How to register with Interpark.com (airplane tickets and online shopping)

Here are steps foreigners can use to register with Interpark.com. Please be aware that, when ordering plane tickets, you cannot pay online. Rather you book the tickets online and will receive a phone call confirming your purchase and giving you payment information. Too many people have bitched to me about that, as if I recommended that policy to Interpark in the first place.

1) On the main page, click on 로그인 (login). You'll see a string of words/tabs on the top of the page, and 로그인 is on the left.

2) Since you don't have a name or a password, click the left tab under the password box labeled "회원가입."

3) After clicking you'll have a license agreement in front of you. Under each section you'll need to click the button "동의함" for "agree." At the bottom of the agreement is a spot for your name (고객명) and your ID number. You will input your name and the ID number on your ARC. Your name should be as it appears on the ARC (not case sensitive, though), and your ID number should be 13 letters if you're not a Korean citizen: 123456-1234567. Then click 확인.

4) If everything checks out, you'll now see an information page. In a box to the right of your name is a place for a login ID. Pick something. Then, you'll have your ID number. Below that is the spot for your address. This is a little tricky. Click on the box and you'll have a pop-up. In the pop-up you'll have a menu with "우편번호" (mail number), "동" (ward) "군구" (county or district) and "도시" (city). You'll use one of these tabs to find your mail number. My address is quite short, so this is what I did: I selected 군구 and typed in 강진. Then I got a list with a ton of administrative divisions. I found mine (동성리, which is the next spot in my address). That's all you're looking for: the next spot in your address. Then, in the next box you can type in additional pieces of your address.

5) Below the address are two spots for the telephone: first is "home number," next is cellphone. I just put in my cellphone for both, as I don't have a landline. Next it asks if you want to be receive SMS notification with your order information. The one below that asks if you want to be notified via SMS of sales, events, and such. Click 수신 for yes (수신하다 = to receive a message), or 비수신 for no.

6) Next, pick a secret number (비밀번호). Type it again. Below that you'll see a series of "hints." Choose one, and in the box to the right, type in the prompt that you'll receive via email.

7) Next, type in your email address. Type in the first part first, then select the domain name. Below you'll see four boxes, and it's asking you if you want to be notified of: shopping information, movies, CDs and DVDs, and travel. 수신 for yes, 비수신 for no.

8) Below that is a space for another address: this is where they'll send the stuff. If you want your home address to be used, retype in your 우편번호.

9) Next is business phone number. If you choose to have stuff sent to your school, maybe type in the number of the receptionist. If not, you can use your cellphone.

10) Next is birthday, and it's asking you if you're using the solar (양력) or lunar (음력) calendar. Chances are you're solar.

11) Next is marital status. 미혼 is single, 기혼 is married. You can enter in your spouse's information, if you wish. 배우자 is "spouse," and there's a slot for his/her birthday.

12) Next is information about your career (직업), salary (월평균소득) and number of children (자녀수). To the right of salary is a menu for the highest level of education completed. 대졸 is for university, 대학원 이상 is for graduate school. Below that is information about your vehicle. But, you can leave all of those boxes blank, if you wish.

13) If you've forgotten anything, a pop-up will show you where. You'll also get a confirmation email . . . hang on to it.

14) If you want to browse flights, click the 여행 tab at the top.

Again, be aware that you can't pay for tickets online. I pulled this post from waygook.org because I got too many complaints---from people who can't navigate the site themselves, go figure---that it was misleading, so I decided to leave them to their own devices. Anyway, what will happen is you'll book the tickets and will get a phone call a short time after. If you don't answer the phone you'll get a text message with an account name (a jumble of letters like "adsfjal").

Also, be aware that the prices for airplane tickets do not include tax.

I'm not big into internet shopping, but if you are you can find a lot of good deals on interpark. There are various coupons available, and a point card program, too. They even have a decent selection of English-language books. Interpark is also often used for concert tickets, so it might be handy to have an account just in case.