GUIDE BLOG FOR FOREIGNER, LIVING IN KOREA PART # 04-D
GUIDE BLOG FOR FOREIGNER,
LIVING IN KOREA
PART # 04-D
In Korea, there are detached houses, townhouses, apartments, and office-tels. Many
people prefer living in apartments in cities for the sake of convenience. Owning a house
is extremely meaningful for Koreans. Housing is very expensive in Korea, and the gap
between house prices in rural and urban areas is large.
Housing Types, and Matters to be Attended to
(1) Jeonse (Lease)
Unique to Korea, Jeonse is a lease based on a lump-sum deposit. By paying a deposit, you make a contract with the landlord to borrow his/her house to live in for a certain period of
time, and to retrieve the deposit when the contract expires. A contract can be made for a single room, part of a house, or the entire house. To rent an entire house, you will typically
need a deposit of around 60 to 70 % of the house’s selling price. A lease contract is usually for a two-year term, and the law does not allow the landlord to cancel the contract before
the contract expires without the renter’s consent.
(2) Wolse (Monthly Rent)
You can also get accommodations on a monthly rent basis. You will still have to pay a small deposit, much smaller than that of a lease, but you will have the advantage of being able to negotiate the deposit depending on the period of your contract. If you can afford a higher monthly rent amount, the deposit can be smaller, and vice versa. Wolse conditions depend on the size and number of rooms, and other facilities.
Neither a lease nor a monthly rent arrangement will include the cost of utilities. You will need to make your own arrangements to pay the electricity, water supply, gas, phone, Internet, and TV charges. Apartments do not include furniture or home appliances.
(3) Gisuksa (Dormitory)
This is lodging provided by companies or schools. Industrial trainees (D-3 visa) are guaranteed a space in a dormitory. If you are in Korea for employment training (E-8 visa) or working under the Employment Permit System (E-9 visa) you may be given a space in a dormitory, but your company is not obliged to do this.
(4) Check with Your Own Eyes
There are many ways to find a place to stay. Some may find an attractive advertisement for a room on the street or at a restaurant near their workplace, and go to take a look. But
most people prefer to have the help of a real estate agent. An agent’s job is to show you the options, check the legal or maintenance conditions for the candidate houses on your
behalf, and prepare the legal documents for your contract. You will need to pay the real estate agent a fee for his or her services.
(5) Contract
• Contract Counterpart
A contract should be made only with the landlord concerned, and with no one else. Under no circumstances should you make a contract or pay a deposit to someone who is not the landlord, such as a current or prior tenant. If you make this type of arrangement, you expose yourself to risk, as the landlord may not acknowledge your contract as valid, and you may end up losing your deposit. When you make a contract with someone, be sure to check that he or she is indeed the rightful owner of the building. You can confirm this by referring to a copy of the register
Expiration of Contract and Deposit Return
You may wish to leave your housing before your rental contract expires. In this case, your landlord will deduct the rent for the remaining months in the contract from your deposit,
and will refund the remainder to you.
For example, suppose that your contract included a deposit of 2 million won and monthly rent of 150,000 won, and you want to end your contract three months ahead of the expiration date. If your landlord finds a new tenant right away, you can leave the place with no responsibility. If not, however, your landlord can claim the remaining three months’rent (150,000 won X 3 = 450,000 won) from your deposit, and pay you the remaining 1.55
million won.
Electricity
(1) 220 Voltage
Most houses in Korea use 220-volt electricity. If you want to use a 110-volt appliance, you will need a transformer to convert from 220 volts to 110 volts.
(2) Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker
Every house has an earth leakage circuit breaker to prevent the risk of fire due to leakage of electricity. When too much electricity flows in or a problem occurs in the flow of electricity, the circuit breaker will automatically switch off the flow. If the breaker is not working properly, it may cause danger. Make sure to check that it is working properly before moving in. To check a circuit breaker, simply press the test button (usually a red button). Pressing the test button should cause the switch lever to go down. If it does not, the breaker is broken.
(3)Use of Water
In winter, there is the risk of water supply pipes freezing. The following are some
instructions that can help prevent this problem.
• Check whether or not there are water leakages in the container of the water meter, and whether the water meter is protected with a heat insulation material (Styrofoam). Take action immediately if there are problems.
• If the water meter is exposed, as in aisle-type apartments and townhouses, protect the meter by covering the top with vinyl, or rolling it up with hot wires. Turn the tap on to let a small quantity of water trickle if you are planning a long-term absence, or at night if the temperature is very low.
• If the water meter is frozen, melt the ice with warm water at first, and then with hot
water, to prevent the glass cover of the meter from breaking.
(4) Use of Gas
(a) Cooking Gas
Cooking gas fittings may cause an explosion when not used carefully. After every use, make sure to check if the fire is extinguished and the safety valve is closed.
(b) Butane Gas
Butane gas canes are used for portable gas burners. If a can is put in the
wrong way, the fire may be small or you may smell the gas leak. Turn the burner off and check the can at once to avoid any accident. A used-up can should be
punctured and put in a recycle bin.
(c) LPG/LNG City Gas
To light a fire on a gas range, open the safety valve and ignite. When finished using, make sure to close the safety valve. Check every joint in the piping for leakage by
painting it with soapy water and observing for bubble formation. If there is no leaking part, you will se no bubbles forming. Ask and get an engineer’s contact
number to prepare for an emergency. In case of city gas, you will receive a safety checkup visit every month. Try not to leave home and get the checkup. If you cannot stay for the checkup, you may ask your neighbors to be there for you.
(d) Prevention of Gas-Related Safety Accidents
Most gas-related safety accidents occur when gas leaks due to the careless management of gas facilities. The most common accidents are suffocation and explosion. If a gas leakage is detected through a safety check, the following actions should be taken immediately.
P.S @
• Close the gas valve.
• Open the windows and the doors for ventilation.
• Turn off any electronic devices, because sparks may cause a gas explosion.
• Contact the gas provider to request a safety check.
e)Heating
(1) Boiler
There are many types of boilers and they may consume briquettes, oil, LPG or LNG city gas. Briquettes are cheap but should be checked on every several hour to maintain the fire. Oil and LPG are expensive and need to be refilled after several weeks. LNG city gas is cheap and guaranteed for continuous supply through a pipe. It can be used for both cooking and heating. A place with an LNG city gas is a little
more expensive than a place without it, but the place is worth the money, considering how much you can save for your heating fuel.
(2) Electric Heater and Electric Mattress
Electric heaters and electric mattresses are commonly used for household heating.
However, do not use them more than necessary as they consume a lot of electricity.
(3) Gas Heater
Gas heaters are commonly used indoors but require particular care of ventilation.
Sleeping with a gas heater on can cause oxygen deficiency and thus a very fatal accident. Frequent ventilation is a must.
(F) Telecommunications
(1) Telephone
To get a phone line installed, call 100 from anywhere in the country and you will be
connected to a local telephone office. The voice instruction will come in Korean first and later in English. If you are comfortable with either language, there is no need to bother to go to the telephone office by yourself.
It is convenient to arrange the monthly charges to be automatically withdrawn from your bank account. In case of a breakdown, call 100 to report the troubles.
(2) Mobile Phone
They do not sell expensive mobile phones by monthly installment to non-Korean citizens. You may find it easy buy one in cash on the spot. You need an alien registration card to get a phone number issued for you.
If you don’t have a registration card, you can still use a pre-paid service called, “card
phone.” This service incurs no registration fee and charges no basic fare, but it charges
a little higher rates than usual mobile phone services. You can recharge your phone with pre-paid phone cards that are available in various amounts starting from 10,000 won. At least one recharge is required a month to continue the service and the unused amount of money will be expired at the end of the month. A brand-new mobile phone costs from 300,000 won to 600,000 won while second-hands are available at the price ranging from 30,000 won to 200,000 won. Pre-paid card are available at any mobile phone shops and foreign grocery stores frequently used by migrants.
(3) Pay Phone
A Pay phone on the street requires coins or a telephone card. A local call costs 70 won per 180 seconds and a long distance call 70 won per 43 seconds. There are certain hours during the day when international calls made from a pay phone are discounted.
(4) Emergency call / Collect Call
Every pay phone has a red emergency call button. You can make a police report or fire report by pressing the red button followed by a service number without any coins or phone cards. Remember the following two numbers for emergency.
P.S @ • Police report: Emergency button ! +112 • Fire report: Emergency button +119
When you have to make a call to other numbers and you don’t have any money with you, try the collect call service. The particular call will be charged to your recipient on a slightly higher rate. To make a collect call, press in the following order: Emergency button + 1541 + phone number to call + # button
(5) International Calls
In order to make an international call form a pay phone, you are recommended to buy a phone card on the Internet, or at a foreign grocery store or a convenience store
How to Call
Enter access number > Enter card number > Enter country code + area code + phone number
(6) Cable TV and Internet
In Korea you can access cable TV services and SkyLife, a nation-wide satellite TV service, as well as the terrestrial broadcasting systems KBS, MBC, and SBS. Some cable TV providers offer High-Speed Internet service as a package deal, which can be economic if you need both services.
If you are interested in getting an Internet connection only, compare the services and their rates offered by each telecommunications service provider. If you cannot afford a
personal Internet connection at home, the many conveniently located PC rooms offer an economical alternative. PC rooms are open 24 hours, and cost 1,000 won to 1,500 won an hour.
(7) Garbage Collection System
Garbage is separated by type and collected at certain days and times. It is important to separate and package your garbage according to the guidelines in your district. Garbage is usually collected early in the morning, so it is recommended to put your garbage out after 10 pm the night before garbage day.
(1) General Waste
Put in a bag specially designed for “general use.”
Standardized garbage bag
Garbage bags are available at nearby supermarkets and discount stores. Each district has its own type of bag and do not accept garbage in the bags other than their own standardized bags.Bags for general waste have different volumes: 5, 10, 20, 30, 50, 75 and 100 liters. For household use, 10 or 20 liter bags are commonly used.
Food garbage bags come in 2 to 5 liters as they should be disposed of every few days. Some villages use a container to collect food remains.
Ask your neighbors to details.
(2) Food Remains
Drain out liquid and put in a bag designated for “food
remains”, or put in a container to collect food garbage.
(3) Recyclables
Paper, glass, steel, plastic and fabric are recyclables. Cans and plastic bottles need to be dried and flattened before
discarding.
(4) Nonflammables
Shoes and chinaware are nonflammables. They
are separated in a bag for nonflammables.
(5) Large-sized Materials
Broken furniture pieces and electric appliances should bear a specially designed sticker that indicates that the item bearing the sticker is being disposed of with duties paid. Their prices differ by size and type of the item. The sticker is available at your community service center or designated supermarkets
(G) Consumption and Economic Life
1-Household Economy
(1) Household Economy
Household economy (household budget) refers to the status of your income and expenditures.
Depending on how you budget, your household economy may show a loss or a surplus, even when your income is low.
(2) Monetary Value
In Korea, we use coins (KRW 10, KRW 50, KRW 100 and KRW 500) and paper money (KRW 1,000, KRW 5,000, KRW 10,000 and KRW 50,000). Bank checks with a value of KRW 100,000 or higher are also widely used.
COIN PHOTO
• Paper Money
※ (Bank checks with a value of KRW 100,000 are widely
used, and are as readily accepted as cash. To use a check, present the check with your ID card, and endorse (sign) the back of the check.) Consider what we can buy with KRW 1,000, KRW 5,000, KRW 10,000 and KRW 50,000.
Now, compare the value of Korean won with the currency of your mother country, and compare the consumer prices in Korea.
How to Purchase and Use Goods
If you shop without planning, it can lead to the purchase of unnecessary goods and
difficulties in financial management due to large expenditures. It is important to make a
plan before you go shopping.
(1) Make a List
Make a list in advance before go shopping.
(2) Decide Where to Shop
Decide where and how much to shop.
Convenience Store
Convenience stores are open 24 hours, and sell a diverse
range of goods, including foods. As these stores are small, it’s
easy to find what we want. They can be useful when we need
to buy one or two products immediately.
Conventional Market (5-Day Market)
Foods, clothing and commodities sellers gather at the
conventional markets. They provide goods at cheap prices, and
allow for negotiation on price and quantity. We can witness the
lives of Korean people at the markets.
Local Supermarkets
Supermarkets offer snacks, vegetables, meat and beverages,
and are easy to access since there are usually several in every
neighborhood.
We can often buy goods here at discounted prices (about 10%).
Department Stores
Department Stores handle diverse types of items, including
clothing, foods, electronics, cosmetic products and jewelry. The
facilities and services are excellent and the quality of products
is superior, making the prices expensive. As Department Stores
frequently run sales, we can buy goods at discounted prices
during the sales period.
Large Discount Stores
Like department stores, large discount stores offer diverse
items, including food, clothing, electronics and commodities.
The quality of products is excellent, and the facility and the
services are good.
TV Home Shopping
With TV home shopping, we can place orders via phone while
watching advertisements on TV. Diverse items are available,
including clothing, foods, cosmetic goods, electronics and
insurance products. While home shopping can be convenient,
we need to be careful to prevent impulse buying.
Online Shopping Mall
Through an online shopping mall, we can place orders online,
and buy a wide range of items. Take note that items may look
different on the screen than in real life. You will need to provide
personal information to shop online, including your resident
registration number
(3) Method of Payment
We can make payments with cash, checks, credit cards and gift certificates.
(4) Purchasing Goods
Compare the price and quality of goods, and check the expiration
date of food products. We need to check whether or not the prices are fair. Make sure that you receive and keep the receipt after the purchase, as you will need to present it for an exchange or refund.
(5) Before Using the Goods
• Keep the warranty card: Collect warranty cards and keep them
in a fixed location.
• Read the user manual: Read the manual to ensure that you use the product correctly. .
• Check notes and instructions: Check notes and instructions for
safety and health.
(6) Refund and Returns
• Do not use or damage products, and keep them in a good condition.
• Most vendors will require you to return goods within 7 days or 14 days in order to receive a refund, so ask family members or neighbors for assistance immediately.
• If you encounter difficulties getting a refund or experience other damages in a consumer transaction, you can seek help from the Korea Consumer Agency or consumer-related organizations.
P.S @ Korea Consumer Agency 82-2-3460-3000,
www.kca.go.kr
Consumers Korea 82-2-739-5441, www.cacpk.org
How to Save Money, and How to Use
Banking Services
(1) Necessity of Savings
We need to save money to build security, prepare for unexpected events, prepare for our old age, buy a house, and educate our children. To start saving money, open an account at
a bank.
(2) Types of Bank Accounts
• Savings: We can freely deposit and withdraw money. The interest rate is low.
• Term Deposit: We deposit a large amount of money for a long term, which is paid a high interest rate.
• Installment Savings: We deposit a fixed amount of money every month, and withdraw a large amount of money after the fixed period expires. The interest rate is high.
• Free Deposit and Savings: This new method of savings offers a high interest rate for long-term savings, and aims to apply preferential rates to household savings.
(3) How to Use Banking Services
• How to Open a Bank Account
- Items to Prepare: ID Cards (Passport, Certificate of Alien Registration, Resident Registration Card, Seal and Money to Save) - Instructions
① Upon entering the bank, take a number, and wait until the number is called.
② Go to the desk when the number is displayed on the display board.
③ Clarify your purpose of visiting the bank to the bank teller (bank account opening, remittance or deposit). Ask for a debit card if necessary.
※ Debit card: With a debit card, we can deposit or withdraw money at an ATM, even when we do not have
our bankbook and/or seal.
④ Fill in the forms and submit them as directed by the bank teller.
⑤ Keep your bankbook and debit card in a safe place.
※ Do not disclose your password to others.
• Bank Hours
- Monday through Friday: 09:00~16:00 - Outside of Bank Hours: Use ATM located in a bank lobby
• Deposit and withdrawal, with a bank teller and with an
ATM
- Prepare the application for deposit or withdrawal, and go to the teller’s counter. We don’t have to provide our PIN to make a deposit, but we are asked to provide our PIN and our signature (seal) to make a withdrawal. 
- We can use deposit and withdrawal services at ATMs using our bankbooks or debit cards. We will need to enter our PIN. Please note that deposit and withdrawal services will be blocked if we enter an incorrect PIN three times. We need to pay a service
charge when we use the ATM during non-bank hours, or use the ATM of another bank.
• Internet Banking
- Internet banking refers to banking services provided via the Internet.
- With internet banking, we can check account balances, check the history of deposits and withdrawals, and make remittances using our own bank accounts.
- To use internet banking services, you need to receive a certified authentication certificate issued by Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute, which you should
store on your own PC, and a special security card issued by your bank. For help, contact your bank.
•Telebanking
You can also use banking services via phone. Like Internet banking, telebanking requires a PIN and a security card. You can use the telebanking service more conveniently if you subscribe for Internet banking and the telebanking services at the same time.
• How to Pay Utility Bills
- Direct payment
This way you visit a bank to pay the bills by yourself. At some banks, tellers do not assist paying utility bills and instead, machines are equipped for the services. These machines can be used by customers holding an account of the certain bank. If you have difficulties finding a bank to pay your bills, go to a post office. Every post office handles utility bills.
- Automatic withdrawal
You can arrange your bills to be paid directly from your bank account without bothering yourself. Set a date for each bill when it will be charged from your account. You can arrange it at your bank or by calling your service provider. Remember the withdrawal date and leave enough money in your account at the date.
• Remittance
- Have an account made in your home country by your family.
- Prepare the following information accurately: name of the recipient, address, phone number, name of the bank, and his/her bank account number, and visit the foreign exchange section at your bank and present your ID card to the teller.
- Keep the recipient of remittance.
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