Living in Korea
Currency & Exchange Rate
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| 50,000 WON | 10,000 WON | 5,000 WON | 1,000 WON |
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| 500 WON | 100 WON | 50 WON | 10 WON |
Value of 10,000 WON (KRW)
| USD | 7.3 United States Dollar |
| EUR | 6.3 Euro |
| GBP | 5.5 British Pound Sterling |
| CNY | 52 Chinese Yuan |
ATMs and Bank on Campus
ATMs
○ Student Union Building
○ Library (1st Fl)
○ POSTECH Biotech Center
○ Graduate Institute of Ferrous & Energy Materials Technology (GIFT)
○ Administration Building
○ POSCO ChangeUp Ground
○ Jigok Community Center
Woori Bank
○ Student Union Building, 09:30 - 16:00, Weekday, 054-283-6040
* Only Degree Students or Exchange Students Receiving Schlarship can Open the Bank Account
About NHIS
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National Health Insurance System (NHIS) is one of the Social Insurance Schemes that provides benefits for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and else of possible diseases and injuries for the purpose of improving citizens' health and promoting social security. Pursuant to the Korean National Health Insurance (NHI) Law and Regulations, all international students including exchange students who plan to stay in Korea for more than 90 daysare required to enroll in the nation-wide mandatory insurance plan at their own expenses from March 1, 2021. |
Eligibility Acquisition
| Visa Type | Date of Eligibility Acquisition |
|---|---|
| D-2 Student Visa (Full-time Degree / Exchange / Visiting / Research) |
○ Initial Arrival: Date of Alien Registration ○ Re-entry: Date of re-entry |
| F-4 Overseas Korean Visa | ○ Date of School entrance after arrival in Korea (Enrollment Certificate Required) |
Insurance Benefit
NHIS subscribes will receive Equal Benefits with Korean Citizens. Those are required to make a partial payment at the point of receiving services, and the NHIS will pay the rest to the providers.
* 20% of the medical expenses is required for inpatient services, and 30-60% for outpatient services.
* Please note that the above apply only to covered services and one must pay the full price for non-covered services.
Contribution and Payment
○ Contribution
- Monthly contributions for 2023: 143,840 KRW
- Above is inapplicable to the self-employed insured whose contribution is ablve the average contribution
- Reduction of insurance fee for D-2 holders to lessen the students' financial burden: 50% (as of 2023)
- If you want to pay the monthly contribution as a family unit, you must submit a document that proves your family relations, such as a marriage certificate and request NHIS for collectively issuing a month contribution bill for all family members.
○ Payment
- Due Date: Contribution for the following month is due by the 25th of the current month (prepayment)
- Monthly Payment Notification is sent via post or email (delivered around 15th of each month)
- Applying for electronic billing, automatic transfer, or registering a refund account: Call or Visit NHIS Website or a branch office
Contact
| National Health Insurance System (NHIS) | Pohang Southern Branch of the NHIS |
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833 Huimangdae-Ro, Nam-Gu, Pohang, Gyeong-BukMobile Phones
To purchase a mobile device and a mobile plan under a contract, or to buy a Pre-paid SIM Card, visit a mobile phone store to explore your options. There are three major mobile service providers in Korea as below. Each carrier offers different lines of devices and plans.
| Carrier | Inquiry in English | International Calls |
|---|---|---|
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 1588 - 8001 |
001 + Phone Number |
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 1599 - 0011 |
00700 + Phone Number |
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1544 - 0010 |
002 + Phone Number |
What to Prepare
○ Pre-paid SIM
- Passport & Korean Bank Account
- Ask for a Pre-paid USIM Card, Charge, and use it
○ Mobile Plan
- Alien Registration Card & Korean Bank Account
Local Bus
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To take local buses, you may purchase T-Money, a prepaid transportation smart card. You will be able to purchase and charge the card at convenience stores or any other stores which have a T-money sign. T-money offers you discounts on your public transportation fares (except taxis). Local Bus fare is 1,200 KRW with T-money Card and 1,300 KRW in cash. Local Bus 207 & 306 stops at POSTECH Bus Station which is the closest one from campus and you can go for most of the important stops in Pohang. |
Intercity & Express Bus
Both Intercity and Express buses offer direct services to many different major cities like Seoul, Daegu, Busan, and others. Compared to Intercity Buses, Express Buses are faster and have larger and comfortable seats.
| Major Destinations |
Terminal Location |
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| Intercity Bus | Daegu, Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongju, and else |
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| Express Bus | Seoul, Daejeon, Gwangju, and else |
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Taxi
It is fairly easy to grab a taxi on the streets in Korea. To hail a taxi, simply hold out your arm while looking toward the driver. The fare starts at 4,000 KRW and after midnight, goes up by 20%. The most convenient way to get a taxi to/from campus is with Kakao T application that provides taxi booking and real-time traffic information services.
KTX (Korea Train eXpress)
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Korea Train eXpress, better known as KTX, is a high-speed rail system providing one of the fatest transportation for long distances in Korea. You can take a KTX Train from Pohang Station. For making a reservation, visit website or download applicationi below. |
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| Website | App for Android | App for IOS | |