Korea guides for expats
From finding your first apartment to setting up banking, healthcare, and everyday life. Plain English, based on Korean law.
The essentials for your first weeks, from landing to settled.
How to apply for your Alien Registration Card (ARC) in Korea, which immigration office to visit, what documents to bring, and what to do while you wait.
Step-by-step guide to opening a bank account in Korea as a foreigner. Which banks accept expats, what documents you need, and how to avoid common rejections.
How to get a Korean phone plan as a foreigner, prepaid SIM cards, monthly contracts, name registration requirements, and which carrier to choose.
Jeonse is Korea's unique deposit-only lease system. Learn how it works, what the risks are, and how to protect your deposit.
How Korea's National Health Insurance works for foreigners, who is covered, the 6-month wait rule, what's covered, how to enroll, and what to do if you're not yet eligible.
How to find English-speaking doctors and clinics in Korea. Seoul and outside Seoul. International clinics, how to navigate Korean hospitals, and what NHIS covers.
Free calculators to take the guesswork out of Korean housing.
Jeonse, wolse, deposits, and scams. Explained before you sign anything.
What happens at the end of a Korean lease, how to get your deposit returned, what landlords can deduct, and what to do if they refuse to pay.
Jeonse is Korea's unique deposit-only lease system. Learn how it works, what the risks are, and how to protect your deposit.
Jeonse and wolse deposit fraud is a real risk in Korea. Learn the most common scam types, the five checks to run before signing, and how to protect your deposit.
A complete checklist of documents you need to rent an apartment in Korea as a foreigner, what to prepare, what to verify, and what to sign.
Wolse is Korea's monthly rent system. Learn how deposits work, what's typical to pay in each district, and whether wolse or jeonse is better for your situation.
Seoul districts, Busan, and beyond. Where expats actually live.
Planned new town, family-oriented, tech hub, green spaces, quieter suburban feel
₩800K/mo · Wolse
Moderate foreigner-friendliness
Coastal city, beaches, mountains, seafood, relaxed pace, tight expat community
₩400K/mo · Wolse
Moderate foreigner-friendliness
Upscale corporate hub, luxury apartments, international schools, polished streetscape
₩750K/mo · Wolse
Moderate foreigner-friendliness
Upscale residential, embassy row, international community, walkable to Itaewon
₩800K/mo · Wolse
High foreigner-friendliness
University energy, indie art scene, affordable rents, AREX airport link
₩500K/mo · Wolse
Moderate foreigner-friendliness
Billions of won in jeonse deposits have been lost to fraud in Korea. Many renters lose their deposits because the warning signs aren't obvious. These three resources will protect you.
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