How easy is it to live in Korea? Whether you’re coming to Korea for a job or school, what are some tips that you need to make your time in Korea easier? While I haven’t been a student in Korea, I have spent the past few years working here, and here are a few tips that can help you with living in the Land of the Morning Calm. 

Learning the language

As a teacher, knowing Korean didn’t help much, but for your daily life and future plans, learning Korean can help make life easier. It’s completely possible to get around Korea without learning the language, but at a minimum, you should learn to read hangul. 

There’s plenty of online resources for learning Korean and you can check our article here for some ideas. There are also programs offered by local and national governments to help you learn as well. Try to look for the local Multicultural Family Support Center in your city. They will often provide Korean classes to help residents integrate in Korea. 

There’s also the Korean Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP) that’s aimed to get you the language support needed. The KIIP program is recommended if you want to apply for a long-term visa down the road as it will get you some of the points needed. 

If you’re wanting to attend one of the Korean universities and don’t have any Korean language skills, you can attend one of the Language Programs. These programs can last between six months up to two years depending on the program. 

Cooking at home

While delivery apps in Korea make it convenient to have food brought to your door, it can eat up a large part of your monthly budget. If you want to be able to do some more traveling around Korea, trying to cook more can be an alternative to save money. With enough planning, you can make meals fairly affordably. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, cooking can be another great way of making sure that you’re able to control your dietary needs. There is a growing number of vegetarian, vegan, and halal options in Korea, but a lot of Korean dishes (including kimchi) make use of ingredients such as fish sauce. 

Living in Korea: Getting out of Seoul 

There’s a lot to see in Korea outside of Seoul. Whether you’re wanting to try out some unique Korean dishes, experience Korean culture, or just spend the weekend at the beach, there’s a lot to see and do. You can check out some of our other articles if you need some ideas or can ask us on Instagram for some ideas on living in Korea. 

What else do you want to know about moving or living in Korea? Let us know in the comments below. We’ll be posting more articles and videos in the near future about life in Korea so stay tuned and thanks for reading.