Skip to content

How we check facts

How KoreaStep researches, verifies, dates and updates its guides, and how we use AI tools and translation.

Updated October 20, 2026

Travel rules in Korea change: entry requirements are extended or expire, fares rise, apps add or drop features for foreign users. This page explains how we keep KoreaStep accurate and how you can tell how fresh a page is.

Sources

  • Official sources come first. For entry rules we use the K-ETA and e-Arrival card sites, the Ministry of Justice and Korea Immigration Service, the Korea Visa Portal and Korean embassy pages. For transport and money we use the operators and agencies themselves: Incheon Airport, AREX, Seoul Metro, Korail, T-money, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Korea Customs Service and the Korea Tourism Organization.
  • Secondary sources fill gaps only. When we rely on news reports or other publications, we say so.
  • Conflicts are shown, not hidden. When two official pages disagree, or an official page has not caught up with an announcement, the guide states both versions with their dates and tells you which one to confirm.

Check dates

Procedure pages show "Checked against official sources on [date]" and the date of the next scheduled check. We re-check entry and visa pages every 30 days, transport and money pages every 90 days and other pages every 180 days. We also re-check ahead of announced deadlines, such as the end of the temporary K-ETA exemption on 31 December 2026.

Step-by-step guides

Our interactive step-by-step guides recreate machines, forms and app screens as they looked when we checked them, and show the date they were checked. Logos are not reproduced, and the recreations are for explanation only.

AI tools and translation

We use AI tools to help research, draft and translate. A person decides what is published, and facts that can change are checked against the sources listed on the page. Non-English pages are adapted for each language rather than translated word for word. Until a native speaker has reviewed a translation, the page says so near the top.

Independence

KoreaStep does not accept payment for coverage, rankings or links, and the guides contain no affiliate links. Naming a company or app is not an endorsement.

Corrections

If something is wrong or out of date, please send a correction. We check it against the official source, fix the page and update its check date.