Spaces, places and freebies for millennials

In 2013, the Seoul city government started a program that was aimed at helping the city’s youth. The program plans to have five different youth-focused community centers in Seoul by 2018. Two locations have opened so far. 

Looking for a co-working space near you? Try sharedesk.net. It’s kind of like Airbnb, but more for work than play. 

Also known as the “social integration program,” KIIP consists of two parts. While originally designed to help the spouses of those married to Koreans, many types of foreigners, including students, foreign workers and refugees, are eligible for this program. The first part involves Korean language training (415 hours) and the second part involves understanding Korean society training (50 hours). Those who successfully finish all of the training receive a certificate at the end and earn points towards getting their Korean citizenship. There are approximately 20 locations nationwide at which you can take classes and the competition to get into them is quite intense. However, the program comes highly recommended from previous students. Those interested in registering for the exam may find the blog keytokorean.com to be very helpful. (socinet.go.kr).

Seoul is eager to gear up its image as a global city and part of that includes helping foreigners start businesses in Korea. To help you get your start, you can look to the Global Business Center, which is located in Yeouido and Kangnam. Every few months, they open a start-up school that teaches foreigners how to launch an enterprise of their own in Seoul. The classes are free and teach you everything from writing a business plan, to FDI procedures, how to do your taxes, etc. Availability is limited to 25 people per class and the best part is that at the end of the course, 25 points will go towards an OASIS VISA (start-up visa) and they’ll also provide you with consultation after the classes are over. Check global.seoul.go.kr/yeouido/biz.do for the next available session.