How to legit check Korean Pokemon cards | KrystalKollectz

Instagram @KrystalKollectz 
Youtube Channel KrystalKollectz 
Contact: krystalkollectz@gmail.com

Origin
Korean Pokémon cards were first printed in the United States in 1999 by Wizards of the Coast and were printed in the same card quality as Western releases. The only difference was the language, of course. Korean Pokémon cards featured Hangul / 한글 characters instead of the English alphabet.  



Korean Base Set pack 
Printed in the United States 

In 2003, Korean Pokémon cards interestingly featured Japanese card backs. This can be seen in cards from EX Ruby & Sapphire, also known in Korean as 제1탄 확장 팩 (First Expansion Pack). 

See the language comparison below displaying Pokémon in different Asian languages: 

🇰🇷 Pokémon in Korean = 포켓몬스터 (Hangul) 
🇯🇵 Pokémon in Japanese = ポケモン (Katakana) 
🇹🇭 Pokémon in Thai (Thailand) =  โปเกมอน (Thai script)
🇨🇳 Pokémon in Simplified Chinese = 宝可梦 
🇹🇼 🇭🇰 Pokémon in Traditional Chinese = 寶可夢
🇮🇳 Pokémon in Hindi = पोकेमॉन 
🇮🇩 Pokémon in Indonesian = same as English lol 

1. Card Numbering.. it's not sus (I promise)
No, you have not pulled an error card. Nor is it fake. Card numbering is a topic that concerns a lot of people when first pulling a trainer or supporter card in Korean as the numbering may slightly differ from the Japanese version. Please see the example below:

Example - Fight Gong - Mega Brave / M1L

Korean card number - 060/063 | Left
Japanese card number - 059/063 | Right

2. Card Quality
Korean Pokémon cards feature unique card stock as Pokémon Korea print cards in their own printing facility (in South Korea 🇰🇷). This is separate from the other Asian-language Pokémon releases that are printed in Japan 🇯🇵 and share the same card quality (this includes S-Chinese 🇨🇳, T-Chinese 🇹🇼🇭🇰, Indonesian 🇮🇩 & Thai 🇹🇭 Pokémon cards). Korean Pokémon cards slightly resemble English / International Pokemon card quality but still have some differences, such as color saturation and overall card stock feel/smell (e.g. Korean Pokémon cards do not have that noticeable odor observed from English Pok émon cards). If you have any Korean Pokémon cards in your personal collection that you especially treasure, I highly recommend storing them in a top loader or binder as they tend to warp during the summer time from high humidity. You'll notice that the cards can sometimes bend so much that they can stand up on their own (which is not ideal, obviously). 

I like to call these K(c)urvy Korean cards :)  

3. Packaging/Sealing
Over the years, Korean Pokémon booster boxes have consistently changed its packaging. Once dissociating from the Wizards of The Coast, Pokémon Korea decided to remove shrink wrap from booster boxes and instead sealed them with just a single piece of plastic tape - at least from Black & White era up until the Sun & Moon Era.

During the Sword & Shield era, all Korean Pokémon booster boxes were sealed with shrink wrap (not containing any logos).

In the Scarlet & Violet era, you'll notice that the booster boxes no longer have shrink wrap once again for some releases. Instead, these booster boxes are sealed with a rip tab and tape. This type of packaging was seen from Scarlet ex & Violet ex up until the first High Class set of this era, Shiny Treasure ex / 샤이니트레저 ex. Even the Special Set, Pokémon 151 / 포켓몬 카드 151, had this type of packaging. Some booster boxes might also feature a "tamper-proof" void sticker on the bottom - but not always.

However, shrink wrap reappeared on Korean Pokémon booster boxes with the release of Wild Force & Cyber Judge (the two sets that comprise Temporal Forces) in early 2024. This shrink wrap at this point still has no logo. This changes again with the next release, Crimson Haze / 크림슨헤이즈 - which is part of the English release, Twilight Masquerade. The shrink wrap at this point now has the  "Pokémon Card Game" logo repeatedly printed on all over it in a repeated pattern, which contrasts from the Pokeball logo we see all over the English Pokémon booster box shrink wrap. This type of shrink wrap continues to be used up until present day.

My unboxing video of Glory of Team Rocket / 로켓단의 영광 serves a good example of what to expect from a 2025 Scarlet & Violet Korean Pokémon booster box. 



4. Pull rates are VERY different 
If you have seen any of my Korean Pokémon Opening videos on Youtube (KrystalKollectz), you'll often hear me mention that "the secret rare is not guaranteed". A lot of people love to dispute this topic in the comments section of my videos since they likely have not seen a "no-Secret Rare box" for themselves. But I can assure you, there are videos on my Youtube channel that display Korean Pokémon booster boxes without a secret rare pull. This occurred more frequently in the Black & White, XY and Sun & Moon eras than in the more recent eras. But I occasionally still come across the odd box with no secret rare pull. If you are streaming a rip & ship / box break of Korean Pokémon booster boxes, please consider informing buyers that the secret rare is not guaranteed to avoid any issues. Over the years, I have received many emails from people claiming that their Korean Pokémon booster box was "tampered" with. In reality, they just got unlucky by receiving a booster box without a secret rare. You may see trusted eBay sellers hit with negative reviews from buyers because of this mindset. 

Example of a NO Secret Rare box - watch here 

5. Can you grade Korean Pokémon cards?
Yes, you can grade Korean Pokémon cards with well-known grading companies such as PSA , CGC , Beckett & ACE. Who you decide to grade with depends on your personal preference. Due to cheaper card quality, it can be sometimes difficult for Korean Pokémon cards to score a 10. If you wanted my opinion, I personally recommend grading Korean Pokémon cards with PSA as it will be easier to get a higher grades than with other companies that have harsher grading criteria. Also, since PSA has graded many Korean Pokémon cards over the years, this has naturally built up their multi-language Pokémon card database. Having many different Korean Pokémon cards stored in their archive will make the grading process a little easier for many and minimize unwanted errors (such as having the wrong language printed on the label). Some grading companies are still adjusting to grading non-English cards and unfortunately, this may show when the label of a graded card displays the wrong language or name. This has sadly happened to me a couple of times when grading with CGC and BGS.      

And that's why, I recommend PSA. Be sure to also use my discount code (KOLLECTZ25) for 10% off your first PSA grading submission ;) 

6. Why are Korean Pokémon Boxes cheaper? 🍕
A combination of inferior card quality and the lack of a guaranteed Secret Rare pull accounts heavily for the affordable cost of Korean Pokémon cards relative to other languages of Pokémon cards. To help you understand this comparison, let's envision Korean Pokémon cards as a Dollar Pizza (that's been sitting around for awhile) and Japanese Pokémon cards as a freshly-made brick oven pizza. Both taste good, but you really notice the difference in quality when having a slice of each side-by-side 🍕. 

Basically, Japanese Pokémon cards dominate in terms of quality, but Korean Pokémon cards win in terms of affordability.  

7. My booster box doesn't have advert cards.. Is it fake? 
Ironically, it's easier to find fake European Pokémon booster boxes than fake Korean Pokémon booster boxes. Some people believe that the advertisement (advert) cards indicate whether a Korean Pokémon booster box is "authentic" or "fake". However, The advert cards tend to be randomly inserted, usually in the first print run (aka pre-release booster boxes). In other words, some Korean Pokémon booster boxes will have adverts and some won't - but this doesn't explicitly determine if a booster box is real or fake. 

8. Should I Invest In Korean Pokemon cards? 🥴
This is a very frequently asked question from American viewers of my Youtube channel. Every time someone asks this question, I just advise them not to invest. The market is almost non-existent when it comes to looking for "accurate" Korean Pokémon card single pricing as print quality is also inferior to Japanese Pokémon cards. I think it's best to collect Korean Pokémon boxes & cards for fun if you can't get the Japanese or English versions or if you personally prefer Korean Pokémon releases above all else.

Since you made it this far, why not subscribe to my Youtube channel to learn more?

- Krystal

Instagram @KrystalKollectz 
Youtube Channel KrystalKollectz 
Contact: krystalkollectz@gmail.com