Guides
Practical guides for foreign residents — visas, bank accounts, taxes, housing, scholarships and paid creative work. Written for people who are already here, or about to be.
Life in Korea
A city- and province-run program most foreign residents never hear about covers up to 90% of hospital and surgery bills for people National Health Insurance doesn't reach yet.
6 min read
Life in Korea
Anshim-i links 110,000 Seoul CCTVs to walk you home, and it's run in English since 2022. What it does, what changed in March 2025, and how to set it up.
8 min read
Life in Korea
A free 24/7 phone line, Seoul's in-person interpreter program for surgery and hospital stays, and a Gangnam walk-in desk — what each covers and how far ahead to book.
6 min read
Life in Korea
Juminse isn't a scam text. Who actually owes Korea's flat per-person local tax, the one-year foreigner exemption, how much it is, and what happens if you miss it.
6 min read
Life in Korea
Korea's move-in report at the district office isn't the one that protects your visa status. What the separate 15-day change-of-domicile report requires, and why some guides still say 14.
6 min read
Life in Korea
Since February 2026, foreign buyers report visa status and residency days on every purchase, and most of the capital region needs a permit and two years living there first.
6 min read
Life in Korea
Gyeonggi just passed Korea's first law banning discrimination against foreign residents. What it covers, what it doesn't yet, and the free national hotline that takes a complaint from any province, in 8 languages.
6 min read
Life in Korea
다문화가족지원센터 is now 가족센터 — but it's not open to every foreigner. Who legally counts as a multicultural family, and what the free services actually cover.
6 min read
Life in Korea
Gyeonggi has more foreign residents than any other province. Since 2025 it runs its own support center and hotline — what 1661-0222 covers and who it's for.
5 min read
Life in Korea
Korean citizens get daycare fees covered automatically. Foreign families don't — coverage exists only where a city or province chose to fund it, and in 2026 the amount still depends on your address.
6 min read
Life in Korea
Global Village Centers, the Seoul Foreign Resident Center, Seoul Global Center and two more — what each one actually does, and which one is a subway ride from you.
7 min read
Life in Korea
Two address systems that both still exist, a postal code that reset in 2015, and the one form field that decides whether your delivery in Korea actually arrives.
6 min read
Life in Korea
Seoul certifies real estate offices to handle your lease in your language — how the Global Real Estate Agency program works and how to actually find one.
5 min read
Life in Korea
Four streams, one fine you don't want, and a food-waste bin that weighs what you throw away. What goes where in Korea, and what it costs to get it wrong.
8 min read
Life in Korea
The 30-day Climate Card stops taking top-ups on August 31, 2026. What the new 모두의카드 + 기후동행패스 system covers, what still works on a foreign card, and what to do first.
5 min read
Life in Korea
1345, BBB Korea, the Danuri Call Center and your city's own line — what each one actually does, in how many languages, and which to call first.
6 min read
Life in Korea
Your international driving permit expires one year after you enter Korea, not after you start driving. The rule, the fake-card trap, and how to exchange for a Korean license.
6 min read
Life in Korea
Korea's disaster alert app now covers 22 languages, up from three. What changed in June 2026, what the standard alert text does and doesn't tell you, and how to set it up before you need it.
6 min read
Life in Korea
Since January 2025 you can carry your Residence Card as a mobile ID. Who qualifies, the two paths to activate it, and what happens when you switch phones.
5 min read
Life in Korea
KIIP stopped being free in 2025. What each level costs now, who still gets it for nothing, and how finishing actually shortens your path to permanent residency or citizenship.
5 min read
Life in Korea
Every Korean visa type, answered as the questions people actually ask — which one lets you work, which one leads to permanent residence, and how people really move between them.
10 min read
Life in Korea
What to bring, which banks are easiest, and why your first account may be limited to small transfers — a step-by-step guide for foreign residents in Korea.
4 min read
Life in Korea
Foreign residents must register within 90 days of arriving in Korea. What the deadline actually counts from, what to bring, and what the card unlocks once you have it.
3 min read
Life in Korea
Most foreign residents are enrolled in Korea's NHIS automatically after six months — students sooner. How enrolment works, what it costs, and why unpaid bills follow you.
4 min read
Life in Korea
Korean leases ask for deposits far larger than most countries. What jeonse and wolse mean, and the two registrations that decide whether you get your money back.
4 min read
Life in Korea
A number in your own name unlocks banking, delivery apps and government services. Prepaid versus contract, what to bring, and why borrowing a number causes problems.
3 min read
Study in Korea
A new Ministry of Justice strategy ties your part-time permit and job-search visa length to Korean ability. What changed already, what's still a draft, and where to check.
8 min read
Study in Korea
The one page of NIIED's own GKS-U guidelines almost no explainer covers: the visa, document and withdrawal rules between your acceptance email and your flight.
6 min read
Study in Korea
NIIED's 2026 undergraduate scholarship guidelines name an exact GPA Conversion Table and two routes around it — the numbers most Global Korea Scholarship explainers skip entirely.
7 min read
Study in Korea
Korea's K-STAR track lets STEM master's and PhD graduates skip the job search for permanent residency in three years. From January 2026 it covers 27 more universities, not just 5.
7 min read
Study in Korea
Most Global Korea Scholarship explainers describe UIC or the Embassy Track. A third door — a 2-to-3-year associate degree at nine Korean colleges — still has its own country list, and almost nothing explains it.
7 min read
Study in Korea
Inside GKS-U's Embassy Track sits a third program most explainers skip entirely — 61 fully funded seats, 52 eligible countries, and one rule that throws your application out if you list the wrong kind of university.
9 min read
Study in Korea
202,208 migrant-background students are enrolled in Korean schools, up 145% since 2015. What February 2025's Ministry of Education plan funds, and where support still runs thin.
7 min read
Study in Korea
NIIED's own 2026 undergraduate scholarship guidelines, decoded: what the integrated monthly payment actually folds in, and the 90-day window that forces a full repayment.
7 min read
Study in Korea
In 2025 Gyeonggi became the sixth province in Korea to pass a dedicated international-student support ordinance. What it actually funds, who pushed it through, and how to use it.
6 min read
Study in Korea
Korea's undergraduate scholarship reopened for 2027, and the Embassy Track closes within days. The rule that excludes applicants schooled inside Korea — even foreign nationals who qualify on paper.
7 min read
Study in Korea
Korea auto-enrolls every D-2 and D-4 student in National Health Insurance. The 2026 premium, the automatic 50% student discount, and when enrollment starts.
5 min read
Study in Korea
Every GKS scholar gets a funded year of Korean class before their degree starts. Miss the level your department sets, and the scholarship itself can end.
6 min read
Study in Korea
A Ministry of Justice visa lets foreign youth raised through Korean elementary, middle and high school skip university and go straight to a job. Who qualifies, and what changed.
7 min read
Study in Korea
Most GKS guides list around 70 eligible countries and stop there. One GKS track, UIC, skips the country list entirely — full funding for a STEM degree in Korea.
5 min read
Study in Korea
Not every international student can sponsor family in Korea, and the paperwork changed twice in 2025. Who actually qualifies for F-3, what's new, and how parents fit in for grad students.
6 min read
Study in Korea
TOPIK gates a GKS exemption, a KIIP shortcut, and Korea's newest work visa — but almost nothing explains the test itself. 2026 fees, dates, formats and score bands, checked against the Ministry of Education.
8 min read
Study in Korea
Most D-2 and D-4 students never hear about Korea's Social Integration Program until they're job hunting. Why starting KIIP during your degree beats starting after, and how it actually works.
6 min read
Study in Korea
Your diploma and transcripts need to be authenticated before any Korean university or GKS committee will look at them. What apostille and consular confirmation actually require, and what changes for Vietnam in September 2026.
7 min read
Study in Korea
Korea's 2026 pilot eases D-2 rules for 16 vocational-college programs and opens a new visa into manufacturing SMEs — what qualifies and what doesn't.
6 min read
Study in Korea
Every year the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Education rank Korean universities on how they manage international students. In 2026, twenty of them lost the right to issue new student visas. What the tiers mean, and how to check yours.
5 min read
Study in Korea
Beyond the usual D-2 to E-7 route: the vocational, caregiving and research tracks Korea's government is funding in 2026, and what each one actually requires.
7 min read
Study in Korea
The Global Korea Scholarship pays tuition, flights and a monthly stipend to study in Korea. What it really covers in 2026, who gets picked, and the FAQ every applicant asks.
9 min read
Study in Korea
D-2 and D-4 students need a permit before working part-time, and the hours allowed depend on your TOPIK level. How the permit works and what happens without one.
4 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
For over a decade, an unregistered entertainment agency in Korea faced no real consequences. A 2025 audit and a hard line from the industry's own watchdog just changed that.
6 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
AdSense, an overseas brand deal, a platform payout — get paid in dollars and Korea's banking system quietly counts it toward a threshold that flags your name to the National Tax Service. What actually triggers it, and what doesn't make it go away.
7 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
For the first time in 12 years, Korea rewrote the standard contract for TV and video appearances — and widened it to cover OTT and streaming, not just broadcast.
7 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
Korea's AI Basic Act carries a ₩30 million fine, but the labeling duty mostly lands on the AI tool, not whoever posts what it made. Here's who it actually binds.
7 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
A brand pays for a sponsored video, but paying for it and owning it are different questions under Korean copyright law. What a freelance creator keeps by default, and what a contract has to say to change that.
7 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
Since 2025, Korea requires talent and entertainment agencies to send performers a written accounting statement at least once a year, unprompted. What it must contain, and who it actually covers.
6 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
Freelance creators, models and actors enroll in NHIS as local subscribers, not employees — and a 2019 rule means most pay a fixed average instead of a number based on actual income.
5 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
A brand offers you a single paid shoot and you're on a student, spouse or work visa — not E-6. Switching your whole status is overkill. Korea has a narrower permit built for exactly this, and skipping it carries a real penalty.
6 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
A brand collab where you just post is one thing. One where you take the orders yourself — a 공동구매 — quietly crosses into a separate registration, filed at your district office, not the tax office.
8 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
Korea's ad-disclosure guideline for creators has been rewritten twice since 2024 — where the label has to go, which words count, and a new rule for AI-generated faces in ads.
6 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
Regional subscribers now pay Korea's full 9.5% National Pension premium alone. Certified artists — models, actors, creators — can claim half of it back from KAWF.
6 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
Regular workers get accident insurance automatically. Freelance creators, models and actors in Korea have to apply for a separate version — and the subsidy has a visa gate most E-6 holders won't clear.
7 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
Korea's artist welfare foundation can now mediate unpaid fees and unfair contracts for creators, models and actors — and one eligibility gap worth checking first.
4 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
A 3.3% invoice looks like it can't build toward unemployment cover. A separate scheme exists just for artists, models and creators — but for most visa holders, you have to ask to be in it.
6 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
Korea requires every talent, modeling and entertainment agency to register with the government. A free lookup tells you in seconds whether yours actually did.
7 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
Before an exclusive contract, most K-pop and entertainment trainees in Korea sign a different, less-known document. What the government's standard trainee contract requires, and what changed on January 1, 2026.
6 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
An agency wants to sign you exclusively, not just book you for one gig. What Korea's government-backed standard contract actually guarantees, and where a custom one might quietly skip it.
7 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
From January 2026, changing agencies, venues or income brackets on an E-6 visa means a report to HiKorea within 15 days — filed online, not at a counter.
5 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
A campaign fee arrives with 3.3% already withheld. Whether that's the end of it, or the start of a business registration you owe, depends on one distinction.
8 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
Korean brands book foreign models and actors constantly, but paying you is a visa question first. What E-6 covers, who has to apply, and the permission most gigs actually need.
5 min read
Creator, Model, Actor in Korea
Korean brands want foreign creators — but the campaigns rarely reach you. How collaborations actually get assigned, what they pay, and how to find them from your first thousand followers.
8 min read
Earn in Korea
Korean law guarantees paid annual leave and, since 2022, paid public holidays — but not paid sick leave. What workers, EPS included, are actually owed.
8 min read
Earn in Korea
Where expats in Korea actually find paid campaigns, events, research and side gigs — and the visa check to do first, so one paid shoot doesn't cost you your status.
7 min read
Earn in Korea
Korea's Ministry of Justice sets a new minimum salary for every E-7 work visa type each year. The 2026 floor for E-7-1 through E-7-4, checked against the official notice, and what happens if your offer falls short.
4 min read
Earn in Korea
Korea's F-2-R regional specialization visa offers foreign students and workers a path to residency for living and working outside Seoul. What it actually requires, checked against the Ministry of Justice.
5 min read
Earn in Korea
Korea picked 24 universities to train international students as licensed caregivers, with a pilot path from a D-2 study visa to an E-7 job. What it actually requires.
6 min read
Earn in Korea
Korea folded the H-2 visiting-employment visa into F-4 on Feb 12, 2026. What overseas Koreans can and can't work now, and the one regional exception.
6 min read
Earn in Korea
Korea set its 2026 E-8 seasonal worker quota at 109,100, up 14.1%. A new specialized institution now runs the legal side, and the marriage-migrant invite route just got a lot smaller.
7 min read
Earn in Korea
Korea cut the 2026 EPS E-9 quota by 38%, to 80,000. The sector breakdown, the mid-year rounds, and what it changes if you're already working here.
6 min read
Earn in Korea
Korea's Employment Permit System caps how many times E-9 and H-2 workers can change jobs, and missing one deadline can mean a forced departure.
7 min read
Earn in Korea
Korea's F-2-T Top-Tier visa fast-tracks AI, robotics, chip and research talent to permanent residency in 3 years, with a 50% income tax cut.
6 min read
Earn in Korea
Korea's National Tomorrow Learning Card pays for vocational courses, but E-9, E-7, F-4 and H-2 holders are shut out. Who actually qualifies, and how to apply.
6 min read
Earn in Korea
Work at a business with under 10 people? Korea's Durunuri program covers up to 90% of your national pension and employment insurance. Here's how it actually works.
6 min read
Earn in Korea
Korea runs a 33,000-slot points system that converts E-9, E-10 and H-2 workers into a long-term E-7-4 visa — with family rights E-9 never had. How the points work, and what changed in June 2026.
9 min read
Earn in Korea
Korea cut its regional work-visa quotas, added spouse work rights and a student-to-E-7 track. What the 2027–28 metropolitan visa overhaul actually means for you.
6 min read
Earn in Korea
Korea forces employers to save 8.3% of wages toward a payout for departing E-9 and H-2 workers. How to actually claim it — even years after you've already left.
6 min read
Earn in Korea
Employment insurance splits foreign residents into three coverage tiers by visa, and even being insured doesn't guarantee a payout. The 2026 numbers, and how to actually claim.
6 min read
Earn in Korea
Korea's industrial accident insurance pays out for injuries at work regardless of visa status or whether your employer registered you. What it covers, and how to claim it.
6 min read
Earn in Korea
Most foreign residents pay into Korea's National Pension without realizing it. Who can claim it back as a lump sum when they leave, what changed in 2026, and how to actually get paid.
8 min read
Earn in Korea
Any worker with a year of service qualifies for 퇴직금 — Korean or foreign, employee or not a manager. How it's calculated, and why departing workers get paid differently.
7 min read
Earn in Korea
Korea gives every wage claim a 3-year window and a government fund that pays when your employer can't. How to report unpaid wages, and what EPS workers get automatically.
6 min read
Earn in Korea
The 2026 minimum wage is 10,320 won an hour. What that means monthly, which deductions come out of your pay, and how to check you are being paid correctly.
4 min read
Earn in Korea
Every February, Korean employers reconcile the tax withheld from your salary. What foreign workers need to submit, and how the 19% flat rate option works.
4 min read
Earn in Korea
Remittance from Korea is cheap and fast if you use the right channel. Bank versus specialist transfer services, the documents banks ask for, and the annual limits.
4 min read