Korea Tourism Times

Today's stories 2026-10-30

Shopping & Exchange Bringing Over $10,000 Cash Into Korea 2026: Declaration Rules, Fines, and How to Report at Customs — Bottom line: If you're carrying more than USD 10,000 in cash into or out of South Korea, you must declare it to customs. The threshold count…
K-Food · A Day Around a Café Yeonnam-dong Cafe Hopping 2026: Seodanggae Roasters, Gyeongui Line Forest Path and Book Street Walk — Bottom line: In Yeonnam-dong, one cup of coffee is enough to turn into a full, car-free day. From Exit 3 of Hongik Univ. Station, walk about…
Threshold of Arrival · Japan Edition K-ETA Exemption for Japan 2026: Deadline December 31 and the Arrival Card You Still Need — Bottom line: Japanese nationals can still enter South Korea visa-free for up to 90 days for tourism, and the K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel …
Travel Safety Can You Bring Adderall or Sleeping Pills to Korea 2026? Customs Permit Rules and What Happens Without It — Bottom line: If you're packing Adderall, Ambien (zolpidem), Xanax (alprazolam) or Valium (diazepam) for a trip to Korea, a prescription from…
Flights & Visas Korea Visa Extension 2026: When HiKorea Opens Applications, Fees, and What Happens If You Miss the Deadline — Bottom line: This only applies to long-term residents holding an Alien Registration Card — students on D-2, workers on E-7, marriage migrant…
K-Beauty Olive Young Tax Refund 2026: Instant Refund Limits, Fees, and How Much You Actually Get Back — Bottom line: At CJ Olive Young stores, foreign tourists spending between 15,000 won and under 1,000,000 won in a single purchase can show th…
K-Entertainment Kwon Jin Ah Concert 'SAVE ME' Seoul 2026: Nov 6-8 Dates, 132,000 KRW Tickets and How to Book — Bottom line: Singer Kwon Jin Ah's solo concert "SAVE ME" plays Seoul's Myeonghwa Live Hall in Yeongdeungpo-gu from Friday, November 6 throug…
K-Culture Hanbok Free Palace Entry 2026: How Much You Save at Gyeongbokgung, Rental Shops, and the Rules — Bottom line: Wear a properly assembled hanbok and Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, and Jongmyo are all free to ent…
How Far Have You Been in Korea Soyosan Autumn Foliage 2026: Seoul Day Trip by Subway, Entry Fee, and How to Get There — Bottom line: Yes, Soyosan (소요산) in Dongducheon works as a day trip from Seoul with zero transfers. Take the regular (not express) Line 1 tra…
Living in Korea Alien Registration Card Korea 2026: 90-Day Deadline, Required Documents, and the Penalty for Missing It — Bottom line: If you plan to stay in Korea longer than 90 days from your entry date, you must register as a foreigner within 90 days of entry…
Living in Korea Foreign Worker Flat Tax Rate Korea 2026: 19% vs Up to 45%, and the 20-Year Deadline — Bottom line: If you earn wage income in Korea as a foreign worker, you can elect a flat 19% tax rate on that income instead of the regular p…
Living in Korea No Alien Registration Card in Korea: Can You Still Get a Phone, Bank Account, or Hospital Care? — Bottom line: If you're a short-term stayer under 90 days (tourist or short visit) without an Alien Registration Card, opening a postpaid pho…
Living in Korea F-3 Dependent Visa Korea: Can the Spouse Work? Permit Required Before You Start — Bottom line: A spouse who comes to Korea on an F-3 dependent visa to accompany a transferred employee cannot work on that visa alone. Before…
Festivals & Events DDP Rooftop Sunset Tour 2026: Dates, Price (50,000 Won), and How to Book — Bottom line: DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza)'s rooftop sunset walk runs every Friday and Saturday from October 16 to November 21, 2026 — 12 se…

This week

K-Food Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town: Prices, Hours, and Why Solo Diners Pay for Two — Bottom line: Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town starts right under the "Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Street" gate, about a 100-meter walk from Exit 8 o…
How Far Have You Been in Korea Dumulmeori Yangpyeong 2026: Free Riverside Views, Semiwon Entry Fee, and How to Get There from Seoul — Bottom line: Dumulmeori itself is free, but Semiwon, the lotus garden right next to it, charges admission. If a few photos are all you need,…
K-Beauty Daiso Myeongdong Beauty Shopping 2026: Prices, Tax Refund Rules, and the Receipt You Must Check — Bottom line: At Daiso's Myeongdong Station store (134-1 Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, near Myeongdong Station Line 4), show your passport at ch…
K-Culture National Folk Museum of Korea 2026: Free Entry Without a Gyeongbokgung Ticket, Hall 1 Closed Until Dec 21 — Bottom line: The National Folk Museum of Korea is always free, and if you walk up Samcheong-dong-gil from Anguk Station or Gyeongbokgung Sta…
Festivals & Events Han River Drone Light Show 2026: Last Date October 31, Free Entry, How to Get to Ttukseom — Bottom line: On the night of Halloween, Saturday, October 31, Ttukseom Hangang Park hosts this year's last drone light show. It's free and o…
Airport Guide AREX Express Incheon Airport 2026: New Schedule, 56 Daily Trains, and the 35-Minute Gap — Bottom line: If you're planning to ride the AREX Express nonstop train from Incheon Airport to Seoul Station, it's worth knowing the schedul…
Shopping & Exchange Rate Korea Plastic Surgery VAT Refund 2026: Why It Ended and What's Pending in Parliament — Bottom line: If you've heard that foreign patients can get a VAT refund on cosmetic surgery or dermatology procedures in Korea, that no long…
Safety & Reporting Pork from ASF Countries into Korea 2026: Declare It or Risk a 10-Million-Won Fine — Bottom line: If you're arriving in Korea from a country with African Swine Fever (ASF) and you're carrying pork or pork-based processed food…
Where to Stay in Seoul Gangnam vs Myeongdong Hotels Seoul 2026: Subway Time to Gyeongbokgung and Airport Access Compared — Bottom line: If this is your first trip to Seoul, book your hotel in the Myeongdong/Jongno/Seoul Station area north of the river, not in Gan…
Threshold of Arrival - General e-Arrival Card Korea 2026: How to Fill It Out, K-ETA Exemption, and the 72-Hour Rule — Bottom line: If this is your first trip to Korea, fill out the electronic arrival card on your phone at e-arrivalcard.go.kr no later than 3 …
Seoul District by District Yongsan-gu Seoul 2026: One-Day Route — Free War Memorial, Haebangchon Tacos, Namsan on Foot — Bottom line: A day in Yongsan-gu works best in this order — the War Memorial of Korea (see), Taco Stand in Haebangchon's Sinheung Market are…
Apps & Connectivity Seoul Transit Card with a Foreign Card 2026: Climate Card Takes Visa, T-money Doesn't (Yet) — Bottom line: There are two different ways to get a transit card with a foreign card, and they're not the same. At the new ticket machines in…

Launch Feature

Your city becomes the story — we are looking for our first writers

The alley no guidebook knows, the scene that opens at one hour of the day. The person who knows it is you. Apply for the first Buddy's Eye writer interview.

A local meeting a traveler at Gyeongbokgung Palace. (Sample image — replaced by real writers at launch)

K-Food · A Day Around a Café