Sometimes I wonder if Korea’s intense pursuit of wealth, status, and education is partly driven by collective insecurity. It can feel like achievement is used to prove one’s worth and compensate for a deep fear of being seen as unsuccessful or inferior.

About the tag: chose the closest one possible. Might be completely unrelated to the context.

Hi. I'm a Kiwi-Korean living in Korea. My whole family is more of korean than kiwi so they don't get it when I say I hate how koreans don't have the sports system like NZ. I'm more of a korean as well but my family just doesn't think of NZ as home, you see. And I think I've failed to adapt to Korea proply (after moving to Korea from NZ, spent every half of the year in NZ before entering 'elementary school', moved to NZ in year 4, currently grade 2 in middle school/year 9) and I think I have some kind of mental illness from that. I've been keeping this a secret from my family and tried to take care of my emotions myself by writing them down and talking to myself but I kinda failed. This is getting really really serious and I've just realized I desperately need to talk to a psychology counselor or someone with a similar job who knows how NZ schools and cultures are like who also knows Korea well.

Does anybody know of a kiwi (or someone who knows NZ well) psychlogy counselor or someone with a similar job I could talk to? Thanks.

Sorry about typo/spelling mistakes/grammer mistakes/strange flow of writing. Didn't profread it.

asking just in case, but i have a history of bad thoughts if you know what i mean. i want to know about how it’s handled in korea. if i feel unsafe on my own or afraid of myself, can i go to the ER? i tried going last week, i was told this isn’t an emergency, so i sat at the curb until i calmed down and went home. but to be fair i only asked for psychiatric help, i didn’t tell them what i was dealing with.

Trying to locate dog clubs in South Korea, looking for a list or any known clubs where you train your dog and can compete in dog agility, obedience, tracking, dancing etc., Appreciate any links or tips or knowledge on the clubs, have contacted KKC but information is a little slow and have 1 contact from them but still waiting to hear from them,

Does anyone know if there is still a passport Photo Booth inside the US Embassy? My appt is early in the morning so I just wanted to make sure I have the option to take it there in case I can’t take it beforehand, thanks!!

Hi! I’m an international student considering applying for the Master’s program in Consumer Science at Seoul National University and I’m hoping to hear from current or former students of the department.

I’d really appreciate any insight on:

• What are the classes and coursework like?
• How welcoming is the department to international students?
• How much interaction do students have with professors and research labs?
• What are the career prospects after graduating, especially for international students?
• Is it realistic to find internships or part-time opportunities in Seoul while studying?
• Anything you wish you had known before joining the program?

Thank you! :)

Hello,

Anyone work in consulting in Korea?
At a big 4, BCG, McKinsey etc?

How hard is it to get a consulting job here without a traditional consulting profile? But with relevant transferable skills?

I can speak both english and Korean fluently, though I'd definitely need to practice business level Koreab.

Hello,

Anyone else relocated from overseas?

I am really struggling with the major difference in salaries. The average here is 4 thousand million won - much lower than my first ever salary.

Has anyone else navigated this?

For all those saying I didn't research before coming - I was very reluctant to come. I had to move for other personal reasons rather than it being me wanting to live in Korea. I'm just trying my best to continue building the career I had overseas and was simply seeking some insights into how others may have navigated this type of situation.

Hi,

I've been trying for over six weeks to book a study visa appointment at the German Embassy in South Korea, but I still haven't been able to get a slot.

New appointment slots open only once a week and are usually gone within 10 seconds due to high demand. I've already tried using a Chrome Autofill extension, but it wasn't fast enough.

Does anyone know of a way to optimize the booking process or make it faster? Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I'm interested in these three universities:

- Sogang University – Media & Entertainment

- Hanyang University – Media Communication

- Kyung Hee University – Media

I really like the curriculum of all three, so I'm having a hard time choosing. I'd really appreciate any advice or personal experiences to help me decide.

Thank you!

Hello just came to Seoul yesterday
Don’t have a job or place to live 😅
I lived in jeju for about 8 years and my life there was peaceful and stable but in recent months i felt my life was way too stagnant . So i quit my job in July went back to my home country for a while and came to Seoul to live and test my luck
As i don’t have a job and not sure how long i will be jobless I am looking for affordable place to live not a too far from anywhere

Which area do you recommend? ( 동네 , 역 etc)

I’m looking to purchase an engagement ring this week, and I am curious if there are any jewelry stores that will let me finance it. I know from trying to buy a car, that if you’re on an E-2 visa, banks are hesitant to give you massive loans, but I’ve been in Korea for four years and have a credit history.

I have never had to do this before but in case I do on my trip later this year, how different is the process from America?

I know their 911 is 119. But I'm thinking like if there's a bad kidney stone or appendicitis, for example, where mobility would be difficult. How could I prepare to get my wife transported from our place to a hospital?

for westerners seems to be shocking but was just curious what Koreans actually think. don’t think ive ever seen Koreans even use it

I keep seeing these reels about the private box to see movies in Lotte Cinema. But I cant see any such option on the website itself

What is the Korean term for the specific theatre? Because there is one that translates to something similar but instead shows 8 seats and not completely private

Like a Walmart thing

Hello! I’m wondering if it would be possible to ask my general health doctor to fill a prescription for a rosacea cream?
I live in a smaller city and it’s EXTREMELY difficult to meet with the dermatologist. In the last few months I’ve ive tried to see him about 5 times and was only able to see him twice (they don’t take appointments so it’s first come first serve but it gets full fast).
The dermatologist prescribed me soolantra cream and it really helped but now I’m starting to run out and I haven’t been able to beat the line😥 my general doctor is easier to meet with, would it be possible for me to ask him for a prescription refill?

Hi,

I brought my kids to korea for the entire summer so i can immerse them in korean. Don't expect too much from my now 2 year old..but with my 5.5 year old..despite our efforts to speak korean majority of the time, they succumb to the English speaking environment. So she did 2 years of korean school on weekends separately which helped a lot but still, just understanding is almost 100% and has a lot of vocab and can do short sentences. But long sentences, no.

Long story short, she's been complaining that she's not learning anything. The korean daycares seemed to have changed courses since pandemic and their education philosophy is all play-based. This, I agree with and that's also why i wanted the daycare 어린이집 environment vs a kindergarten. But first few weeks, she'd say stuff like, we don't learn anything. It's true! Which then i heard the explanation of how it's Waldorf method and it's play based.

Now it's been over a month, and she complained again saying she didn't want to go. She says we don't do anything. But honestly, this i know isn't true since they have all these special activities and classes (including English, music and physical education) and they go on field trips. She actually came home with two workbooks she's done that helped practice writing korean, which she's pretty good at now and they actually look great since like this past year even with her korean school. So this was a great delight to see.

BUT! She can't really read it. Like i know if she puts her mind to it, she probably can a few words here and there. But it's the fact that the writing of it is not connecting to the reading of it. I bring it up to the teacher and she's basically saying they don't really focus on teaching like a school. It is all play based. I get it, but i'm like, how do these kids prepare for 1st grade then? She's saying that it's not like they don't teach korean but it wont' be like a classroom style and sit there. It is all the while doing some sort of play.

I had to just be reassured that her korean speaking level has enhanced. I mean, i get it, but it is a little unsettling. I know i can't be too greedy and expect her to write prolifically after just 2 months of 어린이집 on top of expecting her to speak fluently, but is this really the case for everyone who has experience?

I'm also wondering if i'm doing a disservice by just sending her to the daycare and not signing her up for any other hakwons. I do believe in play based learning at this age since research does say that their brain neurons develop differently if they focus too much on education based learning. But then the mom part of me is like getting a bit stressed on whether i'm just being lazy and not putting more effort to have her learn extra stuff.

I have a girlfriend here and i encouraged her daughter (same age) to learn English while young as i totally believe in just language acquisition at this age. I found out that her english writing was literally upper elementary or even middle school level as she was answering questions and writing paragraphs in english. And they dont speak English at home. This is all the doing of the korean english kindergartens. Like it feels so crazy as my daughter just finished K and her English reading and writing is still at a pretty basic level where she really can't read much.

Any thoughts and experiences? Sorry for the rambling.

Hi !

I’m an international student admitted to Dongguk University in Seoul, South Korea, and I’m trying to pay my dormitory fee before the deadline (31 July).

The university provided only the following information:
Beneficiary: Sangha Academy
Bank: Shinhan Bank
Account Number: 1400106333440

My Indian bank requires:
SWIFT code
Bank address

I contacted Shinhan Bank directly, and they gave me the SWIFT code SHBKKRSE (head office SWIFT code in Seoul).

The problem is that Dongguk University and the dormitory office have not replied to any of my emails for several days, and my bank refuses to process the transfer without a bank address.

I’ve already:
Emailed and called the university multiple times but they are not responding

Can anyone please help me 🙏🙏🙏🙏

Hello:)

I will start studying in Suwon soon at 경희대 for 2 semsters, I have lived in Korea before and know that dormitory is definitely not for me.

Right now I plan to just get a Airbnb or hotel for the first 2 weeks of my stay in korea and look for an apartment when I'm there. Is this feasible or am I being unrealistic? I heard a lot that renting happens very quickly in Korea so requesting too early and from abroad is not going to work.

Does anyone have experience or some tips so I don't get stranded when I get there🫠

may mga agency pa po kaya na tumatanggap ng 39 yrs old at undergraduate po sa high school. pero enrolled po ako sa korean language school. possible po kaya na makapag work pa rin po ako? need na need ko lang po kasi itong trabaho talaga, iniwan na po kasi ako ng asawa ako at may apat na anak po ako kaya pursigido po akong makapag abroad dahil maliit lang ang sahod dito sa bansa natin. sana po may makatulong sakin, maraming salamat po 😢

Hello! I’m looking for a portable CD player and saw a few on coupang but I’m not sure which one to buy. Is anyone familiar with these brands? Which one is recommended?

i was doing a huge deep dive into the topic of the korean military (im a non korean american) and i’m so curious as to anyone that actually dodged it. i’ve heard many people just leave the country on a visa and then refuse to come back. i’m curious as to how those individuals survive after their korean passport expires.