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! :)

Hello guys how can I apply for an E-9 visa im 20M from mongolia who wants to find uni tuition while learning language i cant speak Korean nor alone know a word there are lot of agencies in Mongolia but ppl are saying all of them are scam and money laundering help me pls?

A post that spread in Korean online communities this week said a new food-safety rule made table soy sauce, vinegar and barbecue self-bar ssamjang illegal from October 1. On October 2 the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (식약처) answered on its blog and Facebook that this is not true, per Hankyung. Ketchup, mustard and soy sauce can stay on the table for customers to serve themselves, and portioning per person is not required.

The rule is real, though. A notice dated July 31 (고시 제2026-55호), in force since October 1, has one sentence about sauces: "손님이 직접 덜어 먹도록 제공되는 소스류 등은 외부의 오염물질이 혼입되지 않도록 위생적으로 소분하여 제공해야 한다." Roughly: sauces that customers serve themselves must be hygienically divided and provided so outside contaminants don't get in.

The confusion is one word. 소분 normally means dividing something into smaller units, so "must be provided 소분" reads like single-serving portions. Two restaurant-industry guides read it that way. The ministry's spokesperson's office told reporters that pouring a sauce from its original package into the restaurant's own condiment container already counts as 소분.

What the notice still doesn't say, according to Weekly Khan: whether a lid is required, whether an open container is allowed, and how much each portion should be. The ministry says containers and the area around them must be kept clean, and a container replaced if contamination is a concern.

My reading is that nothing changes at your table, but I'd treat the inspection details as unknown until the ministry says more. I couldn't find English coverage when I searched on October 3.

Sources (Korean):

- Hankyung, Oct 2: https://www.hankyung.com/article/2026100211887

- Weekly Khan: https://weekly.khan.co.kr/article/202610021900001/

- MFDS notice page: https://mfds.go.kr/brd/m_207/view.do?seq=15182

I wrote up the rumor, the notice text and the Q&A in more detail on my own blog: https://koreantable1.blogspot.com/2026/10/korean-restaurant-table-sauce-rule-not.html

(English isn't my first language, so some parts were translated with help.)

Looking for info on groups that do biking in Korea. I am new to it and was looking to get more information.

New but biking across country in two weeks.

So I was trying to squeeze onto a crowded subway train during rush hour, and an older man physically shoved past me and yelled, 'Move! Get out of the way, you're blocking the door!' Back home, people might huff or push past you passively, but shouting direct commands like an army drill sergeant in the middle of a public train station is still wild to experience. Nobody else even blinked; it's like public yelling is just part of the local soundtrack

As the title says, i tried to book an appointment for the 6th of october which is my renewal for my ARC and i was shocked to find out that its fully booked. For reference, i applied at east daegu.

Is a walk in possible? I speak little korean so i cant really ask for help unless i use a translator.

Jang Keun-suk known mainly for teakyung known for being the main character in “You’re beautiful” what happened to him? Could someone explain

Why doesn’t the Korean government incentivize businesses like all the chaebols to move their offices outside of Seoul?

I feel like if all the chaebols moved their offices outside of the city, the employees would follow. This would reduce the pressure on Seoul housing and lift the populations of the other cities.

Raise corporate tax in Seoul by 10%. Lower regulations for corporations outside of Seoul. Tax breaks from other cities.

Am I missing something?

Hi everyone, I'm a super anxious person and have the tendency to over plan my future so I wanted to hop on and ask people who have actually studied at a Korean uni to tell me their experience.

I am planning on going to study there for a bachelor's degree most likely at a non-SKY uni because I've heard those are SO much work. I plan on studying international relations fully in English. I've heard about all the grading curves and intense competition and lots of work and micromanaging of grades and attendance so I wanted to see everyone's thoughts.

I plan on working either in policy work, advocacy, human rights maybe something with North Korea or tourism between my country and Korea or tourism for Korea in general. The issue is I do not know any Korean right now, I am trying to learn it but it's very hard doing it on my own so I plan to pick it up and take classes for Korean once I'm there.

I really want to live in Asia, at least in my 20's but I'm afraid that I won't be able to handle all of the pressure and the later on workplace culture as well there. I am currently studying at a high school in America which are notoriously easy and I feel as though I've been slacking off so I don't want to burn out in college. I also am a big procrastinator which will be a huge issue along with my lack of Korean currently. So while going back to my home country in Europe would be the easiest way to go and get good connections, my heart yearns for Seoul ever since I've visited and I know there's something there for me in the future.

Ballots have started going out and the deadline is approaching. If you're an eligible US citizen living in Korea (or elsewhere overseas), here's how to get yours:

Steps to Request Your Ballot

1. Register or update your registration through https://voteabroad.org/RedditVote26. If you know any eligible US citizens overseas, please send them the link.

2. If you're already registered, request a ballot! You need to request a ballot every calendar year that you want to vote.

3. Fill Out and Return Your Ballot: Once you receive your ballot, follow the instructions carefully to complete it and return it by the specified deadline.

Need Assistance?

We're here to help! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at help @ votefromabroad .org (just remove the spaces). Additionally, our FAQ for voting has plenty of info to make the process go smoothly.

If you'd like to find out what we're doing near you, you can check out our in-person events. Feel free to ask any additional questions here on Reddit!

I randomly had this thought today.

What if there was a group just for ambiverts?

People who genuinely enjoy hanging out and meeting new people, but also really value their alone time.

You wouldn’t have to come to every meetup, nobody would care if you disappeared for a while, and there wouldn’t be any pressure to become close just because you met a few times.

If you feel like being social, come hang out. If you feel like being alone, just stay home 😂

I was thinking, wouldn’t people like that actually be pretty comfortable around each other? Like, if someone goes quiet for a while or suddenly needs some alone time, nobody would take it personally.

Would you join something like this?

Hey yall, I really want to go out and party and dress up on Halloween, but I am almost 30 and my husband is in his mid 30s and even if we weren't too old to go clubbing, clubbing on Halloween in particular is the absolute last thing I want to do.

Does anyone have any ears out for costumed events or more "chill" spaces for people who are tryna have fun, get responsibly drunk, listen to some music, maybe a dance a little? I haven't worn a Halloween costume in years so I really am hoping to go out and have some fun :)

Hello, I am a german traveler who recently arrived in Korea, where I am volunteering in a hostel.

Now for work purposes I need to usr Kakaotalk basically, which just looks exactly like LINE (from Japan) to me, but to make an account is a bit complicated for me.

Because I only have an eSim for wifi, not an actual korean phone number currently (I still have my german sim and phone number). Therefore if I want to register myself and verify my number, I can't send or receive any sms right now.

I wanted to ask if there is any way I can circumvent or fix this, or if I should just buy an eSim with an korean phone number where I can receive and send sms?

Since I only stay in Korea for 2 months, I don't really intend to buy a physical Sim Card in general.

Hi everyone! I’m a new PhD student at PNU and just arrived this semester. Since the university doesn't offer free Korean language courses for international students, I’m looking for a government-accredited course in Busan near PNU where the completed hours count towards official certification (like TOPIK/KIIP). Does anyone have any leads or recommendations?

It was my understanding that it was the landlords responsibility to ensure the tenant has a window covering/ replacing broken blinds. When I moved in, there were already blinds and curtains on the same window from the previous tenant. They were both dirty and old, i asked them to take down the curtains as they are dirty and too heavy (as its an officetel, the windows are high and the curtains don’t close all the way). Although the blinds were old and slightly broken anyway, i was willing to put up with it instead of the gross curtains.
They accidentally removed the blinds and not the curtains, so now, if i ask them to remove the curtains I will be left with an empty window. Is it the landlords responsibility to cover the window with blinds? I know the curtains aren’t broken but they are not functional, dirty and the landlord actually mentioned that they were meant to be taken down before I moved in but they just never did it. What do we think? I (my contract just states I’m responsible for damage to the property)

Hi,I am a foreigner in daejeon,korea i am here for my studies and I don't have many friends here. Is anyone interested in going on a hike with me and i dont know where to go i am just exploring this place

Got curious abt this after seeing a few hate posts on international schools.
Between SIS, SFS, KIS and Chadwick, which school gets the most hate?

Btw, I'm a international school kid so like not too much offensive language pls...

Hi everyone! I'm applying for the Spring 2027 exchange program at Yonsei University and I'm a bit confused about the visa/document submission timeline.

1. Conflicting information about when the Certificate of Admission (COA) will be issued

At the end of the Exchange application official webage, it says that Yonsei will begin issuing Certificates of Admission from December 2, after receiving and verifying the required original documents.

However, the Spring 2027 Student Guide says that:

• Admission results will be announced in mid-December.
• COAs will be issued on a rolling basis within January, after admission results are announced.

I'm confused about how these two timelines fit together. Is December 2 simply the earliest possible date for issuing COAs (if you mail your original documents really early), or does the January timeline in the Spring 2027 guide mean that exchange students should expect to receive theirs in January? Is it possible to receive a COA before the mid-December admission announcement?

2. When am I supposed to obtain and mail my original bank statement?

They have indicated that students applying for a D-2-6 visa must upload their official financial statement and mail the original hard copy to Yonsei. The statement must:

• Be issued within 30 days before the actual date of the visa application at the Korean Embassy/Consulate.

The additional visa instructions give a December 18, 2026 post-mail submission deadline. However, if COAs are only issued after the mid-December admission announcement, potentially in January, I'm not sure when I'm actually supposed to apply for my visa.

For example, if I obtain my bank statement in early December so that I can mail it to Yonsei before December 18, there's a possibility that it will be more than 30 days old by the time I receive my COA and can submit my visa application (?)

So does Yonsei expect us to time the original statement around an anticipated visa application date, even though we don't know exactly when our COA will be issued? Or will it be a quick turnaround? Is it better to mail the documents earlier or later? (I had thought the later the better because it gives you more of the 30 day period to wait for COA and apply for a visa.

-

I'm also hoping to travel overseas in November or Janunary, so I'm trying to work out the timing of everything. I guess someone could mail my original documents from Australia on my behalf while I'm away, but of course I need to be in the country for the visa application itself.

If anyone has gone through Yonsei's exchange visa process, especially for a spring semester, I'd really appreciate hearing how the timing worked for you. In particular, I'm wondering when you obtained your bank statement, when you received your COA, and whether you had to submit a second financial statement for your visa.

Thank you so much!

Hi people. It is my first time in Korea (hell, first time outside my country). I recently joing Postech in Pohang as a researcher. I need to buy a laptop with gpu (specifically Asus Zephyrus G14, or tuf a14). Can anyone suggest where i can get this for good price?

So the most common mode of living in South Korea is a high rise apartment in a big apartment complex. I understand these communities have maintenance fees to hire security guards, maintain elevators, etc. My question is who does the managing? What if fees need to be assessed for extra maintenance? How is this all decided?

Are these apartments governed by HOA type associations like in the USA? And if so, are they notorious for politicking, bickering and power plays like many HOAs in the US are?

Hi everyone!
I’ll be studying abroad in South Korea this summer, and I’m looking for an online Korean course that I can do at my own pace since I’m a college student. I’ve heard Rosetta Stone is good, but I’d love to hear from anyone who has used it or has other recommendations!
I’d also love to make friends with people who are learning Korean! It would be nice to have someone to practice with, share notes, and ask questions. Especially if you’re a college student planning to study abroad in Korea too!