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Korean VIN decoder

Type a VIN below to see the maker and the model year of a car from South Korea. Then check its Korean history for free.

Try a sample:

  • Free check
  • HTML + PDF
  • English or Russian
  • Refund if no report

How a Korean VIN is built

A VIN has 17 characters, letters and digits, never I, O or Q. Cars built in South Korea start with K. The first three characters name the maker, the 10th is the model year, the 11th is the plant and the last six are the serial number.

  • 1 to 3: the maker (WMI), for example KMH for Hyundai or KNA for Kia
  • 4 to 8: model, body and engine, coded by each maker
  • 9: a check character, used mainly on cars for North America
  • 10: the model year, for example B for 2011, L for 2020, S for 2025
  • 11: the assembly plant
  • 12 to 17: the serial number

Korean maker codes

  • KMH: Hyundai, also the older Hyundai Genesis and Equus
  • KM8: Hyundai SUVs
  • KMF, KMJ: Hyundai vans and light trucks
  • KMT, KMU: Genesis
  • KNA: Kia cars
  • KND: Kia SUVs and minivans
  • KNC: Kia trucks
  • KPT, KPA: SsangYong and KG Mobility
  • KNM: Renault Korea and Renault Samsung
  • KL: Chevrolet Korea and Daewoo

Checks by brand: Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, SsangYong (KGM), Renault Korea, Chevrolet Korea.

A VIN that does not start with K

Imported brands were sold new in Korea too: BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, Toyota, Lexus and others. Their VINs start with the code of the country where they were built, for example W for Germany or J for Japan. If the car was registered and insured in Korea, it has a Korean history all the same.

Decoding is not a history check

The VIN tells you what the car is, not what happened to it. Accidents, owners, mileage and rental use are in the records, not in the VIN. The free check at the top of this page shows whether Korean records exist.

What the report shows

  • Accidents and repair costs

    Every insurance event with its date, the parts painted, repaired or replaced, and the amount paid.

  • Who paid for the repair

    Your car's insurer or the other party's: it tells you who was at fault.

  • Owners and plate numbers

    Each change of owner and of registration number, with dates. Frequent changes are a signal.

  • Mileage records

    Odometer readings from insurance events. A lower reading after a higher one is flagged.

  • Rental, taxi, business use

    Whether the car was registered for rental, commercial or government use.

  • Total loss, flood, theft

    The three events that should stop a purchase, checked in every report.

  • Specs, equipment, value

    Factory specification, safety equipment, estimated value, recall campaigns and export declarations.

Reports and prices

The free check comes first and shows which reports have records. You pay once, only for reports with records.

  • Korean Insurance History

    Official state data

    $9.90 per VIN

    Launch price $14.90 You save $5.00

    Accidents and repair costs, owners and plates, rental use, mileage, recalls, export.

  • Global Vehicle History

    $14.00 per VIN

    Launch price $19.90 You save $5.90

    Insurance auctions with photos, inspections and recorded history: damage, mileage, owners.

  • Complete report

    $19.90 per VIN

    Launch price $34.80 You save $14.90

    Korean Insurance History and Global Vehicle History

See the sample reports →

Questions

In the 10th character. The letters and digits repeat every 30 years, so B means 2011 for a modern car.

It recognises the makers of South Korea and the country of other cars. For the history of a car, use the free check.

No. The plate number can change during the life of the car; the VIN stays with it. Our check works by VIN.

Yes. The free check shows whether records exist for the VIN. You pay only for a report that has records, and a report that cannot be made is refunded automatically.

Usually within a few minutes after payment. It opens on the page and as a PDF, in English or Russian.

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