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๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท South Korea: sources & references

Every source behind the South Korea page, what it backs, and when we last consulted it. The quality figure is derived from our confidence rating for each fact โ€” see how we source.

mofa.go.krOfficial ยท 90%
  • Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Seattle - F-1-D Workation (Digital Nomad) Visa requirements
  • Health insurance
Published
โ€”
Last consulted
2026-09-15

Graduates out of TBD this pass: the KRW 100,000,000 figure, previously only a search-snippet-level lead, is now traceable to a consulate-level MOFA page (Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Seattle, F-1-D program page) plus 5+ independent secondary guides (Seoulstart, HaniSeoul, krinsider, koreaplus-lifes, americanvisitorinsurance.com) converging on the same figure for medical treatment AND repatriation - several sources warn 'repatriation' must be explicitly named on the policy or the application is rejected. Not marked 'official' - hikorea.go.kr/immigration.go.kr/mofa.go.kr root pages remain 403 on direct fetch, so this rests on a consulate sub-page plus secondary corroboration, not a primary ministry page read.

Consult source
overseas.mofa.go.krOfficial ยท 90%
  • Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Houston - F-1-D For Workation (Digital Nomad)
Published
โ€”
Last consulted
2026-09-15
Consult source
en.sedaily.comOfficial ยท 70%
  • Seoul Economic Daily - Korea formally adopts digital nomad visa, eases income requirements (2x prior-year per-capita GNI in won; 50m-won relaxed tier)
  • Minimum income
Published
2026-07-07
Last consulted
2026-09-15

Per the 2026-07-07 Ministry of Justice announcement (visa relaunched as permanent 2026-06-30, replacing the pilot's flat 2x-GNI rule with this tiered formula). The rule is denominated in WON, not dollars: it keys off the Bank of Korea's published prior-year per-capita GNI (KRW 52.41 million for 2025), so 2x = ~KRW 105 million and the relaxed tier = ~KRW 52.4 million. This resolves the USD 65,800-vs-73,926 split tracked here since 2026-07-29: both were conversions of the SAME KRW 105 million rule at different exchange rates (~1,596 and ~1,420 KRW/USD respectively), not competing thresholds - which is why neither could ever be sourced to a distinct official figure. Publishing the won amount removes that FX artifact; any dollar equivalent drifts with the rate (the site's own FX table, used only by the eligibility shortlister, was itself found stale during this same pass and refreshed - see lib/matcher.ts). RE-CHECKED 2026-08-03/05: Korea Herald's post-launch visa Q&A independently corroborates a third tier - ages 18-34 intending to live in Greater Seoul need 1.5x GNI (~KRW 78.6 million) - and notes holders who relocate into Greater Seoul after approval must meet the higher threshold at renewal or move back out within 6 months. Not marked 'official' - hikorea.go.kr, immigration.go.kr and mofa.go.kr all still 403 on direct fetch, so no primary Korean-government page has been read. The full official multiplier table for other intermediate age/region combinations remains unpublished anywhere found - treat the three tiers above as the load-bearing ones, not a complete table.

Consult source
koreaherald.comOfficial ยท 70%
  • Korea Herald - S. Korea officially launches digital nomad visa with eased eligibility rules
  • Visa duration
Published
2026-07-07
Last consulted
2026-09-15

1-year initial grant, renewable annually, extended from a 2-year to a 3-year total cap per a 2026-07-07 Ministry of Justice announcement - corroborated across 5+ independent secondary sources (incl. a EY Global tax alert and an immigration law firm), not yet read on an official Korean government page directly (hikorea.go.kr/immigration.go.kr/mofa.go.kr all 403 on direct fetch).

Consult source
greenbacktaxservices.comOfficial ยท 70%
  • Greenback Tax Services - South Korea Digital Nomad Visa for Americans Explained: Requirements, Costs, and Tax Rules
  • Tax regime
Published
โ€”
Last consulted
2026-09-15

Multiple independent tax-focused outlets (Greenback Tax Services, Bright!Tax, krinsider, Nomad Tax Guide) converge on Korea not taxing foreign-sourced remote income while the visa's own ban on Korean employers holds. Several of the same sources flag that guidance on the >183-day resident-status threshold is still evolving/unsettled - noted here rather than presented as resolved. Not marked 'official': hikorea.go.kr/immigration.go.kr/mofa.go.kr still unreachable on direct fetch, so this is search-result-synthesized secondary reporting, not a primary Korean-government page read.

Consult source
y-axis.comOfficial ยท 70%
  • Y-Axis - South Korea Launches New Digital Nomad Visa with Easier Eligibility and 3 Years of Stay
  • Family rules
Published
โ€”
Last consulted
2026-09-15

Independent secondary coverage (Y-Axis, Bright!Tax, VisasUpdate, SharedHomies, Trenity Consultants) consistently reports that a spouse and minor children may accompany the primary F-1-D applicant as dependents, that only the primary applicant must meet the income threshold (dependents are not separately income-tested), that dependents cannot work in Korea, and that each dependent needs their own private health insurance. No source reports a distinct per-dependent income uplift for this program, so upliftPerDependent is left unset rather than guessed. Not marked 'official' - hikorea.go.kr/immigration.go.kr/mofa.go.kr still unreachable on direct fetch.

Consult source
koreaherald.comReported ยท 70%
  • Application fees
Published
โ€”
Last consulted
2026-08-06

USD 90 for the initial 1-year multiple-entry visa application, plus 60,000 KRW (~USD 41) per annual extension up to the 3-year total cap. Three independent secondary sources converge on this figure (Korea Herald's post-launch visa Q&A, an EY Global tax alert, an Envoy Global news alert), replacing the previously-scattered range (~USD 45-100 depending on nationality/fee type) - a materially more specific and better-corroborated figure than before. Not marked 'official' - hikorea.go.kr/immigration.go.kr/mofa.go.kr still 403 on direct fetch, so no primary Korean-government page has been read; by-nationality fee variance may still apply and is not ruled out. RE-CHECKED 2026-08-19: no comprehensive by-nationality fee table found this pass either - the general pattern (USD 90 default; USD 45 flat reciprocity fee applying to ALL Korean visa categories for US nationals, not F-1-D-specific; CAD 121.50 via the Canada consulate's F-1-D page) is reconfirmed, not contradicted. No material change.

Consult source
eiglaw.comOfficial ยท 60%
  • Erickson Immigration Group - South Korea Officially Launches Digital Nomad Visa
Published
โ€”
Last consulted
2026-09-15
Consult source
ey.comOfficial ยท 60%
  • EY Global - Republic of Korea formalizes its digital nomad visa program with expanded eligibility and extended stay period
Published
2026-07-07
Last consulted
2026-09-15
Consult source

Last full review of this country: 2026-09-15. Sources are re-checked quarterly. โ€œPublishedโ€ shows โ€” when the source does not state a reliable publication date.