About
Why this site exists
Most English-language writing about Korea answers the wrong questions. It tells you that Gyeongbokgung is beautiful and that kimchi is spicy. It does not tell you why a foreign card gets refused at the subway gate, which document a bank will actually accept as proof of purpose, or what the deposit on a rental contract really costs before you sign.
Those answers exist. They are just scattered across government portals written for institutions, Korean-language notices, and forum threads that were last accurate three years ago. This site collects them, checks them against the source, and writes them in plain English.
How these guides are put together
Sourced, not repackaged. Each guide is built from official sources — government offices, transport operators, regulators — and links to them where the underlying rule matters. Where a figure comes from an official schedule, that schedule is what is cited.
Dated, because Korean rules move. Prices, fees, visa requirements, and app interfaces change here more often than in most countries. Every guide carries a publication date and a verification date. If a figure has gone stale, that is visible rather than hidden.
Explicit about uncertainty. Where a threshold varies by circumstance, or where individual offices interpret a rule differently, the guide says so and points you at the body that can give a binding answer. It does not guess and then present the guess as fact.
Corrected in public. When something here turns out to be wrong, the article is fixed and its updated date changes with it. Corrections from readers who have just been through a process are the most useful thing this site receives.
What this site is not
It is not a government service, a relocation agency, or a tourism board, and it has no relationship with any bank, telecom, hospital, or app named in its articles. Nothing here is sponsored, and no guide is shaped around whatever pays a commission.
It is also not a substitute for professional advice. Immigration status, tax, and healthcare are individual matters with real consequences. These guides are written to help you arrive at the right office with the right questions and the right documents — not to replace the answer that office gives you. The terms page sets this out properly.
Who publishes it
Korea Decoded is published independently by Harubin. Editorial decisions — what gets covered, what a guide concludes, what gets corrected — sit with the publisher and nobody else.
Advertising
This site is free to read and is supported by display advertising. Advertising never determines what is covered or what a guide concludes, and ads are selected automatically rather than sold directly. How advertising cookies work is set out on the privacy policy page.
Getting in touch
Corrections, gaps worth covering, and "this changed and your guide is now wrong" messages are all welcome. The contact page has the address.