Your practical guide to living in Korea.
Plain-language help with visas, jobs, housing, taxes, and Korean life.
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The guides we've published most recently, plus the latest weekly brief. Check back here for the latest.
Latest weekly brief · Jun 14
The KOSPI's worst day of the year triggered a circuit breaker. Here is what drove it.
New · Jun 18Sending Money Home from Korea: Banks, Apps, and the Fees That Eat Your Transfer
How to send money abroad from Korea as a foreign resident: annual limits, the two channels (banks vs. licensed apps), how to compare real costs, and which corridor apps to check first.
New · Jun 18Teaching English in Korea: EPIK, Hagwon, and University Jobs (2026)
How to teach English in Korea on an E-2 visa. Honest comparison of EPIK public schools, hagwons, and universities: eligibility, salaries, benefits, contracts, and what to watch out for.
New · Jun 17The F-3 Dependent Visa: Bringing Your Family to Korea (2026)
How to bring your spouse and children to Korea on an F-3 accompanying dependent visa. Eligibility, the 2025 rule changes, income thresholds, work rights, and step-by-step application.
New · Jun 17Korea by the Numbers: Who Actually Lives Here in 2026
A plain-language demographic portrait of foreign residents in Korea: how many, where they are from, where they live, and what the numbers mean for your daily life here.
New · Jun 14Korean News Media Decoded: How to Tell the Conservative and Progressive Outlets Apart (2026)
Which Korean newspapers lean conservative or progressive, how broadcast ownership shapes the news, and which English-language outlets to read for what, so you can make sense of Korean media as a foreign resident.
New · Jun 13Korean Spa and Jjimjilbang Decoded: What Every Foreign Resident Should Know (2026)
The neighborhood bathhouse (목욕탕) and the jjimjilbang (찜질방) are two different venues that foreign residents often conflate. This guide explains the difference, the unspoken rules, the body-scrub ritual, and how to make your first visit work.
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The guides getting the most reader attention in the last 30 days, by unique visitors.
Korea National Health Insurance (NHIS) Guide for Foreign Residents
How Korea's National Health Insurance works for foreigners, who is covered, the 6-month wait rule, how to enroll as an employee or freelancer, dependent enrollment, what's covered, and what to do if you're not yet eligible.
#2TOPIK: A Practical Guide for Foreign Residents in Korea
What TOPIK is, what the six levels mean, and how to verify the current schedule, fees, and institution-specific rules before using a score in Korea.
#3How to Register for TOPIK in Korea and Abroad
Official-source checklist for TOPIK registration: 2026 dates and fees, Korea vs. overseas registration, ID and photo rules, test-day basics, and score release.
#4D-2 Student Visa in Korea: The 2026 Guide for Foreign Degree-Seeking Students
Your full guide to Korea's D-2 student visa: which universities can sponsor you, financial proof requirements, the post-arrival document chain, part-time work rules by TOPIK level, the 2025 F-3 dependent changes, and the paths from D-2 to D-10, E-7, K-STAR, and F-2.
#5Korea's Employment Permit System (EPS): How It Works, Who It Admits, and What Happens After (2026)
Korea's Employment Permit System (고용허가제) recruits workers from 17 countries into manufacturing, agriculture, fisheries, construction, and services. This guide covers the full application pipeline, the EPS-TOPIK exam, your rights after arrival, the Sincere Worker re-entry program, and the only legal path to staying longer.
#6Korean Child Benefits for Foreign Residents: What Is Officially Confirmed
A source-tight guide to Korean child benefits for foreign-resident families: Child Allowance, Parental Allowance, daycare support, Seoul and Gyeonggi foreign-child daycare programs, pregnancy voucher, delivery copay changes, and First Meeting Voucher rules.
Tools · 23 calculators
Tools that do the work for you
Calculators, checkers, and builders for foreign residents in Korea.
FinancesBenefits checker (what can I claim in Korea?)
Tell us your visa, income, housing, and family situation. We list the Korean benefits you may be eligible to claim: pension refunds, EPS departure insurance, rent tax credit, and more. Free, anonymous, primary-source verified.
JobsKorean resume (이력서) builder
Generate a Korean-format resume with the fields employers actually expect: photo placeholder, visa status, TOPIK level, Korean and English name. Live preview, print to PDF.
VisasF-5 permanent residency readiness checker
Find out if you qualify for Korean permanent residency. Covers the 4 most common F-5 pathways and tells you exactly what's missing. Income tied to current GNI.