Korea, made simple.
Clear, no-nonsense guides and free tools for foreigners living in or traveling to South Korea — from your first week to everyday life.
Guides
Written for real situations, not tourist brochures.
📥 Free downloads: Korea Trip Checklist · Seoul 3-Day Itinerary · Survival Korean Card (PDF) — print them or save to your phone.
🧳 Getting started
Korea itinerary (3·5·7 days)
How many days you need, and exactly how to spend them — with routes.
Your first week in Korea
SIM card, T-money, banking, registration — the exact order to do things.
SIM, eSIM & internet
eSIM vs SIM vs pocket WiFi, and why SMS verification matters.
Where to stay
Neighborhood picks and every room type from hanok to jjimjilbang.
Seasons & packing
Monsoon July, minus-10 winters — what each season needs in your bag.
Cherry blossoms & foliage
When Korea's blossoms bloom and autumn leaves peak — and the best spots.
Apps you actually need
Google Maps won't cut it — Naver Map, Papago, Kakao T and why.
🚇 Getting around & out
Getting around
Subway, buses, taxis and the apps that actually work for foreigners.
Day trips from Seoul
DMZ, Nami, Suwon, Bukhansan — ranked by effort vs payoff.
Visiting the DMZ
DMZ vs JSA, how to book, passport rules, and what you'll actually see.
Incheon Airport → Seoul
AREX express vs all-stop, buses and taxis — compared with prices and times.
KTX & Korail Pass
How to book Korean trains, and the honest math on when the pass pays off.
Everland vs Lotte World
Korea's two big theme parks compared — rides, access, tickets, weather plans.
🗺️ City guides
Seoul
Neighborhoods decoded, the palaces worth it, and a 3-day shape.
Busan
Beaches, Gamcheon village, Jagalchi market — and the two dishes to eat.
Jeju Island
Hallasan, Seongsan sunrise peak, Udo — and the rental-car truth.
Gyeongju
Royal tomb mounds, Bulguksa, night ponds — Korea's ancient capital.
Jeonju
Korea's largest hanok village and the home of bibimbap — a food capital.
Gangneung
East Sea beaches, seaside coffee street, and sunrises — 2 hours by KTX.
💳 Money & shopping
Money & payments
Cards vs cash, exchanging money, and avoiding the "pay in your currency" trap.
Shopping in Korea
Best districts, what to buy, outlets, opening hours, and the tax refund.
Tax refund & shopping
Get the 10% VAT back — instant in-store refunds and the airport process.
K-beauty shopping
Olive Young, what's worth it, rough prices, and the tax refund.
What Koreans buy (live)
Real-time K-beauty & health bestsellers — know what to look for in store.
🍚 Food & culture
What to eat
What to order, what it costs, and how to survive the spice — no fear.
Street food
Tteokbokki to hotteok — what to try, the best markets, and how to pay.
Cafe culture
Themed cafes, what to order, prices, and the best neighborhoods.
Traditional culture
Hanbok rental, templestay, and the palaces worth your time.
Hanbok rental
Prices near Gyeongbokgung, free palace entry, and the best photo spots.
Nightlife
Hongdae to noraebang — where to go, what it costs, and staying safe.
Etiquette & customs
Shoes off, two hands, drinking culture — the few things that matter.
Jjimjilbang 101
Korean saunas explained — bath etiquette, the sheep-head towel, and sleeping there overnight.
Survival Korean
20 phrases that actually help — ordering, shopping, asking for help.
Convenience stores 101
Must-buys, cooking ramyeon in-store, and the 1+1 deals — a cheap local meal.
🛟 Health & safety
Pharmacies & hospitals
Sunday & night options, convenience-store meds, English help lines.
Safety & emergency numbers
112, 119, and 1330 — the 24/7 English hotline every visitor should save.
🧳 Seasons, budget & living
Festivals by season
What's on in spring, summer, autumn and winter — and how to plan around them.
Summer survival
Monsoon, heatwaves and typhoons — month by month, with what to pack.
Winter survival
Cold snaps, ondol floors, ski season and the packing list that works.
How much does Korea cost?
Real prices and daily budgets — shoestring, mid-range and comfortable.
Moving to Korea: first 30 days
ARC, bank account, phone plan — the expat setup checklist in order.
Free tools
No sign-up. Live data. Made by opdada.
Exchange rate
Live KRW rates + how much you really get.
Weather
Today & the week, by Korean city.
Air quality
Fine-dust levels across Korea.
Size converter
Shoes, tops & waist — or measure your foot.
Trip budget planner
Pick what you'll do — get an itemized estimate.
Korean age
Work out your age the Korean way.
Public holidays
Korea's official holiday calendar in English.
Explore Korea
Attractions, festivals & food by region — official tourism data.
BMI calculator
Metric & imperial, with WHO and Asian cutoffs.
Music player
Search and play trending tracks while you browse.
Tax refund calculator
How much VAT you get back on tax-free shopping.
What to eat in Korea
Spin for a Korean dish — with its name & description.
Split the bill
Dutch pay per person — no tipping needed in Korea.
Unit converter
°C↔°F, km↔miles, kg↔lb — metric to imperial.
Pyeong (평) converter
Korean room & apartment sizes: 평 ↔ m² ↔ sqft.
World clock (Korea time)
Korea time (KST) vs your home city — plan calls home.
Trip countdown (D-day)
Days until your trip, days in Korea, visa dates.
Personal color self-test
12 questions — Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter? With your K-beauty palette.
My name in Korean
Type your name — see it written in Hangul, ready to copy.
Korean box office Top 10
What Koreans are watching — daily Top 10 from official ticket data.
Government-registered stays
Licensed hanok stays & rural homestays — verified from official government data.
Netflix Korea Top 10
What's trending on Netflix Korea — the official weekly films & TV chart.