About

Why this site exists

Most English-language guides about Korea are written by people who spent nine days here. They tell you Gyeongbokgung is beautiful and that kimchi is spicy. They do not tell you why your foreign card was declined at the subway gate, why the hospital asked for a document you had never heard of, or which of the three delivery apps actually works without a Korean phone number.

That gap is what this site is for. Everything published here comes from having actually done the thing being described — usually badly the first time.

Who writes it

I'm Harubin. I live in South Korea. I am not a tourism board, a relocation agency, or a company. I have no partnership with any of the services mentioned on this site, and nothing here is sponsored.

When I write about a process — opening a bank account, registering an alien card, setting up a phone plan — it is because I went through it myself, took notes, and got confused in specific, documentable ways.

How these guides are written

A few rules I hold myself to:

• First-hand or clearly labelled. If I have not personally done something, I say so, and I link to the official source instead of paraphrasing it into confident-sounding fiction.
• Prices and rules carry a date. Korean fees, visa rules, and app interfaces change often. Every guide shows when it was published and when it was last verified. If something looks stale, it probably is — tell me.
• No affiliate padding. Guides are not shaped around whatever pays a commission.
• Corrections are public. When I get something wrong, I fix the article and note the update date rather than quietly editing it.

Getting in touch

Corrections, questions, and "this changed and your guide is now wrong" emails are all welcome. See the contact page.

A note on advertising

This site is free to read and is supported by display advertising. Ads never determine what gets covered or what a guide concludes. Details of how advertising cookies work are on the privacy policy page.