Our Korean Home

Our child was born in Vietnam, lived there until kindergarten, and moved to Korea at age 3 (5 in Korean age at the time). On the day we arrived, our child could not speak a single word of Korean. The short answer to how that changed: daycare in Korea did most of the work, and it happened much faster than we expected. Today our child speaks Korean naturally, understands Vietnamese, and speaks English better than most kids the same age. A little background: my wife and I met in Australia, where I lived for 14 years and she lived for 10. We studied and worked there, dated, and even had our wedding there. So English has always been our family language at home , even though I am Korean and she is Vietnamese. If you are a multicultural family worried about your child's language when moving to Korea, I hope our story helps. 1. Where we started Time Our child's languages Born in Vietnam (2019) Vietnamese around them every day, English at home between us parents Kindergart...

Here is something many international couples in Korea do not know: your foreign spouse is not added to your Resident Registration copy (주민등록등본) automatically. The short answer: after your spouse gets an Alien Registration Card, apply at the community center to have your spouse listed . Do it early, because some benefits look at how long you have been listed together. We did this right after we moved to Korea in 2023, and I am glad we did. 1. What is the Resident Registration copy? The Resident Registration copy (주민등록등본) is one of the most common documents in Korea. It shows who lives at your address as one household. You need it for many things, such as: Health insurance dependent registration Housing applications and public rental housing Child benefits, school, and many government services 2. Why your foreign spouse is not listed Korean citizens are registered as residents with a resident registration number. Foreigners are registered separately through the Alien Regi...

If you are a foreign spouse living in Korea, there is one place you should know about from day one: the Family Center (가족센터) . The short answer: Family Centers offer free Korean classes, interpretation, counseling, and support for children of multicultural families , and you can find the nearest one by calling 1577-1366 . Many foreign spouses only hear about it months or years after arriving. Here is a simple guide so you can start early. 1. What is a Family Center? Family Centers (가족센터, formerly called Multicultural Family Support Centers / 다문화가족지원센터) are public centers in almost every city and district in Korea. They help families settle in, and they have special programs for marriage migrants and their children . 2. What services can you get? Service What it is Korean classes Level-based classes from beginner to advanced, mostly free Home visit education (방문교육) A teacher visits your home for one-on-one Korean lessons. Good if you just arrived or have a baby. There may b...

If you move to Korea with a child who was born abroad, one of the first places to visit is the public health center (보건소, bo-geon-so) . The short answer: bring your child's overseas vaccination record to the public health center. They will register it in Korea's national system, tell you which vaccines your child still needs, and give the national vaccines for free. We did this after moving from Vietnam to Korea with our child. It was easier than we expected. 1. What is a public health center (보건소)? A public health center (보건소) is a government health office in every city, county, and district in Korea. Many countries do not have something like this, so foreign spouses often do not know about it. Registered foreigners can use it too. Service Why it helps Children's vaccinations National vaccines for children are free Registering overseas vaccine records Your child's past shots are added to the national system Pregnancy registration Support such as folic acid ...

If you married a Korean in your home country, you may have two different marriage registration dates : one from your home country and one from Korea. The short answer: for Korean housing applications and benefits, use the date on your Korean Marriage Certificate (혼인관계증명서) , not the date on your foreign certificate. We learned this the hard way. Here is our story and what to check. 1. Why there are two dates Many international couples register their marriage twice : First in the foreign spouse's country (for us, Vietnam ) Then separately in Korea , so the marriage appears in the Korean family records These two registrations often happen on different days , sometimes weeks or months apart. So your Vietnamese marriage certificate and your Korean Marriage Certificate can show different dates . 2. Which date does Korea use? Document When to use it Korean Marriage Certificate (혼인관계증명서) Use this date for Korean housing applications, newlywed benefits, and other Korean go...

If your child was born outside Korea and one parent is Korean, your child can be registered as a Korean citizen. The short answer: you can report the birth to Korea without flying home, through a Korean embassy or a Korean administrative agent (행정사) . But the child's resident registration number will show only the first 6 digits until the child actually registers as a resident in Korea. Our child was born in Vietnam in 2019, and we moved to Korea in 2023. Here is how it worked for us. 1. Does my child get Korean nationality? Yes, in most cases. Korea follows the bloodline principle : if the father or mother is a Korean citizen when the child is born, the child is Korean no matter where the child was born . But nationality alone is not enough. You need to report the birth so the child is added to the Korean family register (가족관계등록부) . 2. Two ways to report a birth from abroad Option How it works Korean embassy or consulate Submit the documents at the Korean embassy or ...

If your Korean spouse works for a company in Korea, you may be able to join National Health Insurance (NHI) as a dependent and pay no premium at all . The short answer: a spouse of an employee-insured person is exempt from the 6-month residency rule, so you can apply right after you arrive , as long as your income and assets are under the limits. Here is what we learned as a Korean–Vietnamese family that moved to Korea, including one rule that surprised us later. 1. What is a "dependent" (피부양자)? In Korea, an employee pays health insurance through their company. Family members who depend on that employee can be added as dependents (피부양자, pi-bu-yang-ja) . Dependents get the same coverage as the employee. Dependents do not pay a separate premium . Without dependent status, a foreigner usually has to join as a regional (self-paying) member and pay a monthly premium. 2. Who can be a dependent? Requirement What it means Relationship Spouse, children, parents, etc...