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1. Housing Types, and Matters to be Attended to

(1) Jeonse (Lease)

Unique to Korea, Jeonse is a lease based on a lump-sum deposit. By paying a deposit, you make a contract with the landlord to borrow his/her house to live in for a certain period of time, and to retrieve the deposit when the contract expires. A contract can be made for a single room, part of a house, or the entire house. To rent an entire house, you will typically need a deposit of around 60 to 70 % of the house’s selling price. A lease contract is usually for a two-year term, and the law does not allow the landlord to cancel the contract before the contract expires without the renter’s consent.

(2) Wolse (Monthly Rent)

You can also get accommodations on a monthly rent basis. You will still have to pay a small deposit, much smaller than that of a lease, but you will have the advantage of being able to negotiate the deposit depending on the period of your contract. If you can afford a higher monthly rent amount, the deposit can be smaller, and vice versa. Wolse conditions depend on the size and number of rooms, and other facilities. Neither a lease nor a monthly rent arrangement will include the cost of utilities. You will need to make your own arrangements to pay the electricity, water supply, gas, phone, Internet, and TV charges. Apartments do not include furniture or home appliances.

(3) Gisuksa (Dormitory)

This is lodging provided by companies or schools. Industrial trainees (D-3 visa) are guaranteed a space in a dormitory. If you are in Korea for employment training (E-8 visa) or working under the Employment Permit System (E-9 visa) you may be given a space in a dormitory, but your company is not obliged to do this.

(4) Check with Your Own Eyes

There are many ways to find a place to stay. Some may find an attractive advertisement for a room on the street or at a restaurant near their workplace, and go to take a look. But most people prefer to have the help of a real estate agent. An agent’s job is to show you the options, check the legal or maintenance conditions for the candidate houses on your behalf, and prepare the legal documents for your contract. You will need to pay the real estate agent a fee for his or her services.

(5) Contract

• Contract Counterpart

A contract should be made only with the landlord concerned, and with no one else. Under no circumstances should you make a contract or pay a deposit to someone who is not the landlord, such as a current or prior tenant. If you make this type of arrangement, you expose yourself to risk, as the landlord may not acknowledge your contract as valid, and you may end up losing your deposit. When you make a contract with someone, be sure to check that he or she is indeed the rightful owner of the building. You can confirm this by referring to a copy of the register.

• Register

Consulting a copy of the register before making a contract is as important as checking the inside of the place by yourself. The register contains the address of the place, the name of the landlord, and the floor space and structure, and also gives information regarding whether the landlord owns the building outright or is paying a mortgage. A copy can be issued at the registry office, or through the Internet.

• Down Payment and Deposit

Generally, 10% of the deposit is paid in advance when the contract is signed. For example, if you are leasing a place with a deposit of 2 million, your down payment when the contract is signed will be 0.2 million. You must pay the remaining 1.8 million on the day you move in. Don’t forget to get a receipt.

Items to be included in a rental contract

Address of the rental unit (The address on the contract should match the one on the register.)

Contract payment (Deposit and monthly rent)

Due dates for the down payment and the balance payment(s) (It is safe to pay up to 10% of the deposit as a down payment.)

Term

Signatures or thumbmarks of the landlord and the renter

(6) Expiration of Contract and Deposit Return

You may wish to leave your housing before your rental contract expires. In this case, your landlord will deduct the rent for the remaining months in the contract from your deposit, and will refund the remainder to you. For example, suppose that your contract included a deposit of 2 million won and monthly rent of 150,000 won, and you want to end your contract three months ahead of the expiration date. If your landlord finds a new tenant right away, you can leave the place with no responsibility. If not, however, your landlord can claim the remaining three months’ rent (150,000 won X 3 = 450,000 won) from your deposit, and pay you the remaining 1.55 million won. If you do not wish to renew your contract, you should inform your landlord that you intend to move out upon the expiration of the contract at least one month in advance. If you have informed your landlord of your intentions in this manner, it is illegal for your landlord to withhold your deposit. If your landlord wrongfully withholds your deposit, you can seek redress through a civil action. This may take some time, and requires some complex procedures. Should such a situation occur, there are various support centers from which you can seek help.

Things to do before moving out

At least one month before your contract expires, you must inform your landlord of whether you intend to leave on the expiration date, or wish to stay for longer. If you do not discuss this with your landlord, your contract is automatically renewed, and you may lose the chance to move out when you want to. Many people forget and make this mistake.

2. Electricity

(1) 220 Voltage

Most houses in Korea use 220-volt electricity. If you want to use a 110-volt appliance, you will need a transformer to convert from 220 volts to 110 volts.

(2) Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker

Every house has an earth leakage circuit breaker to prevent the risk of fire due to leakage of electricity. When too much electricity flows in or a problem occurs in the flow of electricity, the circuit breaker will automatically switch off the flow. If the breaker is not working properly, it may cause danger. Make sure to check that it is working properly before moving in. To check a circuit breaker, simply press the test button (usually a red button). Pressing the test button should cause the switch lever to go down. If it does not, the breaker is broken.

3. Use of Water

In winter, there is the risk of water supply pipes freezing. The following are some instructions that can help prevent this problem.

• Check whether or not there are water leakages in the container of the water meter, and whether the water meter is protected with a heat insulation material (Styrofoam). Take action immediately if there are problems.

• If the water meter is exposed, as in aisle-type apartments and townhouses, protect the meter by covering the top with vinyl, or rolling it up with hot wires. Turn the tap on to let a small quantity of water trickle if you are planning a long-term absence, or at night if the temperature is very low.

• If the water meter is frozen, melt the ice with warm water at first, and then with hot water, to prevent the glass cover of the meter from breaking.

4. Use of Gas

(1) Cooking Gas

Butane gas canes are used for portable gas burners. If a can is put in the wrong way, the fire may be small or you may smell the gas leak. Turn the burner off and check the can at once to avoid any accident. A used-up can should be punctured and put in a recycle bin.

(2) Butane Gas

Butane gas canes are used for portable gas burners. If a can is put in the wrong way, the fire may be small or you may smell the gas leak. Turn the burner off and check the can at once to avoid any accident. A used-up can should be punctured and put in a recycle bin.

(3) LPG/LNG City Gas

To light a fire on a gas range, open the safety valve and ignite. When finished using, make sure to close the safety valve. Check every joint in the piping for leakage by painting it with soapy water and observing for bubble formation. If there is no leaking part, you will se no bubbles forming. Ask and get an engineer’s contact number to prepare for an emergency. In case of city gas, you will receive a safety checkup visit every month. Try not to leave home and get the checkup. If you cannot stay for the checkup, you may ask your neighbors to be there for you.

(4) Prevention of Gas-Related Safety Accidents

Most gas-related safety accidents occur when gas leaks due to the careless management of gas facilities. The most common accidents are suffocation and explosion. If a gas leakage is detected through a safety check, the following actions should be taken immediately.

• Close the gas valve.

• Open the windows and the doors for ventilation.

• Turn off any electronic devices, because sparks may cause a gas explosion.

• Contact the gas provider to request a safety check.

 

 

5. Heating

(1) Boiler

There are many types of boilers and they may consume briquettes, oil, LPG or LNG city gas. Briquettes are cheap but should be checked on every several hour to maintain the fire. Oil and LPG are expensive and need to be refilled after several weeks. LNG city gas is cheap and guaranteed for continuous supply through a pipe. It can be used for both cooking and heating. A place with an LNG city gas is a little more expensive than a place without it, but the place is worth the money, considering how much you can save for your heating fuel.

(2) Electric Heater and Electric Mattress

Electric heaters and electric mattresses are commonly used for household heating. However, do not use them more than necessary as they consume a lot of electricity.

(3) Gas Heater

Gas heaters are commonly used indoors but require particular care of ventilation. Sleeping with a gas heater on can cause oxygen deficiency and thus a very fatal accident. Frequent ventilation is a must.

 

 

6. Telecommunications

(1) Telephone

To get a phone line installed, call 100 from anywhere in the country and you will be connected to a local telephone office. The voice instruction will come in Korean first and later in English. If you are comfortable with either language, there is no need to bother to go to the telephone office by yourself. It is convenient to arrange the monthly charges to be automatically withdrawn from your bank account. In case of a breakdown, call 100 to report the troubles.

(2) Mobile Phone

They do not sell expensive mobile phones by monthly installment to non-Korean citizens. You may find it easy buy one in cash on the spot. You need an alien registration card to get a phone number issued for you. If you don’t have a registration card, you can still use a pre-paid service called, “card phone.” This service incurs no registration fee and charges no basic fare, but it charges a little higher rates than usual mobile phone services. You can recharge your phone with pre-paid phone cards that are available in various amounts starting from 10,000 won. At least one recharge is required a month to continue the service and the unused amount of money will be expired at the end of the month. A brand-new mobile phone costs from 300,000 won to 600,000 won while second-hands are available at the price ranging from 30,000 won to 200,000 won. Pre-paid card are available at any mobile phone shops and foreign grocery stores frequently used by migrants.

Useful Information

Ad Calls/Ad Messages

Mobile users are frequently exposed to ad calls and ad messages. It is recommended to ignore such calls and messages unless they are necessary. Calling back numbers out of curiosity may lead to an unexpectedly large phone bill. In particular, answering adult ads or adult messages may lead to massive financial damages.

Useful Information

Area Codes

There are 16 area codes altogether. The area code of the destination you are calling should be entered before the phone number you are about to call. Area codes are not needed for calls made within the same area.

 

 

Area	Number	Number	Area	Number	Area	Number
Seoul	02	Incheon	032	Gangwon	033	Gyeongnam	055
Busan	051	Gwangju	062	Chungbuk	043	Jeonbuk	063
Daegu	053	Daejeon	042	Chungnam	041	Jeonnam	061
Ulsan	052	Gyeonggi	031	Gyeongbuk	054	jeju	064

 

(3) Pay Phone

A Pay phone on the street requires coins or a telephone card. A local call costs 70 won per 180 seconds and a long distance call 70 won per 43 seconds. There are certain hours during the day when international calls made from a pay phone are discounted.

(4) Emergency call / Collect Call

When you have to make a call to other numbers and you don’t have any money with you, try the collect call service. The particular call will be charged to your recipient on a slightly higher rate. To make a collect call, press in the following order: Emergency button + 1541 + phone number to call + # button

• Police report: Emergency button ! +112

• Fire report: Emergency button +119

(5) International Calls

In order to make an international call form a pay phone, you are recommended to buy a phone card on the Internet, or at a foreign grocery store or a convenience store

How to Call

Enter access number → Enter card number → Enter country code + area code + phone number

Useful Information

How to Use International Call Services

International calls, or calls between countries, are much more expensive than domestic calls. You can save money by making international calls during discounted times, which are usually during evening and holidays. It is recommenUseful Informationded to check charges in advance, as rates vary by country and by service provider. You can also international calls at lower rates by using Internet phone services or international calling cards.

 

 

Country	Country Code	Country	Country Code	Country	Country Code	Country	Country Code
Argentina	54	Hongkong	852	Malaysia	60	Singapore	880	91	Mexico	52	Sri Lanka	94
Brazil	55	Indonesia	62	Myanmar	95	Sudan	249
Mongol	976	Iran	98	Nepal	977	Thailand	66
86	Iraq	964	Nigeria	234	Vietnam	84
Colombia	57	Syria	963	Pakistan	92	Japan	81
Egypt	20	Turkey	90	Peru	51	Angola	244
Kazakhstan	7	Russia	7	Philippines	63	Chile	56

 

(6) Cable TV and Internet

In Korea you can access cable TV services and SkyLife, a nation-(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadas are open 24 hours, and cost 1,000 won to 1,500 won an hour. International CallsArea Codes

 

 

7. Garbage Collection System

Garbage is separated by type and collected at certain days and times. It is(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreadable)(unreada"font-style: italic">Useful Information

Standardized garbage bag

Garbage bags are available at nearby supermarkets and discount stores. Each district has its own type of bag and do not accept garbage in the bags other than their own standardized bags. Bags for general waste have different volumes: 5, 10, 20, 30, 50, 75 and 100 liters. For household use, 10 or 20 liter bags are commonly used. Food garbage bags come in 2 to 5 liters as they should be disposed of every few days. Some villages use a container to collect food remains. Ask your neighbors to details.

(2) Food Remains

Drain out liquid and put in a bag designated for “food remains”, or put in a container to collect food garbage.

(3) Recyclables

Paper, glass, steel, plastic and fabric are recyclables. Cans and plastic bottles need to be dried and flattened before discarding.

(4) Nonflammables

Shoes and chinaware are nonflammables. They are separated in a bag for nonflammables.

(5) Large-sized Materials

Broken furniture pieces and electric appliances should bear a specially designed sticker that indicates that the item bearing the sticker is being disposed of with duties paid. Their prices differ by size and type of the item. The sticker is available at your community service center or designated supermarkets.