Hello Hanguk

  Last July, I walked into my apartment after a weekend trip and was hit by what felt like an actual wall of heat. The sun had been beating directly onto my south-facing windows for three days straight, and the indoor temperature gauge read 34°C. My first instinct was to crank the AC to its coldest setting, but then I glanced at last month's electricity bill—over ₩180,000—and reconsidered. That moment made me realize I needed a better strategy than just "turn everything on and hope for the best." Heat waves in Korea have been getting longer and more intense, especially in cities where concrete and asphalt trap heat overnight. With progressive electricity pricing (where your rate jumps dramatically once you pass certain usage thresholds), keeping cool without breaking the bank requires some actual planning. What surprised me most, though, was how much difference small changes made—things that had nothing to do with running the AC 24/7. Table of Contents ...

A couple of months back, I was helping a friend figure out when to visit Seoul, and we kept running into the same problem: some weeks looked perfect on paper until we realized half the country would be traveling at the exact same time. She'd picked early May without knowing it was smack in the middle of what locals sometimes call "golden week"—a stretch when multiple holidays bunch together, turning a normal trip into a logistical puzzle. That experience reminded me how much Korea's holiday calendar matters if you're planning travel here, whether you're visiting or living locally. The rhythm of public holidays shapes everything from hotel prices to highway traffic, and understanding "bridge days"—those strategic extra days off that create longer breaks—can mean the difference between a relaxed trip and fighting crowds everywhere you go. What surprised me most was how Korea's substitute holiday system works differently than what I...

I moved to Seoul last year to work remotely for a U.S.-based tech company, and one of the first things I researched—probably obsessively—was whether Korea's infrastructure could actually support the kind of always-on work life I was used to. My previous setup in the States had its share of hiccups: occasional router resets, neighborhood outages during storms, and that one time my VPN decided to quit mid-presentation. What surprised me most wasn't just how fast the internet is here (though yes, it's ridiculously fast), but how differently Koreans approach connectivity, backup plans, and even the little things like where you plug in during a typhoon. If you're planning to work remotely from Korea—or you're already here and wondering why your neighbor has three routers—this is what I've learned about staying online, using VPNs without paranoia, and what to do when the power actually does go out. Table of Contents The Internet Speed Reality: Is ...

  Last winter, I met a designer in Hongdae who had been freelancing for eight months without knowing she needed to keep her bank statements organized for tax season. She'd been receiving payments with "3.3% deducted" in the transaction notes but had no idea what that meant or whether she needed to do anything about it. When May rolled around and someone mentioned comprehensive income tax filing, she panicked. If you're freelancing in Korea—or thinking about starting—you've probably heard about the mysterious "3.3%" that gets deducted from your payments. You might wonder whether you need to issue invoices, how to prove your income, or what role your bank statements actually play. The Korean system for freelance work is straightforward once you understand it, but it operates differently from employment, and the terminology can feel confusing at first. This guide walks through the practical side of freelancing in Korea: what the 3.3% withholding t...