Volunteering
Volunteering is a good route into meeting local people and practising Korean.
Why it's worth trying
- It connects you naturally with the local community.
- You use and learn Korean in real situations.
- Your hours are recorded, and for students they can count as school activity.
- Some activities can be done with your children.
Where to find it
- 1365 Volunteer Portal www.1365.go.kr — search and apply nationwide, with hours recorded.
- VMS (social welfare volunteering) www.vms.or.kr — welfare facility volunteering.
- Local volunteer centres — in every city and district.
- Family and community centres — multicultural volunteering and programmes.
Steps
- Register on the 1365 portal.
- Search by area, field and date.
- Apply and await approval.
- Take part and get it confirmed. Hours are recorded automatically.
Types of activity
- Environmental clean-ups, meal service, companionship for older people
- Translation and interpretation — your own language is an asset here.
- Learning support for children, event support
- Disaster recovery volunteering
Where to go
- 1365 Volunteer Portal www.1365.go.kr
- VMS www.vms.or.kr
- Local volunteer centres
- Your nearest family or community centre
- 1577-1366 · 1345 interpretation
Questions people ask
Can foreigners take part? Yes. Most activities are open regardless of nationality. Register on the 1365 portal and apply.
Is limited Korean a problem? Start with activities needing little speech — clean-ups, sorting goods and similar.
They're asking for money to volunteer. Charging a participation fee for volunteering is odd. Apply through the official portal.
Does it affect my residence status? Volunteering is unpaid activity. But if you are effectively working and being paid, that is employment and can breach your status. When unsure, check with 1345.
Take care
Beware places using "volunteering" to extract unpaid labour. Doing real work without compensation is not volunteering. Use activities registered on the official portal, and consult 1350 if something seems wrong.
Related
community-center · korean-class-free · family-center · donation-receive
Source
Ministry of the Interior and Safety, 1365 Volunteer Portal www.1365.go.kr / As of 2026-08