Who is behind this site
I am Kim Hyontae. I live in Korea, I work as a university professor in materials science and engineering, and I publish and edit 90DaysKorea under my own name. Korean is my first language, which is why this site works from the Korean originals and not from English summaries of them.
There is no anonymous editorial team behind the byline. When a guide here says something, I am the person answerable for it.
90DaysKorea is an independent, privately run site. It is not a government website, and it is not affiliated with the Korea Immigration Service, HiKorea, or any company or school mentioned in the guides.
What this site is for
This is a settlement guide for foreigners in their first 90 days in Korea. It covers what has to get done in that window: immigration registration and appointments, phones and eSIMs, bank accounts and transfers, transit cards, housing paperwork, health insurance, waste sorting, and getting around the country without a car.
The guides are grouped by stage: Arrival, Living, Money, Housing and Settling, and Explore.
Where the information comes from
Korean rules for newcomers are public. They are also scattered across government portals, ministry notices, carrier terms and city ordinances, written in Korean for people who already know which office to call.
Every guide starts from those primary sources. The official pages are linked in the text, so you can open the same page I worked from and check it yourself.
How a guide is made and checked
- Sources first. A guide is built from official pages, not from other blogs or forums.
- AI-assisted drafting and checking. I use AI tools to gather sources, to draft, and to re-check published figures and links against the official pages.
- My responsibility. I decide what each guide covers, what is left out, and what is marked as unsettled, and I answer for what is published.
- A verification note on re-checked guides. It states what was checked, how, and on which date. Guides still waiting for their re-check do not carry one yet.
- Limits stated plainly. Some official sites cannot be checked automatically; HiKorea is one. Where that applies, the note says so.
The “Last verified” date in a guide moves only when its sources have actually been re-checked. The page’s “Updated” date can also move for wording or layout edits, so treat “Last verified” as the one that counts.
Fees, deadlines and eligibility rules change. The facts most likely to move are kept on a watch list and re-verified on a schedule. Where the official position is unsettled, the guide says so.
What this site does not do
- No paid placement. No organisation pays to be recommended in a guide.
- No affiliate links at present. If that changes, each link will be labelled where it appears and the Disclosure and Disclaimer page will be updated first.
- No invented experience. Guides do not claim visits, interviews or tests that did not happen.
- No individual advice. Nothing here is legal or immigration advice. For decisions that affect your visa or your money, confirm with the responsible office. The Immigration Contact Center is 1345 inside Korea, with foreign-language support.
Corrections
If a number is out of date, or a step no longer matches what happened at the counter, tell me. I re-check the source, correct the page, and update its “Last verified” date. I usually reply within 2 to 3 business days.
Contact
Publisher: Kim Hyontae, Republic of Korea. Email hello@90dayskorea.com or use the contact page.
New to the site? Begin with Start here or browse all guides.