There are several English-language newspapers widely distributed throughout South Korea. Korean magazines written in English, local specialist publications and international magazines are also available. Additionally, the numerous blogs and expat websites provide an enormous source on anything you’d like to know about Korea.

[box_dark]1. Newspapers[/box_dark]

Printed newspapers

The Korea Times

One of the largest-circulation English-language newspapers in Korea. Well-regarded for its up-to-date services on foreign and business news, including economy and finance.
KRW 1.000 a copy.
koreatimes.co.kr/

The Korea Herald
Another major English-language Korean newspaper, is currently being distributed in over 80 countries around the world.
KRW 1.000 a copy.
koreaherald.com/

JoongAng Daily and International Herald Tribune
Quality newspaper providing daily, culture and human interest stories. Also it reports in depth on the foreign community in Korea including business coverage and social activities.
The paper is affiliated with International Herald Tribune, which is distributed along with the JoongAng Daily.
KRW 2,000 a copy.
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/

Jeju Weekly
Weekly newspaper from island of Jeju.
jejuweekly.com

Online newspapers

Access to articles is free, unless stated otherwise.

Digital Chosunilbo
Online presentation of the Korean daily The Chosun Ilbo.
english.chosun.com/

Dong-a Ilbo
Online service providing Korean news in multiple languages (English, Japanese, Chinese).
english.donga.com/

The Hankyoreh
Independent and progressive newspaper, committed to journalistic freedom, democracy, peaceful coexistence and national reconciliation between South and North Korea.
The newspaper’s ownership is quite unique, too: it’s not part of business conglomerate like many other newspapers, but it’s owned by about 62,000 shareholders who joined the original drive for the paper’s inception.
english.hani.co.kr

The Kyunghyang Shimun
This newspaper investigates activities of the government and Chaebols (conglomerates). They are monitoring abuses of human rights and violations of personal freedom.
english.khan.co.kr/

Yonhap News Agency
Major Korean news service, delivering news to customers, newspapers, broadcasting firms, government agencies and many more. News items range from politics to entertainment.
english.yonhapnews.co.kr/

The Seoul Times
Online English newspaper for foreigners in Korea.
theseoultimes.com

The Korea Economic Daily
Economic newspaper, mostly read by Korean office workers and university students.
english.hankyung.com/

MK Business News (Maeil Business newspaper)
Business newspaper.
news.mk.co.kr/english/

Daily NK
Newspaper with a focus on the future of North Korea. Daily NK sees the people of North Korea as separate from their regime and emphasizes a peaceful unification with South Korea based on democracy and the realization of human rights.
dailynk.com/english/

Korea IT News
Most prominent daily newspaper specializing information technology in Korea, for the purpose of providing a variety of IT portal services on the internet.
english.etnews.com/

Dynamic Busan
Online news on Busan
dynamic.busan.go.kr

Foreign news on Korea:

Asia Times (online newspaper) – Korea section
Publications that report on and examine geopolitical, political, economic and business issues. Look at these issues from an Asian perspective, as opposed to a Western one.
atimes.com/atimes/Korea.html

South Korea News.Net
This online newspaper assembles news on the South Korea area, including stories from around the region and beyond.
southkoreanews.net/

Seoul Daily
Media community that collects news articles from all over the world. Is part of The World News (WN) Network
seouldaily.com/

South Korea News – Ein News (subscription)
Industry, business, and political news.
Subscription: $ 49.95 a month.
world.einnews.com/country/southkorea

Official News:

Korean Government Homepage
Official news, articles on Korean culture and history, paintings, music, and more.
korea.net/

[box_dark]2. Magazines[/box_dark]

Printed Magazines

SEOUL Magazine
Monthly travel and culture magazine that provides in-depth reporting on living in Korea, on travelling, events and cultural news.
magazine.seoulselection.com/

KOREA Magazine
This magazine, published by the Korean Culture and Information Service, provides general information with an emphasis on Korean policy.
korea.net/Resources/Publications/KOREA-Magazines

10Mag
A monthly lifestyle magazine that focuses on activities for the foreign community. All kinds of leisure activities are covered such as exhibitions, concerts, sporting events, dining, nightlife, travel.
10mag.com

Groove Korea
Monthly magazine that covers a range of topics including community, music, sports, travel and food.
groovekorea.com/

Koreana
A quarterly magazine on Korean art and culture. The magazine also deals with other subjects such as the environment and lifestyle.
koreana.or.kr

Korea Post
Monthly magazine on economy and business, agriculture, tourism and society activities. There’s a section dedicated to women as well.
koreapost.com

Global Asia
The print edition of Global Asia is published quarterly, while the internet edition is updated continuously with new articles and contributions.
Global Asia is a publication of the East Asia Foundation, founded in Seoul, and its aim is to give voice to the global dimension of what’s happening in Asia through providing a platform for distinguished thinkers, policymakers, political leaders and business people to debate the most important issues in Asia today.
globalasia.org/

BusinessKorea
Monthly magazine on Korea’s business, economic and financial worlds directed to Korea watchers overseas as well as Korea’s own top decision-makers and business circles.
businesskorea.net/

Eloquence
A monthly art magazine for and about creators that deals with photography, fashion, design, sound, video and many more.
eloquence.co.kr/‎

Art & Seoul
Fairly new non-periodical arts magazine that offers coverage of anything art-, music-, or design-related in Seoul.
artandseoulmag.com

K-Soul Magazine
Quarterly magazine on Korean pop culture (K-pop), with reviews of K-pop concerts, information about going to live shows, drama information, filming locations, and guides for how to take part in the hallyu wave culture.
ksoulmag.com

Busan Haps
Bi-monthly print magazine that provides the reader with the most up-to-date events, attractions, restaurants and nightlife around Busan.
busanhaps.com

Online Magazines

Korea Focus
Monthly webzine, featuring commentaries and essays on Korean politics, economy, society and culture, as well as relevant international issues.
koreafocus.or.kr/

WorknPlay Magazine
As the name suggests, this online magazine provides a free job search facility but maintains an up-to-date entertainment guide too. Essential information for expatriates and short-term visitors is given as well.
worknplay.co.kr/

[box_dark]3. Television and Radio[/box_dark]

Arirang TV and Radio (English, Chinese, Spanish, Korean, Arabic, Russian, Vietnamese, Indonesian)
This government-funded broadcaster provides news and entertainment on Korea for the international community.
arirang.co.kr

KBS World TV and World Radio (Korean Broadcasting System) (English, Chinese, Japanese, French, Spain, German, Other)
Public broadcaster providing informative and entertaining programs to the audience.
english.kbs.co.kr/tv

SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System) (Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese)
Apart from its function as public broadcaster it also distributes a range of corporate channels throughout Korea.
global.sbs.co.kr/en/main/main.htm

AFN (American Forces Network) Pacific
Popular entertainment programs and command internal information networks used by the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS).
test.afnpacific.net/Home.aspx

EBS (Educational Broadcasting System) TV and Radio
Broadcasts educational contents for every age
global.ebs.co.kr/eng

TBS (Traffic Broadcasting System) Radio
24-hour English radio for citizens of Seoul and surrounding areas, on local information, current affairs, entertainment and culture.
tbs.seoul.kr/ENG/

SkyLife (Korean and English)
Digital satellite broadcaster that provides over 150 specialized channels from anywhere in the country of movies, education, children’s programming, sports, news and music with high definition picture and sound.
skylife.co.kr/eng

MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation) TV and Radio
Public broadcaster both active in Korea as in about 30 foreign countries.
aboutmbc.imbc.com/english/

[box_dark]4. Blogs[/box_dark]

When it comes to blogs on Korea, it seems like the choice is never-ending.
The following blogs are among the best rated expat-blogs:

– On the Seoul Searching blog by Mimsie Ladner you can find articles on destinations, travel tips, shopping, entertainment, culture, events, food and people. Mimsie’s blog is appealing for the eye and is – not unimportant – well organized.
myseoulsearching.com/

– Written by Seoul Selection’s own magazine editor Robert J. Koehler, The Marmot’s Hole presents a healthy crossroads of Korea and the Western world. Robert maintains a vigilant eye on Korean media as well as western perspectives. Apart from political, social and media matters, the author also does travel-related photo essays from time to time.
rjkoehler.com/

– If you want to consult a blog on Korean food, ZenKimchi is the place to be.
The experienced team of writers and experts working on ZenKimchi has been consulted for and has written for media such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and several Korean journals.
zenkimchi.com/

– Chris in South Korea (although he recently left South Korea) is packed with information and is an excellent resource for any expat.
chrisinsouthkorea.com/

– Run by a young Canadian married couple, Eat Your Kimchi is the place to go for information on K-pop and quirky videos on life in Korea. Although their quirkiness can be a little too much at times, their enthusiasm is contagious.
eatyourkimchi.com

– Named the “Best Korean Travel and Culture Blog” by the Korea Tourism Organization, Discovering Korea by Matt Kelley is definitely worth a look around. It’s an excellent source of information for travel destinations in and outside of Seoul.
discoveringkorea.com/

[box_dark]5. Other useful websites[/box_dark]

– Galbijim Wiki is a collaborative Wiki community which holds almost thousand articles of advice on living, working, and traveling in Korea.
wiki.galbijim.com/Main_Page

– Korea4expats is a very detailed and informative website, providing virtually everything one needs to know on living and working in Korea.
korea4expats.com/

– AngloINFO, similar to Korea4expats, holds a great amount of information on living, working and other things you need to know in Korea.
seoul.angloinfo.com/

– Koreabridge serves as an information- and community-portal for all of Korea. It collects already existing Korea-related content and also provides a space for the users to add some information themselves.
koreabridge.net

– The Official Korean Tourism Organization provides a great deal of useful information on its website. Admittedly, you might have to do some additional research yourself – sometimes the links to other websites or contact information isn’t up to date – but the website’s basically a travel guide on its own.
The website is available in other languages apart from Korean and English: Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Thai and Arabic are provided as well.
english.visitkorea.or.kr

Abuses of system prompt immigration authorities to act

On April 24, the Korean daily Dong-A Ilbo broke news that Korea’s immigration authorities were planning to revise Korea’s immigration laws to ban Koreans who make under KRW 1.12 million a month from marrying a foreigner. Or, to be more precise, it would stop immigration authorities from issuing marriage immigrant visas to the prospective immigrant spouses of those making less than 120% of the minimum cost of living and those receiving support under the National Basic Livelihood Act. Authorities are even considering a plan to raise the minimum income level needed to receive a marriage immigrant visa to 80% of the minimum cost of living.

Since 2006, when the number of so-called international marriages peaked at 38,759, international marriages have been on a downward trajectory, with just 28,326 international marriages performed in 2012. The divorce rate, however, has continued to hold more or less steady at an uncomfortably high rate—in 2013, 10,887 international marriages broke apart. With an endless stream of horror stories of spousal abuse, scam marriages, broken families, and other abuses of the system, the government is finally moving to reform the system. The question is, will it be enough?

Beating the brokers

International marriage is not new to Korea. According to the 13th century history textbook Samguk Yusa, King Suro of the southern Korean kingdom Geumgwan Gaya in the second century married a northern Indian princess who sailed all the way from the subcontinent to Korea. King Gongmin of the Goryeo Dynasty was married to a Mongolian princess, as was the practice of kings of the latter part of the Goryeo Dynasty. Even Korea’s first president Syngman Rhee married Austrian Franziska Donner, who accordingly became Korea’s first First Lady.

Still, international marriages tended to be rare, especially in the modern era. Things began to change from the early 1990s, when women—largely ethnic Koreans from China and Southeast Asians—began coming to Korea to marry mostly rural men. The trend accelerated in the subsequent decade. By 2005, more than 40% of rural bachelors were marrying foreign women. Worried about the decreasing and increasingly elderly population, local authorities even encouraged the process by providing subsidies to international couples.

The trend was not without serious problems, though. Many of these marriages ended in failure due to cultural differences and communication barriers—not surprising, considering that many of these marriages were concluded within just a couple of days of getting introduced by brokers that prioritized profits over love. Some foreign women were duped into marrying mentally ill and/or abusive men; some wives were even killed by their husbands. Some foreign women used the system as a means to illegally immigrate to Korea, disappearing soon after their arrival and leaving their husbands heartbroken. There were plenty of sham marriages, too, in which men in need of cash “married” women wanting to come to Korea as part of a visa scam. The situation got so bad that at one point in 2010, the Cambodian government temporarily banned local women from marrying Korean men met through matchmaking brokers. Vietnam, too, banned young women from marrying Korean men over the age of 50. Hanoi also barred marriages between Korean men and Vietnamese women separated by more than 16 years of age.

Perhaps as intended, strengthened regulations have taken a toll on the matchmaking industry. According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the number of international marriage matchmaking companies dropped from 1,390 at the end of last year to 1,276 at the end of March, a reduction of 6.9% in just three months.

Not just Korea

Korea’s regulatory revisions, if they go into effect, would affect not only low-income Koreans. The government will not give out marriage immigrant visas to Korean men lacking a stable place to live. This means Korean men living in motels or gosiwon (one-room apartments usually used by young working people) may not be issued marriage visas for their brides, nor might those living with a third person who is not a relative. Likewise, those men who have recently entered into a previous international marriage and gotten divorced will be banned from entering into another one right away. Other measures are under consideration, too, including a plan to make it mandatory for prospective foreign wives to pass Level 1 of the Test of Proficiency in Korean before they are given a marriage visa; if they fail, their visa issuance is delayed six months. Fail it twice, and they’ll need to take a government-mandated social integration class when they come to Korea. Couples who can communicate in a third language, such as English, would be excluded.

Korea is not the only country with such regulations on the books. The United States, for instance, grants marriage visas for foreign spouses only to those who make 125% of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) poverty guidelines. The United Kingdom, too, has a ￡18,600 income requirement, and you must be able to accommodate yourself and your dependents without recourse to public funds.

Written by Robert Koehler