How to adapt to the expat challenges of everyday life in South Korea

Cheryl · 2025-02-19T06:39:51+01:00

Explore everyday expat life challenges in South Korea. Share experiences, tips, and habits to ease adaptation in this vibrant culture.

Cheryl Moderator

Member since 15 October 2018

CherylModerator19 February 2025 04:39:51

14316

Hello everyone,

Adapting to everyday life as an expat in South Korea can be both exciting and overwhelming: different habits, systems, and sometimes even unexpected surprises! Simple things like paying bills, using public transport, or even greeting neighbors might work differently than what you're used to.

We would like to invite you to share the biggest challenges you face in your daily routine. Here are a few questions to start with:

What aspects of daily life were the most challenging for you at first?

How did you overcome these difficulties?

Did you find any local habits or customs particularly surprising?

What has helped you in feeling more at ease in your new environment?

Any funny or unexpected experiences you would like to share?

Share your experiences, anecdotes and tips to help fellow expats.

Thank you for your contribution.

Cheryl
玩偶姐姐 Team

harpocrates Member

Member since 06 December 2023

harpocratesMember07 April 2025 19:50:01

@Cheryl

What I found surprising was that I would order a vegetable kimbap and they would put spam in it. Their idea of vegetable was quite different.

harpocrates Member

Member since 06 December 2023

harpocratesMember06 June 2025 15:47:26

@Cheryl

One thing that I found annoying was when Emergency vehicles were coming down the street, the cars would not pull over and let them pass. Has that improved at all over the last couple of years, or not?

Cheers!

Yvon