Useful Information

Many U.S. individuals living abroad are either unaware that they have the same tax filing requirements as those living at home, or believe that they do not need to file a return if their foreign income is below the foreign earned income exclusion amount. All U.S. individuals, regardless of the geographical location or the amount of tax liability (even if no tax is owed), must file a return each year.

U.S. expats who are out of the country are usually given extra 2-month automatic extension to file their tax returns without requesting an extension, which makes the due date June 30th of the following year. However, if there is a balance due, interest will be assessed on it starting after April 15th. There is no penalty for being late if you owe no tax.

The very first thing that comes to our mind when we receive an offer to relocate to South Korea is about food.

Will I get food from my home country?

Will I get the necessary spices if I have to cook my food at home?

What if I staying outside Seoul, in some remote place in Korea – will I be able to procure these grocery on a regular basis without travelling much?

But now with the emergence of various eCommerce (Online) Grocery Shops in Korea, buying Asian grocery has become more convenient. These online grocery shops mainly cater to Asians from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Middle East, Mauritius etc. who have relocate to Korea.

Award winning international call provider, Localphone.com, rewards customers with a week of unlimited free calls to landlines in South Korea.

From 12pm (noon) GMT Friday 20th April until 12pm (noon) GMT Friday 27th April customers can make free calls to landlines in South Korea. The offer is available to all Localphone customers, old and new. There are no restrictions on how long each user can talk for or how many South Korean landline numbers they call. After the promotion ends calls will be charged at the normal cheap rate of 0.8p GBP / 1.1c EUR / 1.5¢ USD per minute.

If you have plans to visit Korea for a few days, weeks or months and you are looking out for a temporary accommodation in Korea then Goshiwon, Hasukjib or Yeogwan could be the right fit for you. Goshiwon is more for students whereas Hasukjib and Yeogwan is more suitable for working professionals who are looking for a budget stay in Korea and does not want to go through the hassle of house renting, lease, deposit, utilities and so on. Read the guide below to check which one is more suitable for you.

Goshiwon – 고시원

Goshiwons are a remarkably cheap way of living in Korea. It is a very small and basic room where students often live in and study for a number of months in order to focus on a test (고시).

Average Salary in Korea

As per the article published in The Chosunilbo, the average annual salary per worker was estimated at 25.15 million KRW. In terms of region, the average wage of workers in Ulsan, where many giant enterprises are based, was 31.51 million KRW, the highest figure nationwide, whereas Incheon, the lowest, was merely 21 million KRW.

So expats on an average are offered around 2.5 million KRW per month before deduction of taxes.