Korea Decoded
Researched, dated guides to living in and traveling to South Korea.
Latest guides
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Getting Around
Can I Drive in Korea With a US License? Not On Its Own
A US license alone is not enough in Korea. Three documents go in the car, and the one-year clock starts when you land, not when your permit was issued.
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Money & Costs
Korea Freelance Tax: Getting the 3.3% Back in May
The 3.3% withheld from freelance pay in Korea is a deposit, not your tax. Most people paid this way are owed a refund, and a missed May stays open five years.
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Culture & Etiquette
Gyeongbokgung Free Admission: What Actually Counts as Hanbok
Free palace entry in hanbok is real, but jeans with a jeogori is not. The garment rules, the age bracket foreigners misread, and which day each palace shuts.
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Food & Dining
Drinking Age in Korea: Birth Year, Not Birthday
Korea's drinking age is 19, but the law counts your birth year, not your birthday. Plus what ID actually works, the 50% delivery rule, and park drinking.
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Working & Studying
How to Quit a Job in Korea: 30 Days Is Not the Rule
Quitting a job in Korea has no statutory notice period. Civil Act 660 and your pay cycle decide the date, and two 15-day immigration clocks start.
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Living in Korea
Where to Buy Trash Bags in Korea: Your Old Ones Still Work
Korean bin bags are only sold at designated shops, and the leftovers from your old district are not waste — two official routes make them usable again.
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Travel & Itineraries
Hallasan Reservation for Foreigners: The 3-Month Ban
Only Seongpanak reaches the summit right now, bookings open on the first business day at 9am, and the English guide leaves out the 3-month no-show ban.
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Shopping & Beauty
Your Korean Customs Code Now Expires: The 2026 Renewal
Korea put a one-year clock on personal customs codes. Yours may quietly die in 2027, the renewal window is 60 days wide, and nobody emails you about it.
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Getting Around
Speed Camera Fines in Korea: Why the Rental Company Called
Korean speed cameras fine the owner, not the driver — that's why the rental company texted you. Real amounts, the 20% discount, and paying without a Korean ID.
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Food & Dining
Korean Food Expiration Dates: Use-By Isn't What It Was
Korea swapped sell-by for use-by dates in 2023, and milk keeps the old rules until 2031. How to read all four Korean date labels before you eat past one.
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Culture & Etiquette
Attending a Korean Wedding: Gift Money and Etiquette
The invitation is a link and the lobby has an ATM for a reason. 2026 envelope amounts, the reception desk step by step, and the one colour you can't wear.
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Shopping & Beauty
Returning Things in Korea: The 7-Day Rule and Its Limits
Korean law gives online buyers seven days to walk away no matter what the seller's terms say — and gives in-store buyers almost nothing. Where the line runs.