Data-driven insights on living, working, and navigating Korea.
Dating in Korea as a foreigner ranges from unexpectedly easy to genuinely frustrating depending on your circumstances, Korean language ability, and which app or social context you’re approaching it from. The culture around dating has specific norms that differ significantly from Western expectations — understanding them up front saves a lot of confusion. 1. The … Read more
회식 (hoesik) is the Korean workplace team dinner — and it’s one of the aspects of Korean work culture that confuses, frustrates, or surprises foreign employees the most. It’s not quite a party, not quite a business meeting, and not quite optional. Understanding what it actually is (and isn’t) makes navigating it much easier. What … Read more
Korea’s work-life balance has a complicated reputation — and the data confirms why. Korea ranked among the OECD’s top 3 for longest working hours as recently as 2023, with 1,872 annual hours compared to an OECD average of ~1,670. But the situation is genuinely changing: the 52-hour workweek law, generational shifts, and growing competition for … Read more
Korean work culture has a reputation that precedes itself — long hours, rigid hierarchy, drinking culture, and an intensity that burns people out. Some of that reputation is deserved. But it’s also incomplete, and it changes significantly depending on which type of company you join. Understanding the actual dynamics, rather than the stereotype, is more … Read more