Official language: Korean
Population: 49,540,367
Currency: South Korean Won (KRW)

Current Exchange Rate
1 EUR = KRW
1 GBP = KRW
1 USD = KRW

Quick links
Online gambling sites in South Korea
Online casinos in South Korea
Online poker sites in South Korea
Online sportsbooks in South Korea
Online bingo in South Korea
Mobile casinos in South Korea
South Korea gambling news

Poker in South Korea
The game of poker in South Korea has not yet grown to be very popular. The only places to legally play the game are in the country's casinos. There are 20 full casinos in South Korea, but they have only been around since 2000. Before that, all gambling was banned for many years, so playing poker in the country is quite new. While the game is getting some attention from the international circuit, it is still not as popular in South Korea as it is in many other countries.

The biggest poker event to happen in South Korea is the PokerStars Asia-Pacific Poker Tour that has been stopping in Seoul for the past couple of years. The 2007 event was a huge success. A $2500 buy-in attracted hundreds of players. The tournament was played at the Paradise Walker-Hill Casino in Seoul. The casino overlooks the Han river and sits in the shadow of the ancient A-Cha fortress – making it a truly wonderful setting for a poker tournament.

Online Poker in South Korea
Online poker in South Korea is even slower to catch on. This is not because internet poker is unpopular, but because legislation gets in the way. The South Korean government does not give licenses to local casinos to let them offer online poker services. This means players must use foreign internet poker sites if they want to play online poker.

There are a few South Korean online poker rooms located in other countries, but the government is targeting these. The only time the South Korean government can do anything about it is if the site has a connection to a South Korean company. Otherwise the site is entirely out of the government's jurisdiction. Even if the site gets in trouble, players are never punished, so it is safe for South Korean players to use foreign online poker sites.