Guides
Long-form explanations of the systems that actually affect your life in Korea. 28 articles, all written in English from Korean primary sources.
Visas
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The F-2-7 points system explained — all 170 points
A complete walkthrough of Korea's F-2-7 points-based residence visa: why annual income is worth 60 of the 170 points, what each category is really worth, who is eligible to apply, and the quota nobody mentions.
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How to close an F-2-7 points gap — routes ranked by return
A costed, ranked plan for closing an F-2-7 points gap: why an income band beats a qualification, what each route actually takes, and a twelve-month schedule.
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D-10 to E-7 in Korea — the full conversion process
Converting a D-10 job seeker visa to an E-7 work visa: the documents from both sides, realistic timings, the employer conditions that cause refusals, and what to do if the two-year D-10 ceiling is approaching.
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E-7 visa requirements explained — including employer tests
What the E-7 skilled worker visa actually requires: the occupation code system, the degree-or-experience test, the income floor, and the employer conditions that cause most refusals.
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Korean permanent residence (F-5) — every route explained
How to get F-5 permanent residence in Korea: the main sub-categories and how they differ, the residence, income and language requirements, and the realistic timeline from arrival.
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The F-6 marriage visa in Korea — step by step
Getting and keeping an F-6 marriage migrant visa: registering the marriage in both countries, the sponsor income test, the communication requirement, renewals, and the route to F-5.
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Part-time work on a Korean student visa — D-2 and D-4 rules
How part-time work permits work for students in Korea: the hour caps tied to your TOPIK level, how to apply, which jobs are excluded, and what happens if you work without permission.
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TOPIK or KIIP — which is worth more for a Korean visa?
A direct comparison of TOPIK and the Social Integration Program for visa purposes: points awarded, time and cost, and which one to choose depending on your goal.
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Apostille and document legalisation for Korean visa applications
Why Korean immigration rejects an untreated degree certificate or police check, the difference between an apostille and consular legalisation, who issues each one, and the order to do it in so nothing expires while you wait.
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Booking a Korean immigration appointment and surviving the visit
How the HiKorea reservation system works, why Seoul offices book out weeks ahead, which offices handle which districts, what to bring, and what to do when no slot exists before your visa expires.
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Reporting changes to Korean immigration — address, job and passport
The reporting duties that attach to every residence card in Korea: moving house, changing employer, renewing a passport and leaving temporarily. What each deadline is, where each report is filed, and why missed reports surface years later in an F-2-7 or F-5 application.
Tax
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Korea's 19% flat tax for foreigners — is it worth electing?
A detailed analysis of the flat-rate tax election for foreign workers in Korea: what it costs you in lost deductions, where the crossover really sits, and the three situations where it wins.
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Korean year-end tax settlement for foreigners — 연말정산
How Korea's year-end tax settlement works for foreign employees: the February deadline, which deductions you can actually claim, the credit card rule, and what to do if you leave mid-year.
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Korean national pension lump-sum refund — who can claim
How to reclaim your Korean National Pension contributions when you leave: which nationalities qualify, how much you get back, claiming before or after departure, and the documents needed.
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How to read a Korean payslip — every line explained
What each deduction on a Korean 급여명세서 actually is, the 2026 employee contribution rates for pension, health, long-term care and employment insurance, why your income tax line is only an estimate, and how to check your employer has it right.
Health
Money
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Opening a Korean bank account as a foreigner — bank by bank
Which Korean banks work best for foreign residents, why your first account is transfer-limited, how to get the limit lifted, and what documents each bank asks for.
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Sending money out of Korea — limits, documents and costs
How to transfer money from Korea abroad as a foreign resident: the annual limit without proof of income, which documents lift it, and how banks compare with licensed transfer operators.
Housing
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Jeonse explained — Korea's deposit-instead-of-rent system
A full explanation of jeonse: how paying a huge deposit instead of monthly rent works, why it exists, what happens when it goes wrong, and the four checks that protect your money.
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Wolse or jeonse — which Korean rental system to choose
A direct comparison of Korea's two rental systems for foreign residents: real costs, deposit risk, what you need to qualify, and how to find and secure a place.
Daily life
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Korean addresses explained — road names and romanization
How the Korean road-name address system works, how to convert an address to English correctly, why Jong-ro is not Jongno on a street sign, and how to fill in a Western checkout form.
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Exchanging a foreign driving licence in Korea, by country
Which countries can exchange a driving licence for a Korean one, the embassy verification step, the written test, and what to do if your country has no arrangement.
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Your ARC number and why Korean websites still reject you
How the foreign registration number is structured, why real-name verification blocks foreigners from Korean apps and sites, which verification methods actually work on a foreign registration number, and what to do when none of them do.
Work
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Finding a job in Korea as a foreigner — where to look
A practical guide to the Korean job market for foreign professionals: which job boards work, what a Korean CV looks like, the visa question employers actually care about, and how interviews run.
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Reading a Korean employment contract as a foreigner
What to check in a Korean employment contract before signing: statutory minimums you cannot waive, severance, working hours, probation clauses, and the terms that affect your visa.
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Severance pay and annual leave in Korea — what you are owed
Korean severance pay is a statutory entitlement, not a bonus: how the 30-days-per-year rule works, why average wage rather than base salary decides the amount, how annual leave accrues in the first year, and what to do when an employer refuses to pay.
Arrival
Business
How these are written
Every guide below starts from the Korean text of the rule — a ministerial notice, a statute, a public-body 고시 — rather than from an English summary of it. That matters more than it sounds. The English-language material on Korean immigration and tax is mostly translated once, then copied sideways for years, so a figure that changed in February is still being quoted in December by a dozen sites that all cite each other. Reading the notice removes that lag, and it is the one advantage available to someone who reads Korean.
What that buys you is a date. Each guide states when it was last checked and links the authority that issues the number, so you can see for yourself whether it has moved since. Where a figure is recalculated annually from something else — the permanent-residence income floor is twice GNI per capita, not a fixed amount — the guide says so, because knowing the formula outlives knowing this year's answer. Where I have been wrong, the corrections log says what was wrong and what settled it.
Where to start
These are long. Nobody reads 28 of them, and you should not try. Four entry points cover almost everyone:
- You have just landed. Registration card, bank account, phone number — in that order, because each one gates the next. The arrival guide explains why the chain runs that way and what to do while you wait for the card.
- You are changing status. Start with the visa you want rather than the one you hold. The points-based and skilled-worker guides set out what the category actually requires, including the employer-side conditions that cause most refusals and never appear on the applicant's checklist.
- It is tax season. Year-end settlement runs in February and most foreign employees under-claim it. Read that one first, then the flat-rate election — which looks generous and, below a fairly high salary, is not.
- You are leaving. Pension refund, deposit recovery, early settlement and account closure have an order, and getting it wrong costs money that is difficult to recover from outside the country.
What a guide will not do
None of this is legal or tax advice, and no page here can tell you what a particular officer will do with a particular file. Korean immigration practice carries real discretion: regional offices apply quotas, interpret marginal cases differently, and occasionally ask for a document no published list mentions. The guides say where that discretion sits, which is the useful thing — knowing that a rule is firm and a threshold is negotiable changes what you spend your effort on.
They also stop at the point where your own circumstances take over. A guide can tell you that severance is calculated on average wage rather than base salary; it cannot tell you whether your bonus counts, because that depends on your contract. Where a question turns on your papers, the guide names the office or helpline that can answer it and what to ask them, rather than guessing on your behalf.