lived my entire life abroad and this year won’t be able to make it to my halmoni’s place for the weekend,,, wondering what everyone else is up to for the holidays?

i feel like i'm the only gyopo in korea. in my friend groups, im the only gyopo. now, i KNOW that's not true but i also can't find any gyopos in korea for the life of me. where are yall hiding?? If you are a gyopo in daejeon or seoul and want to link up, let me know!

(19F) and planning to study abroad in korea through my college student exchange program in spring 2025, but i turn 20 in march this year. i'm pretty sure i have to either renounce or claim dual citizenship before the end of this year and had a few questions.

• pros and cons of claiming dual citizenship (female so no need to worry about military service)

• am i allowed to even enroll as an exchange student if i am a dual citizen? i have both american and korean citizenship since my parents are korean, but i heard that i won't be able to obtain a D2 student visa if i'm a dual citizen.

thank you!

Background:

• 30 year old korean american male
• Both parents still Korean citizen (they have permanent resident alien card)
• Born in the US and have never lived in Korea, but did visit Korea when I was 4
• Only have American Passport

Based on the MMA website and from things I read online, it says I am possibly a Korean citizen because of my father who is still a Korean citizen (he only has a permanent resident alien card here, "Green Card"). I want to visit Korea only for a few weeks and I only have an American passport. Is there a high likelihood that I will get conscripted? I would love to go, but honestly the risk is just not worth it since I have a family to support financially and if I got drafted my entire world would be totally screwed. But if anyone has any knowledge / stories, I'd appreciate it. I do plan on calling the MMA / embassy and my plan to go would be late 2025 / early 2026, so I have some time.

Thank you.

Tl;dr: I work at a restaurant in Itaewon. Great pay (hourly pay is 1만 2,500원), great atmosphere, but I wish I could have a friend with me. You can find their official job listing at the bottom of the post.

Heya. I'm a gyopo who, after living 16 years abroad, decided to come back to Korea for university. And well, with independence came a need for a source of income, but uh, after hearing about Korea's infamous workplace culture, gotta say, I wasn't all that stoked to get into it. So I decided to work somewhere where I guessed they would have a more open atmosphere, which landed me in Itaewon.

Gotta say, the atmosphere nicer than I expected and the pay is also very nice, especially compared to working part-time as a barista (which is what I was initially looking into). Everyone is very friendly, and I have never been berated despite my many mistakes (this being my first job and all). And most importantly, I get to eat some delicious Thai food as lunch and dinner, baby.

But I think it would be nice to have someone I can relate to in the workplace. Idk. Working with a friend has always been sorta like a fantasy to me. I had this one person I was close with, but they're leaving the job soon so ye.

This is their official job listing: https://daangn.com/kr/job-posts/이태원-부다스벨리-평일알바-주말알바-정직원-2FmknNqgvgO

Hi, I want to go visit Korea for about 3 weeks this year and my mom mentioned I should be concerned about being dragged to the Korean military.

Here's my situation

1. Both parents Korean when I was born in Canada
2. Parents got Canadian citizen a year after I was born
3. I didn't formally denounce my "Korean citizen" due to having Korean parents before 18 (none of us knew about it)
4. I lived in Korea after I was born from ages 2-7 as a foreinger.
5. Divorced Dad lives in Korea as a foreigner.
6. I was never reported in a Korean embassy
7. I am 26 at the moment
8. I visited before when I was 21 for about 3 weeks with no issue.

Should I still be worried about getting conscripted if I go to visit?

Hey all,

Wanted to see if anyone had any insight to the mandatory Korean Military Service?

Some info:

• Born in the US
• Currently living in the US
• Age 30 - Have wife and daughter
• Working for International Company (I can do remote)
• Dual Citizen

I did go to a Korean University and also graduated.

Moved back for work in the US and trying to move back since my wife and I love Korea. Wondering what the situation would be for me?

Would I be possibly be exempt from military service?

Thanks in advance!

Hey,

So I'm a first-gen Korean-Canadian, and I've been recently taking steps to try to improve my Korean. Attended weekend Korean school growing up but my Korean has gotten rusty now as an adult. Wondering if anyone else is in a similar situation and if so, I'd love to know:

• What motivated you to start learning or improve your Korean?
• What were the biggest challenges you faced (or are facing) when starting out?
• How would you rate your current level of Korean? And which specific skills (like writing, reading, speaking, or listening) are you trying to improve?

Can a Gyopo in Korea open a bank account? Would you have any recommend a "gyopo" friendly bank?

Compared to the past, Korean artists living outside of Korea seem to be trying to put in a traditional or unique image of Korea when designing fashion or drawing characters. And it seems that Reddit's Korean-American attempts to find their roots or learn Korean have increased.

It may be a coincidence, but this trend seems to have begun to arise since the accessibility of Korean content through Netflix or YouTube abroad increased.

Did Korean content affect gyopos' interest in their identity or roots?

Hello,

We are TopToon, one of the biggest webcomic companies in Korea!

As the number of our users in the global and English-speaking market is growing, we're looking for a Global Marketing Strategy team member who will manage our global marketing strategy, as well as write and translate content.

If you love and have passion for Korea and Korean webcomics, this is the company for you!

Our Korean website: https://toptoon.com/ Global website: https://toptoonplus.com/

Responsibilities:

• Look for ways to promote our global website to the english-speaking world
• Translate from Korean into English and vice versa
• The ability to research and understand a variety of topics (copyright law, online payment services, etc.)
• Research and comprehension on market trends
• Social media awareness

Qualifications:

• Native-level English proficiency
• Professional proficiency in Korean
• Valid visa for working full-time in Korea (F preferred)

-Spanish/french fluency is a bonus -Photoshop skills -Proficient in all services in Microsoft Office (Excel, Powerpoint, Word)

Conditions

• Full-time: 5 days a week, 9 hours per day (incl. 1 hour lunch break) from 10-7.
• Initial Internship contract (3 months and switched to full-time thereafter depending on performance).

-Cafe for employees -Many quality of life services and cash bonuses for employees

If interested please send your picture and resume to ChrisPang1762@Gmail.com

I'm a rising senior at UC Berkeley and I'm planning on going to medical school after a gap year or two. I have Korean citizenship but I also applied for DACA in February. Unfortunately, the recent news about DACA has thrown my future into uncertainty, so I'm not sure if I'll be approved any time soon. Now I'm considering backup plans, in case I'm unable to obtain work authorization in the States.

Option 1: Get married to a U.S. citizen (prob not gonna happen).

Option 2: Get "sponsored" by a hospital to help me get a green card.

Option 3: Move to South Korea and look for a job there.

If I move to South Korea with a bachelor's degree, a U.S. MD, and fluent English & Korean skills, how likely are my chances of becoming a doctor there? I heard that getting a job is really tough, even for 유학파. Despite being a Korean citizen, I would probably have to take the KMLE because I live and study abroad right? Are there even any 재미교포 doctors there?

I'm not sure which option I should go for, so I'd appreciate some feedback. Thank you!

I just joined this group and I think it’s so amazing! I was wondering if anyone was interested in joining a discord or Instagram group chat. Let me know!

As per title

I'm a gyopo currently working in korea. I have an E2 visa but want to change to a F4 to take advantage of living in Korea without working. I've read online about the things that I need, but each website tells conflicting things. Some say I need to get a criminal background check while others disregard it. I'm confused by this whole process and need some help. Does anyone know what I need so that I can successfully apply for a F4 visa in Korea?

Anyone know if there are Korean subs for the presidential or VP debates?

insta handle: @gyopos_united

Hey y'all, as there are many good Asian meme pages lately but none for Korean immigrants, my friend thought of creating a meme site dedicated to Gyopos! :)

Feel free to submit content and share with your friends~

click here

Hey all - I originally created a facebook group a long time with the same goal as here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_diaspora. I think the admin(s) here are also the admin there: you still here Jenny?

Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you all knew there are many great places for us to interact. I need to remind myself this exists. I also need to create an anonymous account so I can start posting more freely! Hahahaha.

Seriously, I am proud to be a gyopo (even though it took years) and here's proof: https://www.quora.com/What-have-you-done-wrong-in-life/answer/Brandon-Na

And I'm always happy to help my fellow gyopo in whatever career they are in. I'm versed in:

• SEO & most of the digital marketing channels
• Education (more specifically boarding school exams like the SSAT & ISEE, boarding school interviewing, boarding school essays, personal statements for college, debate - almost all forms & overall education leadership)
• Entrepreneurship (startups)
• Writing

You can find me online to reach out, but if I don't reply, feel free to ping me here or email me at brandon@seattleorganicseo.com

Hope you all are doing well in your respect lives and ...

#StaySafe!

p.s. Koreans kick butt in other things like slaying #Corona http://bit.ly/3aQi9sO

I hear that eating squid/octopi live is done in Korea. I'm looking for some baby live octopi (I want this, but less dead), and I was wondering if anyone here knows a source?

I'm a 1st generation gyopo living in Sheffield of the UK!

Just a post to say hello as I embark on what I imagine will be a long journey to reattaining my language and cultural heritage.

I have just found out coincidentally that the university here has taught a Korean Studies university course for the past 30 years and has quite a large Korean community.

I'm determined to get into the Korean vibes, but I wonder if anyone else has this issue - I've been brought up fairly liberal and with strong Western, atheist values that often sit at odds with Korean communities in the UK that have maintained a stronger bond with their roots. The Korean church here is huge, but I wonder if it'd be okay for me to attend when I am out rightly atheist and not as interested in partaking in its religion, but desperate to meet Koreans?

​

Anyone else had similar issues? It may be that Koreans in Britain aren't as prevalent as in America, and perhaps there is a smaller subset of Korean culture residing here.

Hey Everyone!

I wanted to share my clothing line to this group because I wanted to share it with all the 교포's!

I am proud to be Korean and I am happy to be living in North America. I know this is a feeling that a lot of Koreans tend to feel!It is great to see that there is a community that does exist and I hope you guys can either check out our Instagram page or even just share the clothes!Everything is cut + sew with a focus on quality!

IG - https://www.instagram.com/kyopo_/

https://preview.redd.it/qwiht0lcfn241.jpg?width=2726&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=100cb25e1b356752ba4fd39e52008bd6ed13b788

https://preview.redd.it/kw8dyzkcfn241.jpg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=56859cdf4119aef9f96f6880c6fdfcfe6a6510f8

TLDR: Korean consulate in LA tells me I need to renounce my korean citizenship and wait a YEAR minimum in America before I can apply for a visa. Has someone gone through this process (and did it really take one year?) or has anyone been able to do this any other way? ANY sort of information/personal experience would be appreciated.

I understand there are many posts related to this issue, but most of them are outdated and I still haven't found an answer I'm looking for.

I'm female, korean-american, born in America, yet my father was a korean citizen at the time of my birth (he is now a US citizen) and apparently that makes me dual citizen until I renounce my korean citizenship. I CAN'T keep my dual citizenship because I'm too late for that (must be done before age 22).

I contacted the LA korean consulate and this is what they told me:I have to register my birth in Korea, receive my citizenship, go to korea and ask for an order to renounce, come back to america and renounce, then wait A YEAR or more in America (can't go to korea during this time) and come back to the consulate to apply for F4 visa. She also told me once I register my birth I can apply for a Korean passport and go to Korea with that. The thing is, I'd be found out that this is not valid, because I've already passed the age of 22 so I couldn't stay there for long before them finding out (she said a couple months, but from what I know, even sooner if you need an ID to work).

After I was told this, I decided to get documents to go with an E2. I now have my documents ready and the consulate tells me I still can't get this visa because I need to go through the steps to renounce my korean citizenship.

I'm desperate at this point and I'm thinking there HAS to be an easier way..

I've been searching online everywhere and see that some people have gone to Korea after registering their birth and went with their (technically illegal) korean passport. At the immigration office there, they realized the korean passport is not valid and gave them an F4 visa when they came with the right documents.

I don't understand how that is possible because I was told renouncing korean citizenship MUST be done in America, and cannot be done in Korea. Some people are saying they were able to in Korea, and some people are saying they weren't able.

Another thing I'm wondering is, do I really need to go to Korea just to get an order to renounce, only to come back to America to renounce it and wait a whole year?

I've been searching everywhere online for an answer, but so many forums on here are from so many years back and everyone is saying something different, so I don't know what to believe. I also don't wanna believe what the consulate says 100% because I've heard they don't have any relation with the immigration offices in Korea, so some of them don't know the facts themselves.