When traveling to South Korea, it’s common to bring chargers or electronic products used in the United States and try to use them.
I heard that the voltage in the United States is 110V, which is different from Korea, which uses 220V, but many people are curious about whether they can be used in Korea.
However, as the title of this post suggests, if you ask the question, ‘Can I use the electronics with US 110V plug in Korea?’, you are likely confusing voltage and plug.
The Distinction Between Voltage and Plug
The question above is confusing by failing to distinguish between voltage and plugs.
There is no correlation between plug shape and voltage.
Korea uses a voltage of 220V simply because that is the standard in Korea, and the reason the Korean plug is shaped like a pig’s nose is merely because that particular plug design is utilized.
Being a plug with an 11 shape doesn’t mean it can only accept 110V, and conversely, being rated at 110V doesn’t mandate the use of an 11-shaped plug.
There is simply no connection between the two.
So, is there no problem if I plug an American into a Korean outlet?
Plug
The plug is simple.
Just connect a plug conversion adapter to change the appearance to a Korean plug.
However, typical conversion plugs or adapters have a maximum current of up to 6A.
Therefore, they should not be used with high-powered appliances (such as hairdryers, heaters, rice cookers, air conditioners, appliances with heating functions, etc.) as the adapter may melt or a fire may occur if the current exceeds this limit.
The adapter I use is mentioned in this post.
The issue lies with the voltage.
Voltage
The United States uses 110V, while Korea uses 220V.
There are three types of power adapters (chargers, etc.) and electronic devices.
Some support only 110V, some support only 220V, and others support both 110V and 220V.
Those that support both are commonly referred to as ‘universal voltage‘ or ‘wide range input‘ and typical examples include smartphone chargers that are not cheap.
It is crucial not to plug devices that support only 110V into a 220V outlet, as it can lead to fires or device malfunctions.
In such cases, it is essential to use a voltage transformer to convert 220V to 110V.
On the contrary, if connect a device that only supports 220V to a 110V U.S. outlet using a conversion adapter, the performance of the product will be severely compromised.
High-power devices like hairdryers, rice cookers, and electric kettles which can be bought in Korea often only support 220V, and when connected to a 110V outlet, they can only draw half the required power, resulting in more than twice the time needed for heating.
In practical terms, this means they won’t function properly.
Therefore, if you’ve purchased products like hair dryers or rice cookers in Korea, it can be challenging to use them correctly in the United States.
To address this issue, need a transformer (converter) that steps up from 110V to 220V.
These transformers are widely available, and can find and purchase them through the online market.
Look at the charger above.
Both chargers are 100-240V, 50/60Hz, universal voltage, which means can plug them into any outlet around the world without a problem as long as you change the plug shape.
The above products are slightly different.
On the left is a hair dryer, and on the right is a rice cooker that I bought in Korea.
Both products are marked as 220V~, 60Hz, so they can only be used in Korea.
If you want to use these in the States, should use the voltage transformer.
In conclusion, when connecting a product purchased in the United States to a Korean outlet, you must carefully check the rated voltage and be aware that the plug conversion adapter does not even change the voltage.