Korean Job Discussion Forums

[That guy over there]

Hey there,
So I've been lurking here for a while and its good to see some people who have seemingly shared some of the great experiences that I have of Korea....

A little introduction - I'm from Canada, here with my wife (she's Korean but now a Canadian Citizen) and our 2 year old daughter.

Just arrived in Gumi about a month ago, however I've lived here for few years back in the day and am well adjusted to the 'Korean Way'. My business allows me to be pretty mobile and we've decided to stay 4 to 6 months visiting the wife's family.....

anyhoo......now that that's outta the way, I have a business idea that I would like to start in Korea. Something that makes a killing in Canada, but hasn't really been done yet in Korea, and in my opinion there is a huge market for this.

So my question is: If I want to lease office space, hire staff, etc - is there a specific visa for this which will enable me (and my family) to stay longer in Korea?

Or am I going to have to do everything under one of my in-laws name and just run things unofficially, and taking a japanese vacation every 6 months...?

Thanks for any advice!

[Juregen]

1. Call Immigration

2. Yes, it's a D-8 and you need 50.000.000 won in a bank account, if you want it the easy way. But it also means you are 100% responsible for failure.
Setting up a corporation requires a lawyer.

3. Distribution networks are heavily monopolized and almost impossible to break through, unless you let them have a piece of the pie.

Cheers and good luck.

[winterwawa]

The 50,000,000 won must have been earned in your home country and transferred to Korea. You cannot use money that was earned in Korea to get a D-G VISA.

[red_devil]

Having a good, trustworthy financial guy that knows Korean labor law and taxes is key. Depending on your business location may be everything. Word of mouth (both online and offline) is powerful and can make or break your business. Leverage your wife's extended family, friends, and relatives to help in this. Good luck!

[Juregen]

[winterwawa]

Here is a link to information about a D-8 VISA. They are not easy to get and require a lot of leg work on your part, but if you are really determined...

http://www.investkorea.org/InvestKoreaWar/work/ik/eng/index.jsp

If your wife gets an F4 VISA, then you could possibly put everything in her name, but then, depending on the type of business, you could not legally work there. so you would be taking a chance--one that in my books, is not worth the risk.

[That guy over there]

Hey thanks everybody for the advice. I know I'd probably eventually find the info on the immigration website but I figured its good to ask here, because you'll often find out the little 'surprises' that can come along with things like this......

I have another broad question.... any tips on the best way to find staff (the 'right' staff)? Anyone for reception, accounting, sales.....

Classifieds? word of mouth/who you know? 'Snipe' people from other companies?

[Juregen]