Cost to send money from South Korea to China
Sending KRW 240,000 from South Korea to China cost 5.84% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 22 services surveyed by the World Bank. The lowest cost was 3.08% (Industrial Bank of Korea and Shinhan Bank) and the highest 9.94%. KRW 240,000 is the World Bank's standard amount for this corridor, set as the equivalent of US$200. A year earlier, in Q3 2024, the average was 5.91%.
| Average total cost (US$200 equivalent) | 5.84% |
| Average total cost (US$500 equivalent) | 3.18% |
| Average FX margin | 0.98% |
| Money transfer operators | 7.32% across 3 services |
| Banks | 5.53% across 16 services |
| Surveyed | 18 Aug 2025 to 20 Aug 2025, 11 providers |
Every service surveyed, cheapest first
Total cost is the fee plus the FX margin, as a share of KRW 240,000.
| Provider | Type | Pay by | Receive as | Speed | Fee | FX margin | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Bank of Korea | Bank | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 2 days | KRW 5,000.00 | 1.00% | 3.08% |
| Shinhan Bank | Bank | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 2 days | KRW 5,000.00 | 1.00% | 3.08% |
| Korea Post Office | Post Office | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 3-5 days | KRW 5,000.00 | 1.05% | 3.13% |
| KEB Hana Bank | Bank | Bank account transfer | Own/partner Bank account | 2 days | KRW 5,000.00 | 1.13% | 3.21% |
| Citibank | Bank | Bank account transfer | Own/partner Bank account | 2 days | KRW 8,000.00 | 1.03% | 4.36% |
| Citibank | Bank | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 2 days | KRW 8,000.00 | 1.09% | 4.42% |
| Kookmin Bank | Bank | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 2 days | KRW 8,000.00 | 1.10% | 4.43% |
| Kookmin Bank | Bank | Bank account transfer | Own/partner Bank account | 2 days | KRW 8,000.00 | 1.10% | 4.43% |
| Korea Post Office | Post Office | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 3-5 days | KRW 10,000.00 | 1.03% | 5.20% |
| MoneyGram | Money Transfer Operator | Bank account transfer | Bank account | Less than one hour | KRW 12,672.45 | 0.73% | 6.01% |
| MoneyGram | Money Transfer Operator | Bank account transfer | Cash | Less than one hour | KRW 12,671.55 | 0.73% | 6.01% |
| Woori Bank | Bank | Bank account transfer | Own/partner Bank account | 2 days | KRW 13,000.00 | 0.94% | 6.36% |
| Kookmin Bank | Bank | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 2 days | KRW 13,000.00 | 0.96% | 6.38% |
| Industrial Bank of Korea | Bank | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 2 days | KRW 13,000.00 | 0.97% | 6.39% |
| Shinhan Bank | Bank | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 2 days | KRW 13,000.00 | 0.97% | 6.39% |
| KEB Hana Bank | Bank | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 2 days | KRW 13,000.00 | 1.08% | 6.50% |
| Citibank | Bank | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 2 days | KRW 15,000.00 | 1.05% | 7.30% |
| Citibank | Bank | Bank account transfer | Own/partner Bank account | 2 days | KRW 15,000.00 | 1.05% | 7.30% |
| ICBC Korea | Bank | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 3-5 days | KRW 16,000.00 | 0.74% | 7.41% |
| ICBC Korea | Bank | Bank account transfer | Own/partner Bank account | 2 days | KRW 16,000.00 | 0.74% | 7.41% |
| Industrial Bank of Korea via Western Union | Bank / Money Transfer Operator | Bank account transfer | Bank account | Less than one hour | KRW 21,178.50 | 0.96% | 9.78% |
| Western Union | Money Transfer Operator | Cash | Cash | Less than one hour | KRW 21,190.50 | 1.11% | 9.94% |
How the cost has moved
The average was 5.87% in Q2 2016, the first quarter in this series with data for the corridor, and 5.84% in Q3 2025.
The UN target
The UN Sustainable Development Goals aim to bring the global average cost of sending remittances below 3% by 2030 and to remove corridors costing more than 5%. The World Bank measures the 5% test on the average of the three cheapest qualifying services in each corridor, not on the corridor average. source In this corridor the three cheapest services surveyed averaged 3.10% (a plain average, without the World Bank's qualifying rules).
Related
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from South Korea to China?
Sending KRW 240,000 from South Korea to China cost 5.84% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 22 services surveyed by the World Bank. The lowest cost was 3.08% (Industrial Bank of Korea and Shinhan Bank) and the highest 9.94%. KRW 240,000 is the World Bank's standard amount for this corridor, set as the equivalent of US$200. A year earlier, in Q3 2024, the average was 5.91%.
Which service cost least from South Korea to China?
In the World Bank's Q3 2025 survey the lowest total cost was 3.08% of KRW 240,000, from Industrial Bank of Korea and Shinhan Bank. Costs change with exchange rates, so check current prices with each provider.
Where Polynopsis fits
The companies surveyed here move money across borders every day, and many of them prefund payout partners in the receiving country. Polynopsis is liquidity software for those companies: one live position across their banks, payout partners and wallets, with a warning before a corridor runs dry.
Data: World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide (complete dataset, licensed CC BY 4.0). Averages and charts are worked out by Polynopsis from that dataset. Services without a US$200 quote are left out of the averages, so a few corridors differ slightly from the World Bank site. Each corridor uses the local send amount the World Bank set as the equivalent of US$200; where that amount is now worth much less than US$200, fixed fees make the percentage cost higher.
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.
About Polynopsis
Polynopsis is liquidity management software for cross-border payment companies. The name joins poly, many, and synopsis, a seeing together: one live view of money spread across many banks, payout partners, exchanges and stablecoin wallets, including money in flight, with a warning before any corridor runs dry.
Why it is called Polynopsis · About Polynopsis · Glossary · Corridor runway calculator