r/Living_in_Korea

Hello everyone!

I’m an international student who recently received an admission offer for graduate studies at Kyung Hee University. At first, I was under the impression that I’d be based on the Seoul Campus, but I’ve now realized my program will actually be at the Global Campus in Yongin.

I really like the university, its academic reputation, and my specific major, but I’m hoping to get some honest insights regarding everyday life in this area.

• How would you describe life in Yongin around the Global Campus? Is it active and fun for grad students, or more on the quiet/suburban side?
• How accessible is travel to Seoul or neighboring areas for weekend trips or socializing?
• Overall, how friendly is it for an international student living there long-term?

I'd love to hear any advice, personal experiences, or tips from anyone familiar with the campus or city. Thanks in advance!

I’m a foreign tenant in Korea and am looking for advice on how to protect myself during the remaining month of my tenancy.

I gave my landlord 3 months’ notice by text that I would be moving out. My understanding is that under the Housing Lease Protection Act, a tenant can terminate an implicitly renewed lease with 3 months’ notice. The realtor has also confirmed this. I am therefore counting my contract end date as three months from the date I gave notice. 

The landlord acknowledged my intent (on a call) when I initially gave notice. However, it has now been about two months and he has not found a replacement tenant and so is starting to get antsy. A few people have viewed the apartment, but he has raised the rent making it more expensive than comparable places nearby. Yesterday, he became particularly aggressive. He showed up at my apartment unannounced and waited outside, and later called me and repeatedly insisted that I cannot move out on the three-month date/would not receive my deposit back (KRW20m) and must stay indefinitely until he finds a replacement tenant. The call involved aggressive language and profanity directed at me. I know he has no legal basis.

He also accused me of refusing to cooperate with real-estate agents and claimed that agents told him I was not answering their calls. I have not received any calls or other contact from agents other than the original realtor. At the moment, Naver 부동산 listings appear to show the property listed through only one agent. I have been cooperative in making myself available for viewings.

There have also been ongoing issues regarding access to my apartment. He has repeatedly pressured me to give him and realtors my passcode. I refused, but he told me that he would not use it to enter because he already has a master key and could enter my apartment if he wanted to anyway. Last month, he also texted me saying that he was going to enter my apartment with the realtor and a prospective tenant without my permission. He ultimately did not do so (probably was dissuaded by the realtor), but the message was extremely concerning.

The landlord lives above me and I have also witnessed/heard about aggressive behaviour towards other tenants, including an incident where he attempted to enter a neighbour’s apartment. Given everything that has happened, I am now genuinely concerned about my safety and am temporarily staying with a friend because I no longer feel comfortable staying alone in the apartment.

I understand that there are legal procedures I can take if he does not return my deposit when the tenancy ends. I also completed the standard 전입신고, 확정일자 etc process. My question is what I can do now while there is still about one month left until the contract end-date.

A few specific questions:

• Should I make any effort to help find a replacement tenant myself, for example by posting on 당근?
• I visited the original realtor last week, who advised me to continue looking for a new place and to send the landlord another text confirming that I intend to move out on the three-month date. Given his behavior yesterday, I am concerned about how he will react if I send this message. Should I still do so? While the original text I sent about terminating the lease captured the date I sent the message, technically I did not explicitly state the exact end date (though I believe this has no bearing on my right to move out)
• Is there anything else I should be documenting or doing now, before the move-out date?

He’s a typical boomer taking advantage of a young woman living alone. I would strongly prefer to communicate exclusively via text so that there is a written record and to not be on the listening end of his abusive blowouts. But given his increasingly aggressive behavior, I am worried that explicitly telling him this could further escalate the situation.

I’m planning to visit the Seoul Global Centre on Tuesday for advice, but I’d really appreciate any thoughts. Thanks all.

Hi! I'm from Slovenia and recently graduated in Interior Design. I'm considering applying for a Master's in Space Design at Kookmin University for 2027, possibly through the GKS scholarship.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has studied at Kookmin, especially international or design students.

My biggest concern is the language barrier. How much Korean do you realistically need for classes, communicating with professors and other students, and everyday life? Would it be difficult to study there if your Korean is still at a beginner level when you arrive?

I'm also curious about accommodation – do international students usually live in university dorms or rent privately, and how difficult is it to find somewhere affordable to live?

Has anyone worked part-time while doing their Master's? Was it realistic to combine with studying, especially as an international student?

I'd also really appreciate any experiences with GKS, living costs, student life, or anything you wish you knew before moving to Korea.

Thank you! :)

In Korea, there’s a strong pressure to hit certain milestones at specific ages—college in your early 20s, landing a job by 25, marriage in your early 30s, followed by having kids. It feels like everyone is expected to keep up with the "standard" life track.
Is it really different elsewhere? Do people actually focus more on doing what they love, no matter how old they are?
Lately, I’ve realized I was living by society's rules instead of my own. I really regret talking myself out of doing things at 23, 24, 29, and 32 just because I thought I was "too old."

I was born in Korea but have lived and worked abroad for a significant part of my life. I’m currently working in finance in Korea and am fluent in both Korean and English.
I’ve worked for both Korean companies and multinational companies in Korea, but I’ve found that even some multinational companies operate much like traditional Korean companies once you’re in the Korean office.

The work itself isn’t the issue for me. It’s the workplace culture — hierarchy, 눈치, 꼰대문화, indirect communication, etc. Having spent many years working abroad, I’m more comfortable with a workplace culture based on direct communication, autonomy, and clear boundaries.

I recently met someone from Germany working in Songdo who said her company has many foreign employees, few Koreans, and uses English as the main working language. That sounds much closer to what I’m looking for.

For anyone working in Korea: How can I find companies with a genuinely international work culture, not just a multinational company with a Korean-style local office?

Any recommendations for industries, companies, recruiters, or job-search strategies would be greatly appreciated!