have already left, we pack it and ship it abroad. Our service fee starts from ₩8,000 per item, and you see the full quote (item, fee, delivery, card fees) before you pay. You pay by PayPal or card only if you agree, and we reply within 30 minutes during service hours.

Your situation	What Zigzag's rules allow	What we suggest
Resident with an ARC, a Korean phone in your name and a Korean card	Sign-up, phone and identity verification, and Z결제 are designed for this	Buy directly on Zigzag
Resident with a Korean phone but only a foreign card	The identity check records foreigner status; foreign card acceptance is not stated	Try it directly; if the card fails, send us the link
Visitor with a prepaid tourist SIM	Payment requires phone and identity verification; Zigzag does not say which numbers pass	Browse on Zigzag, then send us the link with your hotel and dates
Living abroad or already back home	Global service closed in November 2023; no delivery outside Korea	We buy it in Korea and ship it to you

When should you not use us?

• If you can pass Zigzag's identity check and your card works, buy directly. It costs less than going through us.
• If the brand runs its own international online store that ships to your country, order there.
• If you only need a basic item that a shop near your hotel sells, buying in person is faster than any delivery.

FAQ

Is there an English version of the Zigzag app?

No. The App Store listing shows Korean as the only language, in both the Korean and US stores. Only the terms and privacy policy are published in English and Japanese, and the Korean version of the terms takes priority.

Can I still use my old Zigzag Global account?

Yes, but only as a Korean account. Zigzag's help center says global accounts continue inside the Korean Zigzag service, and orders can no longer be delivered outside Korea.

Does Zigzag accept PayPal?

Not according to its published rules. The payment methods in Zigzag's terms are cards, virtual account deposit, mobile phone billing, electronic money and other methods it designates, and PayPal is not named in the terms or the privacy policy.

Do I need identity verification just to browse?

No. You can browse Zigzag without an account. The terms tie phone and identity verification to using the payment service, so the check matters when you want to buy.

How fast does Zigzag deliver?

It depends on the seller. Items marked 직진배송 are advertised as same-day or next-day delivery, while for other items Zigzag asks sellers to start shipping within 3 business days of payment.

Found something on Zigzag already? Send the product link in chat with your hotel name and checkout date, and we will quote it before you pay. You can also read how our shopping service handles Korean apps that need local verification.