01. Trash & Recycling System

• Most people know you need to sort your trash. But the rules can seem illusive. Here's a few rules of thumb:

•    Food and non-recyclables go in labeled bags that you can purchase at local stores. 

•    Egg shells, bones, pits, cobbs, tea bags, coffee grounds, and liquids do NOT go in food trash. 

•    You can either freeze your food trash or keep it in an air tight bin designed for food trash until you take it out. 

•    Recyclable items should, in theory, be relatively clean. If you can't clean it, it goes in the trash.

•    Trash pickup is on a specific day. Do NOT put out your trash early.

•    Trash and recycling is hyper-local. Different style housing has different style accommodation. 

•    Larger buildings have collection points with staff on hand to help sort if you have questions. 

•    Residents in smaller buildings leave it out on the sidewalk on pickup days. 

•    Sometimes, there's a neighborhood bin for food trash. It might not be in front of your building.

02. Language, Translation, and English Help

   1330 (Korea Tourism Hotline) → Free 24-hour English (and other language) helpline for anything — directions, emergencies, translations with taxi drivers, etc.

   1345 (Immigration Helpline) → English support for visa, ARC, and residency issues.

   Ddanzi Kakao Open Chat, “Every Expat in Korea,” and other local expat Kakao groups are lifesavers for quick, honest answers.

   Google Translate’s camera feature works surprisingly well for signs and packaging, but Papago is better for natural Korean.

   Chrome's built-in translation extension works well on most websites.

   Tip: If you get stuck in a bureaucratic situation, call 1330 and hand your phone to the official — they'll translate live.

03. Landlord & Housing Stuff

•    Korean rentals are either jeonse  or wolse .

•    Both involve a deposit, but jeonse deposits range from 50-80% of the value of the home and involve zero monthly rent.

•    Wolse deposits range from KRW 5-50 million with rent decreasing by 50,000/mo for every 5-10 million won increase in your deposit.  

•    Everything goes through a realtor (real estate) . You can look online, but those listings will mostly just connect you to realtors who have other listings.

•    Expect to move fast. You'll have minutes to look at a place and if you don't jump on it that day, it might not be available the next day.

•    You can find "full-option" officetels (apartments in multi-use buildings) that have a refrigerator and washing maching. But in many cases, you'll need to bring or buy your own.

•    Some Koreans believe that it's the new tenants responsibility to clean the unit. So you may find some places that are not ready to move-in. 

•    Or you may find a landlord that wants to charge you a cleaning fee when you move out.

•    The Gu office has a mediation center for housing disputes — very fair and often English-friendly.

04. Public Toilets

   Korea has tons of public restrooms, but they can be hard to find.

•    Naver Maps shows “public restroom,” while KakaoMap often doesn’t.

•    Department stores and large cafes almost always have clean restrooms without purchase required.

•    Subway stations are also a safe bet, and some parks have public toilets.

•    The secret though is comercial buildings often have toilets in between floors in the stairway. Try going up a floor or two in any building with restaurants and shops.

•    Carry your own tissues — many bathrooms have soap but no paper.

•    Make sure you plan ahead. Some older bathrooms place the toilet paper inside the stalls. 

05. Banking, ATMs & Digital Certificates

   Koreans share their bank account number as easily as their phone number.

   Some shops will give you a better price if you can transfer the money directly instead of using your card.

•    Korean banks still rely heavily on digital certificates (joint certificates) for login and online payments.

•    You'll need to issue one inside your banking app after you open your account — it's required for nearly everything online.

•    ATMs allow transfers, deposits, and bill payments, but they often shut down after midnight for maintenance.

•    Most ATMs are language-friendly (English menu).

•    ATMs located at a bank (any bank, not just your bank) don't usually charge a fee. Those at convenience stores do.

•    Your bank debit card will work for online purchases, but you'll often need to register it for online use inside the app first.

•    Calling the bank customer service line might be easy as they always have English speaking staff.

•    The app Toss makes sending money, splitting bills, and paying utilities easier than most traditional banks.

06. Seoul Global Village Center

•    Think of this as a community resource center for foreigners .

•    There are several around Seoul (eg, Itaewon, Seorae, Seongbuk, Gangnam).

•    They offer free translation help, legal advice, Korean language classes, and even tax or immigration consultations.

•    You can also get help filling out online forms or making phone calls in Korean.

•    It's one of the few places where government-level support actually feels personal.

07. Paying Utilities

•    Utility bills (gas, water, electricity, internet) come monthly — often by mail or KakaoTalk message .

•    Bills usually have a virtual bank account number listed for each of the national banks. This number is unique for you, so you can simply transfer the money to that bank account number.

•    You can also pay:

  •      -At the bank ATM (scan the barcode)

  •      -Through your bank app (look for “utility bills” or “giro number”)

  •      -Or auto-pay through your account

08. Big & Tall Sizes

•    Clothing sizes in Korea run very small — even “XL” often fits like a Western medium.

•    For shoes, anything above 280mm (~US 10.5) is rare in stores.

•    Best sources: Uniqlo (largest fits), ABC Mart Grand Stage , and online import stores like G market Global, Coupang Global, or MUSINSA Standard Plus.

•    There's also “Big Size Korea” and “Big Size Mall” websites specializing in Western fits.

•    Also if you're close enough, there are shops in Itaewon that offer larger sizes.

09. Where to Find Things

•    Daiso – every household item you can imagine, from slippers to Tupperware. Think Dollar Store meets Walmart.

•    Coupang / Naver Smart Store – fastest delivery for literally everything.

•    HiMart – electronics and appliances.

•    Olive Young – health and beauty.

•    Homeplus / E-Mart / Lotte Mart – closest equivalent to a Western supermarket.

•    Itaewon, Hannam, Gwanghwamun – best areas for foreign/import foods.

•    The “Naver Café” communities (like “Seoul Expat Marketplace”) are great for secondhand items and English Q&A.

•    Daangn (Carrot) is the Korean version of Craigslist. People buy and sell used items. Arrange with the seller/buyer where to meet and how to pay.

•    Namdaemun Market has an underground section that has every import item you can imagine that you can't find at EMart including Ranch dressing. Look for the steps going down between two of the main buildings.

•    Bangsan Market is famous for bakery products, cooking utensils, and packaging supplies. Since Koreans don't bake much, you won't find a lot of baking tools and ingredients at Emart. Look for the covered alleys outside the main building and closer to the main road.

•    Yongsan Station is the place for electronics. There's an indoor market place inside the iPark complex. There's also the Yongsan Electronics Market and several other buildings to the west of Yongsan Station/iPark Mall outside Exit 3.