The bittersweet reality of packing up your life in the Land of the Morning Calm.
So, the decision has been made. You’re trading soju for craft beer, K-pop in every café for Top 40 radio, and the convenience of the Seoul Metro for… well, probably a car payment.
Moving back to the United States after living in South Korea is more than just a flight; it is a massive logistical and emotional shift. Whether you’ve been teaching English for a year or working corporately for a decade, the process of disentangling your life from Korea and re-establishing it in the US can be overwhelming.
This guide covers the essential exit strategy to ensure you land on American soil with your finances, sanity, and belongings intact.
Phase 1: The Korea Exit Checklist (1-2 Months Out)
Before you board that plane, you have a bureaucratic mountain to climb. Korea is efficient, but it loves paperwork.
1. The Pension Lump-Sum Refund (The “Golden Handshake”)
If you are a US citizen, you are likely entitled to a Lump-sum Refund of your National Pension contributions.
- The process: Visit your local National Pension Service (NPS) office about a month before you leave. Bring your passport, Alien Registration Card (ARC), bank book, and flight ticket.
- The payout: You can have it wired to your US bank account (takes a few weeks) or, the popular option, collect cash at Incheon Airport (Airside) on your departure day.
- Note: If you choose the airport option, do not lose the receipt the office gives you!
2. Banking & Remittance
Don’t wait until the last day to move your money.
- Designate a Remittance Bank: If you haven’t already, ensure your Korean bank account is set up for international transfers.
- Closing Accounts: You may want to keep your Korean account open until your final severance/pension hits. Many expats use a “remittance service” (like SentBe or WireBarley) to transfer the final chunk after they land in the US, then ask a trusted friend in Korea to help close the account, or leave it dormant (check bank policies).
3. The “Sailing Permit” (Tax Clearance)
Technically, the US IRS requires a “Sailing Permit” (Form 2063 or 1040-C) to prove you don’t owe taxes before leaving.
- Reality Check: While technically required by law, it is rarely enforced for average citizens at the border. However, for total peace of mind and strict compliance, you can file this at a local IRS office (if available) or via mail before you leave. Consult a tax professional on this specific nuance.
4. Immigration & Utilities
- Departure Report: You technically need to report your departure if you aren’t coming back.
- ARC Return: You must surrender your Alien Registration Card at immigration at Incheon Airport when you leave for good. Take a clear photo of the front and back before you hand it over! You will need the ARC number for tax purposes later.
- Utilities: Schedule shut-offs for gas, electric, and internet. Korea allows you to settle these bills up to the specific day.
Phase 2: Logistics & Shipping
Shipping Your Life
- Korea Post (Surface/Ship): The cheapest option for books and clothes. It takes 2–3 months but is reliable. You usually pay per box (roughly 20kg max).
- Air Freight: Faster but significantly more expensive.
- Luggage: honestly, many expats find it cheapest to just pay for 2–3 extra checked bags on their flight rather than dealing with third-party shipping companies.
Selling Your Stuff
Use “Karrot Market” (Danggeun Market) if you speak some Korean, or local “Expat Facebook Groups” to sell furniture. The secondhand market moves fast in Korea.
Phase 3: The US Landing (Re-entry)
You’ve landed. You’re jet-lagged. Now what?
1. Health Insurance (Crucial!)
If you don’t have a job lined up immediately, you are vulnerable.
- Special Enrollment Period (SEP): Moving back to the US from a foreign country counts as a “Qualifying Life Event.” This gives you a 60-day window to sign up for a plan on the Healthcare.gov marketplace outside of the standard open enrollment period.
- Don’t miss this window. If you do, you might be locked out of insurance until the next year.
2. Taxes: The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE)
Tax time next year will be tricky. You will likely be filing for a “partial year” exclusion.
- Form 2555: You will use this to exclude your Korean income from US taxes.
- The Catch: You must prorate the exclusion limit based on the number of qualifying days you were in Korea/abroad.
- State Taxes: Be aware that some US states (like California or Virginia) might still try to claim you were a resident (“domiciled”) even while you were gone.
3. The Credit Score Gap
If you’ve been gone for years, your US credit score might be “stale” or invisible.
- You may need to start with a secured credit card to wake up your credit file.
- If you kept a US card active while abroad, you are steps ahead of the game.
Phase 4: Reverse Culture Shock
This is the part nobody prepares you for. You expect to feel at home, but you might feel like a stranger.
- Tipping Fatigue: You will instinctively recoil when you see a bill and realize you have to add 20%. The “price is the price” culture of Korea will be missed sorely.
- The “Safety” Shift: In Korea, you could leave your laptop on a cafe table for an hour. In many US cities, you need to relearn situational awareness.
- Noise Levels: You might find Americans loud. The “subway silence” of Seoul is very different from the boisterous energy of a US metro.
- Convenience: You will miss baedal (delivery) culture and convenience stores on every corner. You will likely need a car to do anything, which can feel isolating at first.
A Final Word
Moving back is not a step backward; it’s a new chapter. You are returning with a global perspective, resilience, and probably a very high tolerance for spicy food. Be patient with yourself. It takes about six months to stop bowing to store clerks and to feel truly “home” again.
Welcome back.