Katherine Corteza, head of the Itaewon Global Village Center, speaks during the first "Living in Seoul Talk Series" held in 2019. Courtesy of Itaewon Global Village Center
By Jon Dunbar
The Itaewon Global Village Center (Itaewon GVC) will host its "2024 Living in Seoul Talk Series" on Nov. 9.
Held for the second time after the previous one five years ago, the event aims to provide a venue for foreign residents to learn the essential details of living in the city to ensure their time here is pleasant and worry-free. It also hopes to connect people and help respective communities integrate together.
The daylong event includes three two-hour talks conducted in English. Starting at 10 a.m., Session 1 will serve as an orientation for living in Seoul. Katherine Corteza, director of Itaewon GVC, will cover the basics, including banking, medical care, crime prevention and other must-know information about life in Korea.
Session 2, beginning at 1 p.m., invites Jang Man-ik, a licensed immigration agent, to talk about work visas. Topics to be discussed include switching from an E-1, E-2 or E-7 visa to a longer-lasting F-2 or F-5 visa.
In Session 3, beginning at 3:30 p.m., lawyer Lee Ji-won will go over the basic labor laws of Korea.
"At Itaewon GVC, we believe that information should be accessible to everyone, both local citizens and foreigners living away from their home countries," Corteza, who recently celebrated her 10th year working at the center, said in an online invitation.
"Because of the language barrier, accessing basic information can be daunting for most foreign residents in Korea, especially those who are new to the country. This event aims to give the right information from credible sources in just one sitting. All foreigners, especially those who are new to Korea, are encouraged to join!"
The Itaewon GVC is a government agency committed to supporting foreign residents living in Seoul. One of its advocacies is promoting the importance of knowing one's rights and giving the foreign community access to valuable information that will help them adapt and make their lives easier while living in Korea.
A poster for the "2024 Living in Seoul Talk Series" on Nov. 9 / Courtesy of Itaewon Global Village Center
The event will be held at Basement 3 of the Art Hall at Yongsan District Office.
Participants should register online in advance. Visit fb.com/itaewonglobalvillage or itaewongvc.com for more information.
English (United States) ·