Receiving three of five items is alarming and usually mundane. Orders split for several ordinary reasons, and the missing portion is normally in transit rather than gone. The diagnostic steps are quick and worth doing before assuming the worst.
Why orders split
Different items dispatching from different Korean sellers on different dates. Weight or size limits forcing a box to be divided. Items pulled from a shipment because one of them was refused for air transport. And pre-orders shipping separately from in-stock items by design. Each of these produces a partial arrival with no notification unless you look.
Confirming what shipped
Every consolidated shipment should have a contents list generated before dispatch. Compare that list against what arrived, not against your original order. If the missing items are absent from the shipment list, they were never in the box and are still in Korea. If they are on the list and not in the box, that is a different and more serious problem.
If the items were never dispatched
This is the common case and the easy one. The items are either still awaiting arrival from the seller or were held back for a specific reason such as a battery restriction or an oversize issue. Ask which, because a held-back item may need a different shipping method rather than simply more time.
If the items were on the manifest
Photograph the box and its contents immediately, including the packing material, before removing anything further. A shortage against a manifest is a claim, and the evidence standards are the same as for damage: exterior photos, layer-by-layer unpacking, and a prompt report. Report within 24 to 48 hours, since shortage claims have short windows.
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Do split shipments cost more?
Yes, since each box carries its own base cost. Where a split was avoidable, it is worth asking why it happened, because it usually indicates something was dispatched before consolidation completed.
Can I ask for the rest to be held?
Yes, and it is often sensible. If a large portion of your order is still pending, holding the remainder for a single second shipment beats three small ones.
What if a small item is missing from a retail box?
That is a seller issue rather than a shipping one, and it needs to be raised with the store. This is exactly what pre-dispatch inspection is for, since it catches short-packed retail boxes while a remedy is still practical.