Useful website in Korea

Today, I will talk about the useful website for visiting Korea

You can get the valuable information from there. Check it :D


1. The weather forecast

Korean weather is unexpectable. We could not know when it rains.
So~ this website is very necessary.
Check the weather where you are :)

-> Korea Meteorological Administration

2. Tax reference


If you are a long-term resident, need to check it at least once
Do you know that ESL teachers also have to pay the tax ?
Please refer to the prior post "Taxation of income tax for foreign ESL teachers"

Below is the National Tax Service site

-> National Tax Service

3. Korean Food


There are various kind of Korean dishes but how could we know everything?
you can find out the recipe of enjoying the spicy and spacious tastes of Korean food from the site :-D

-> Korean Food

Pepero Day, 11 November

November 11 is Pepero day in Korea


Pepero (빼빼로) is a cookie stick, dipped in chocolate syrup, manufactured by Lotte in South Korea since 1983.
Pepero Day is an observance in South Korea similar to Valentine's Day. It is named after the Korean snack Pepero and held on November 11, since the date "11/11" resembles four sticks of Pepero. The holiday is observed mostly by young people and couples, who exchange Pepero sticks, other candies, and romantic gifts. Lotte denies starting the holiday and instead states that they noticed a bump in Pepero sales around November 11th and after continued popularity they decided to then encourage the holiday with special gift boxes and other promotions. Some consider it to be a contrived holiday and some teachers have encouraged children to exchange healthy snacks to help combat obesity.

This picture is Famous Pepero's photo from 1983
The original Pepero has regular chocolate taste but there are several flavours these days


According to one story, Pepero Day was started in 1994 by students at a girls' middle school in Busan, where they exchanged Pepero sticks as gifts to wish one another to grow "as tall and slender as a Pepero".

From one day, Pepero day became sepecial day to youngers.
So, today I also gave Pepero to my coworkers and they thanked me :)
Someone wondered Pepero day is only for lovers.
Actually, not only couples but also families and friends give Pepero to each other lately.
Pepero day is commemorative day to us these days.

Seoul's subway line map

Today I'm gonna talk about the Korean subway line.

6 cities, Seoul, Pusan, Incheon, Gwanju and Daegoo, have subways in Korea.
Let's see Seoul's subway line first.

you can see the detail Seoul's subway linemap on the below's site.

Subway map in English


If you type the departure and destination, it gives you the best way to go
It is very useful servise.
You can find Korean tourist attractions on this map.
Next time, I'll post the places where we should go with seeing the subway linemap.

Related Sites of Korea Immigration & VISA

It should be informative to foreign resident and someone haven't been Korea yet
This web site offers the service related to Korea visa or emigration
It must be helpful to gain the information while living in Korea by visiting web site
Sometimes you can find hiring information and something necessary
Check it :D



1. Seoul immigration office

(URL : http://www.immigration.go.kr/HP/IMM80/index.do )

Tel : 1345 (from lan-line or mobile phone)

Immigration Contract Center for Foreigners
-Just dial 1345 for further information regarding Immigration process

Someone come to Korea first time usually don't know the information of visa and emigration
If you dial 1345, representives from each country will answer
How to get there: Get off at Omokgyo station (Line 5) Gate No.7 and walk 10 min.

2. HiKorea, e-Government for Foreigner

(URL : http://www.hikorea.go.kr/pt/main_en.pt )

Hi Korea is the main site of the electronic government for foreigners, jointly
created by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and
the Ministry of Labor. It was created with the purpose of providing investment,
employment, residence, and everyday living related information and services
from a single source to foreigners visiting Korea.

Purpose of our service

- Provide information relating to immigration, investment, labor and everyday living in Korea or those that plan on coming to Korea.
- On-line electronic processing of various applications that are needed for residence and employment
- Provide investment related services to potential foreign investor. For example, gathering information about potential local partners, recommending local firms to investors (and visa versa), and various consulting services
- Realization of electronic government for foreigners that allows them to enjoy same level of privileges and conveniences as a Korean national

3. Contact Korea

(URL : http://www.contactkorea.go.kr/index.do )


You can submit the resume to gain jobs on this website
and your info will be offered to various companies

Direct link to the HuNet system of the Ministry of Justice, vastly reducing time required for visa issuance (HuNet to be completed by December 2009)


4. Seoul Global Center

(URL : http://jobs.seoul.go.kr )

This website has variety information for someone living and coming to Seoul.
There are many kind of services about business, something necessary to living, foreign group or organization info and etc

Taxation of income tax for foreign ESL teachers

It'll be helpful to someone teach English on E-2 visa
Also it must be useful to somebody going to be a ESL teacher in Korea
It explains how to pay tax
I scrapted it from the Korean National Tax Service blog :-)


Q: I am currently working as an ESL teacher in a language institute (hakwon) in Korea. My employer deducts 5% from my monthly salary for tax purposes. Is such taxation correct?


Taxation of income tax for foreign ESL teachers differs based on their employment status. Employment status is determined by the specific conditions of the contract between you and your employer, and it is broken into two types: employee and independent contractor (“free-lancer”).


1) If you are a resident, you are taxed as follows:


- If you are an independent contractor (free-lancer), the payer must withhold taxes every month at a rate of 3.3% (0.3% resident surtax included). In this case, you are responsible for filing global income tax return in the month of May of the following year, and any amount of tax withheld will be credited to you as prepaid tax. You may be able to claim a tax refund on your global tax return if the prepaid tax amount is greater than your final tax liabilities.


- If you are an employee, your employer must withhold the monthly income tax calculated by using the Simplified Tax Withholding Table. Your income tax liability for the year is settled and finalized in February of the following year through the year-end tax settlement completed by your employer.

2) If you are a non-resident, you are taxed as follows:




- If you are an employee, you are taxed following the same method applied to resident employees.



- If you provide lecture or teaching services without an employment agreement, the withholding rate shall be 22% (2% resident tax included).

- However, income from independent personal services and dependent personal services (wages and salaries) may not be taxable in Korea when it meets certain non-taxation requirements, such as the 183 day-term test provided under tax treaties.
※ Please refer to the Income Tax Calculation Chart for Resident ESL Teachers

Click the photo to see big size


- Article 122 of Personal Income Tax Law [Calculation of Tax Base and Tax Amount in Case of Global Taxation on Non-resident]
- Article 137 of Personal Income Tax Law [Year-end Tax Settlement of a Tax Amount on Wage and Salary

Alien Registration

Foreign residents who come to Korea with a long-term visa (more than 90 days) have to obtain an Alien Registration Certificate from the Seoul Immigration Office within 90 days after arrival.
The alien registration procedure applies to foreigners wishing to change their visa type, as well as those who wish to extend their period of stay beyond 90 days. Any change in the Alien Registration Certificate must be reported to the Immigration Office within 14 days. When foreign residents move, they should report to their new district office within 14 days of moving. Foreign registration is valid for one (1) year and foreigners must renew their registration within one (1) year.

Registration period

Foreigners intending to stay for more than 90 days in Korea after entry:
- within 90 days of entry
Foreigners with permission granted for status to stay or change of status:
- Upon receiving permission. (immediately)

Exceptions to foreign registration

- Those carrying out diplomacy, official missions and agreements, and their family members (A-1, A-2, A-3)
- Those undertaking diplomatic, industrial, or other important duties for the national security and their family members, and other foreigners exempt from registration as foreigners by the Minister of Justice
- Foreigners from Canada intending to stay for less than 6 months and who hold one of the following Visa status: Culture/Arts (D-1), Religious Works (D-6), Visit&Stay with family (F-1), Family dependency (F-3), others (G-1)

Required documents

- Application Form
- Passport
- 3 photographs (taken within 6 months, 3x4cm)
- Fee (10,000 Won)

Related Sites : Seoul immigration office
(URL :http://www.immigration.go.kr/HP/IMM80/index.do)



ALIEN REGISTRATION CARD IMAGE





1. Registration Number : first six digits(birth date)
- last seven digits(personalized number)
2. Name : name as appears on passport
3. Nationality : nationality as appears on passport
4. Place of stay : address in Korea
5. Status of sojourn
6. Date of issue, Expiry date
7. Issuing office





1. Date of permission : the date when the permission is issued.
2. Change of particulars : change of the status of stay, etc.
3. Permitting office : office that makes the permission.
4. Period of stay : the date when the permission is issued and there
by the new expiration date of the period of stay.


Source : Seoul immigration office
(URL :http://www.immigration.go.kr/HP/IMM80/index.do)

Make a Kim-Chi

I scraped this post how to make Kim-Chi from korea4home community.
Kim-chi prevent from H1N1 :D

If you have any interest, just look at this.


Make a Kim-Chi



Of the countless varieties of kim chi that are made in Korea, by far the most common and celebrated version is made with Napa cabbage.

Kim chi that's made with cabbage is loaded with indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a compound that is well recognized as a powerful cancer-fighting compound. Numerous studies indicate that I3C can offer protection against many different types of cancer and may even stop the growth of existing tumors.

You could hop on over to a local Korean market to buy a bottle of kim chi, but it may not be as healthy as you'd like, since most commercially prepared varieties are made with white sugar and shrimp.

To make healthy kim chi that still has lots of flavor and health-promoting compounds, start with a whole head of fresh Napa cabbage:


Separate the leaves and chop them up into bite-size pieces. These shreds of cabbage will shrink about 25% during processing, so no need to make them too small. And no need to clean them yet, as we'll be giving them a good rinse in a bit.


Measure out a quarter cup of sea salt.


And add it to a small bowl of warm water.


Give it a gentle stir until the salt is dissolved.


Now add the salt water to the cabbage and give the cabbage a light toss to distribute the salt water.



Now a bit of waiting time. The salted cabbage needs to sit at room temperature for about four hours. The salt will help draw moisture out of the cabbage, and will also act as a natural preservative.

Here's what the cabbage should look like after about four hours:


If you look closely, you'll see a small pool of salt brine at the bottom of the bowl.

Now grease up your elbows and wash and strain the cabbage two or three times. You want to rinse off the salt water and return the cabbage to a large bowl.

Congratulations - this is the base for your kim chi.


Measure out a quarter cup of ko choo kah rhoo, also known as fine red chili flakes/powder. If you don't have easy access to a local Korean grocery store, you can order ko choo kah rhoo from the following site:

Crushed red pepper flakes


Add a quarter cup of warm water and mix with a spoon until the chili powder/flakes turn into a bit of a paste.



Transfer the red pepper paste to the cabbage.



Plus a tablespoon of minced garlic.



And a tablespoon of finely chopped/minced ginger.



Three to four green onions, sliced.



Two tablespoons of anchovy sauce or fish sauce. If you prefer a vegetarian version, you can skip this step.



And now for the secret ingredient that sets this kim chi apart from most commercially prepared varieties: a concoction of half a ripe apple, half a ripe pear, and half a yellow onion, all blended up with one cup of water.


This apple/pear/onion blend adds a hint of natural sweetness to the kim chi - most commercial varieties simply add a cup of sugar.

Now put on a pair of gloves so that you can get right in there and give everything a solid toss and rubdown.
Gloves are necessary, as the red chili flakes/powder will make your bare hands burn.


And voila, you have homemade kim chi that should please even the fussiest of Korean food critics.



You want to bottle the kim chi up in glass bottles, cap them, and leave them out at room temperature for 24 hours
before refrigerating.

One word of warning: don't fill the jars right up to their tops, as the contents will expand a bit as the kim chi
ferments, and filling the jars to their rims will likely result in leakage.

Here's a look from up top:



And from the front in all its glory:



After 24 hours of fermentation out in room temperature, transfer capped bottles to the refrigerator and take portions out as needed. The kim chi will continue to ferment while refrigerated, and will keep for at least a month.
The longer it ferments, the more sour it will get. Personally, I prefer kim chi that isn't sour at all, so we tend to use these bottles up within a week or so.

Click here for a printer-friendly version of this recipe (no pictures):

Healthy Kim Chi Recipe

Once you master the art of making your own healthy kim chi, you can enjoy it as a side dish to just about any main dish, and you can make it a component of dishes like Korean pancakes (bin dae duk) and a number of different Korean stews.