Your practical guide to living in Korea.
Step-by-step help with visas, jobs, housing, taxes, Korean language, and a weekly briefing on Korea.
Most read this month
What other foreign residents are reading right now
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.
#2
TOPIK: 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.
Start with what you need
Jump straight to the topic you came here for.
Need healthcare
Find doctors who speak your language. NHIS, ER, pharmacy.
Take me thereStudying for TOPIK
Levels, registration, what each level unlocks.
Take me thereLooking for work
Job platforms, EPS, hagwon contracts, sponsorship.
Take me thereLooking for an apartment
Jeonse vs wolse, deposits, lease docs, scams.
Take me thereJust arrived
ARC, bank, SIM, NHIS, your first weeks in order.
Take me thereSorting out my visa
E-9, F-2, F-4, F-6, EPS. Which fits and how to find work.
Take me thereTools · 22 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.