※This page was translated by AI from the original Japanese version. There may be differences in wording or nuance, so please refer to the Japanese original for the most accurate information.
Information checked: October 31, 2026
When you want to find something out about life in South Korea, where do you look?
If you can read Korean, searching online is fairly straightforward. But if you struggle with written Korean as I do, it can be frustrating when nearly every search result is in Korean. That is when websites offering information about Korea in Japanese become especially helpful.
In this article, I have collected 66 websites about Korea that you can read in Japanese, grouped into eight categories: news, entertainment, daily life, travel, food, blogs by Japanese residents, beauty, and Korean language and culture.
These resources can be useful not only for people living in Korea, but also for travelers researching restaurants and transportation, and for fans of K-pop and Korean dramas. I have included websites I regularly turn to myself.
The articles and publicly available information featured here are generally free to read. Some services, such as travel bookings, purchases, and paid lessons, may require an additional fee.
- Find a website that matches what you need
- General news | Keep up with events in Korea
- Entertainment | K-pop, Korean dramas, and movies
- Daily life and practical tips | Useful information for living in Korea
- Seoul Japan Club / Public Living Information
- Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Korea
- Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Korea Safety Information
- Seoul Metropolitan Government (Japanese Website)
- Danuri / Multicultural Family Support Portal
- Hanultari (Japanese Edition)
- Working Holiday Info Center (Japanese Edition)
- Travel | Plan a trip from Seoul to destinations across Korea
- Food | From eating out to the stories behind Korean cuisine
- Blogs by Japanese Residents | Everyday life in Korea
- Beauty, Fashion, and Trends | What is popular in Korea?
- Korean Language and Culture | Get to know Korea through words
- Find your favorite resources for different purposes
Find a website that matches what you need
With 66 websites to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start. Begin with the category closest to what you want to learn.
- Korean news today：Yonhap News, KBS WORLD Japanese, and more
- K-pop, dramas, and concerts：Kstyle, Korepo, Hanryu Pia WEB, and more
- Procedures and support for living in Korea：Embassy of Japan, Danuri, Hanultari, and more
- Planning a trip to Korea：Konest, VISITKOREA, regional tourism websites, and more
- Korean cuisine and ingredients：Kanshoku-pedia, Ouchi Hanshoku, recipe blogs, and more
- Everyday life in Korea：Personal blogs written by Japanese residents
- Korean beauty and fashion：JOAH, Jayeonmi, beauty-media features, and more
- Korean language and culture：hana+, Dekikan Blog, the National Institute of Korean Language dictionary, and more
General news | Keep up with events in Korea
If you want to know what is happening in Korea, Japanese-language news is a good starting point. Reading straight news reports separately from editorials and opinion columns can reveal different perspectives on the same event.
Yonhap News (Japanese)
Key events and headlines from Korean newspapers. This Japanese-language service from South Korean news agency Yonhap covers politics, business, society, and Japan–Korea relations. Its roundups of morning headlines from major Korean newspapers also show which stories different outlets are focusing on. It is a useful first stop for the day’s news.
JoongAng Ilbo (Japanese Edition)
From breaking news to columns about Japan. The Japanese edition of this Korean newspaper covers a broad range of topics, with particularly useful reporting and commentary on Japan–Korea relations. You can read news stories alongside editorials to better understand both the facts and the issues being debated.
Chosun Ilbo (Japanese Edition)
Politics and business, plus health and culture. Its coverage ranges from politics, the economy, and North Korea to culture, health, and sports. After checking the major headlines, you can explore stories closer to everyday life as well.
Dong-A Ilbo (Japanese Edition)
Read news reports alongside editorials and columns. This newspaper offers political, social, and economic reporting as well as opinion pieces. Comparing its coverage with other Korean papers can be an interesting way to look at the same story from another angle.
The Hankyoreh (Japanese Edition)
A place to explore social issues and commentary. Alongside reporting on politics, society, the economy, and international affairs, it publishes editorials and columns. It can be useful for following ongoing issues involving labor and daily life. Reading it alongside other newspapers helps bring differences in perspective into focus.
KBS WORLD Japanese
Read the news in Japanese—or listen to it. The Japanese-language service of South Korea’s public broadcaster KBS covers news, culture, travel, entertainment, and Korean-language lessons. Its Japanese audio broadcasts are especially handy when you would rather listen than read.
Maeil Business Newspaper (Japanese Edition)
Follow Korean companies, industries, and the economy. The Japanese edition of the business newspaper Maeil Business offers news organized by finance, real estate, technology, and other fields. Its Japanese articles are AI-translated, so checking the original is a good idea when a phrase seems unclear or nuanced.
wowKorea
Entertainment and general news in one place. Although best known for K-pop and Korean-drama coverage, wowKorea also publishes stories about politics, business, society, and Japan–Korea relations. You can check news about your favorite actor and discover other stories from Korea at the same time.
KOREA WAVE / AFPBB News
Discover everyday stories from Korean society. This section of AFPBB News covers Korea. Alongside politics and business, it features stories about schools, shopping, and events in ordinary neighborhoods. It is worth browsing when you want to see what people in Korea are talking about.
Search Korea News
Social issues, sports, and survey-based stories. This site covers Korean society, entertainment, sports, politics, and business. It also features public-opinion and survey articles. When reading statistics, be sure to check when the survey was conducted and who was surveyed.
Entertainment | K-pop, Korean dramas, and movies
New K-pop releases, dramas and films, actor interviews, and performances in Japan: different entertainment sites serve different interests. Choosing by topic makes it easier to find the news you want.
Kstyle
News and interviews together. A useful first choice for updates on K-pop, dramas, movies, and actors. Along with news, it publishes interviews, photo galleries, and on-the-scene reports. It is a way to learn more about artists and their work through their own words and photos, not just schedules and announcements.
Sports Seoul Japan
Korean entertainment and sports side by side. In addition to K-pop and actors, this Japanese-language site covers Korean sports such as soccer and golf. It is convenient for following both worlds, and you can look up articles about your favorite athlete or artist.
Danmee
Korean-drama and K-pop news, plus reader polls. The site focuses on news and features about K-pop, dramas, and actors. Its reader surveys and voting projects are also a distinctive part of the experience. They can reveal what participating fans are interested in, although the results reflect those who chose to vote.
Korepo
Find concert details and event reports. Beyond general Korean-entertainment news, Korepo covers concerts, fan meetings, and other events. It is useful both before an event, when you are checking dates, and afterward, when you want to read a report. It is particularly relevant to fans following Korean artists performing in Japan.
K-PLAZA
Original interviews and bite-sized Korean lessons. Alongside entertainment news, K-PLAZA features its own interviews and event coverage. It is a good place to learn more about artists’ personalities and the thoughts behind their work. You can also find short Korean-language learning features.
KPOP monster
From artist profiles to their latest activities. Along with K-pop news, it provides artist introductions, member profiles, and interviews. If you have just discovered a new group, you can first get to know the members and then catch up on recent developments.
Daebak (デバク)
Browse K-pop developments in a news feed. The focus is on new music, music videos, concerts, and agency announcements involving Korean idols. Some articles have comment sections, so it helps to distinguish the reporting from readers’ opinions. A useful stop for updates on groups you follow.
Kanstar! (韓スタ！)
Get to know artists through interviews. This Japanese-language site covers K-pop, Korean films, and dramas. Its interviews and event articles offer the chance to hear directly from artists. It is suited to readers interested in the creative process and behind-the-scenes stories, as well as new releases.
Hanryu Pia WEB
Live shows and Korean-musical coverage, too. Read interviews with actors and artists, reports on live performances and fan meetings, and coverage of Korean musicals. These articles offer a glimpse of what happened onstage. This entry refers to the free web articles rather than paid magazine content.
Daily life and practical tips | Useful information for living in Korea
Living in Korea raises questions you might never encounter as a tourist, from hospitals and government procedures to support for families. Personal experiences offer helpful tips, but official sources should be your final reference for rules and procedures.
Seoul Japan Club / Public Living Information
A public forum for exchanging local knowledge. Its publicly accessible boards cover everyday topics such as hospitals, cooking, shopping, computers, and giving away used items. Exchanges between residents can be useful, although members-only materials and services are separate.
Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Korea
Official consular information for Japanese nationals. Find guidance on passports, certificates, overseas residence registration, consular matters, and safety notices for Japanese people in Korea. As a Japanese resident myself, I prefer to confirm important procedures through an official source like this.
Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Korea Safety Information
Official safety advice before and during a visit. This Japanese government page collects safety information for travel to and stays in South Korea, including risk notices, precautions, and emergency contacts. It is worth checking alongside tourism websites when planning a trip.
Seoul Metropolitan Government (Japanese Website)
Seoul transport and public services in Japanese. The city’s official Japanese-language website covers municipal initiatives, transportation, resident services, and cultural events. It is useful not only to tourists but also to residents who want to keep up with changes in the city.
Danuri / Multicultural Family Support Portal
A guide to everyday life and family support. This portal offers Japanese-language information on settling into Korea and support for multicultural families. It includes life guides, support centers, and learning resources, and can help internationally married families identify places to seek advice.
Hanultari (Japanese Edition)
Local support information for multicultural families in Seoul. This Japanese-language portal covers family-center programs, Korean-language education, and other local services in Seoul. A practical approach is to use Danuri for nationwide guidance and Hanultari for activities available in Seoul.
Working Holiday Info Center (Japanese Edition)
Official guidance for working-holiday planning. This Japanese-language resource explains the basic framework and preparation for a working holiday in Korea. Blogs by former participants can give you a sense of the experience, but eligibility rules and procedures should be checked against official information.
🔍 You might also enjoy
Even a simple shopping trip can reveal differences between Japan and Korea. I have written a separate article about what surprised me at Daiso in Korea.
Travel | Plan a trip from Seoul to destinations across Korea
Alongside travel websites that make it easy to research restaurants and transportation, check the official sites of tourism organizations and local governments. They can help with trips to Seoul, Busan, Jeju Island, and other regions.
Konest
From restaurant searches to maps and transport. This established Japanese-language travel site covers sightseeing, restaurants, shopping, transportation, and maps across Korea. You can find a place, read reviews, and check directions without switching websites. It is particularly helpful for a first trip to Korea.
VISITKOREA (Japanese)
Explore destinations and themed trips throughout Korea. The Korea Tourism Organization’s official tourism website introduces attractions, suggested itineraries, festivals, traditional markets, World Heritage sites, and more. If you want to go beyond Seoul but have not chosen where, browsing by region or travel theme can spark ideas.
Visit Seoul (Japanese)
Discover Seoul by neighborhood, theme, or event. Seoul’s official tourism site covers attractions and restaurants as well as walking routes, cultural activities, and event calendars. Its themed itineraries can help you explore beyond familiar areas such as Myeong-dong and Hongdae.
Visit Busan (Japanese)
Build itineraries around Busan’s sights and food. This Japanese-language tourism site introduces attractions, restaurants, accommodation, and festivals in Busan. It also offers suggested itineraries by duration and theme, making it easier to combine coastal scenery, city walks, and meals.
Visit JEJU (Japanese)
Explore Jeju’s natural beauty and seasonal highlights. Jeju’s official tourism website introduces nature spots, attractions, events, and guidebooks. Its seasonal suggestions are useful when planning your first trip and deciding when to visit and what to do.
Creatrip
From travel guides to experiences and bookings. Creatrip publishes Japanese-language articles about transportation, food, beauty, activities, and accommodation in Korea. It also connects readers to bookable experiences and businesses. Articles are free to read, but reservations and purchases have their own prices and terms.
Utravelnote
Read travelers’ posts and reviews. This website combines information about hotels and attractions with traveler reviews, photos, and Q&A. It can be helpful when you want perspectives beyond official descriptions. Be aware that older reviews may no longer reflect current conditions.
NOL World (Japanese)
Plan a Korea trip around concerts and events. A resource for travelers building their itinerary around K-pop concerts, musicals, or other events. It also provides Japanese-language information on tickets, hotels, sightseeing, and airport transfers. Its free guides are separate from paid ticketing and accommodation services.
Food | From eating out to the stories behind Korean cuisine
Some visitors want to know what a dish is called or which ingredients it contains. Others want to discover neighborhood restaurants or recipes for home cooking. The sites here open up different sides of Korean food. Konest, introduced earlier, is also useful for restaurant searches.
Kanshoku Life / Kanshoku-pedia
An online encyclopedia of dishes and regional cuisine. Created by Korean-food columnist Yasushi Hatta, this website goes beyond dish names to explain food-related Korean vocabulary and regional specialties. It is useful when you see an unfamiliar item on a Korean menu and wonder what it is.
Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) / Food Guides
Learn about ingredients as well as dishes. The Japanese-facing website of Korea’s agro-food trade agency introduces Korean cooking and ingredients including kimchi, perilla leaves, yuzu, and Korean melon. It is especially helpful for discovering how unfamiliar ingredients are used.
Moranbong / Ouchi Hanshoku (Home Korean Cooking)
Korean home cooking and stories about food culture. This website features recipes for Korean dishes you can make at home, along with columns explaining their background. If you want to recreate something you have eaten, it is a good place to start—and to learn why that dish is popular.
Seoul de Gohan (ソウルでごはん)
Dining out and the everyday experience of learning to cook. This personal blog records food adventures in Korea as well as lessons at cooking schools and classes. It moves between memorable meals and the process of making food yourself, offering enjoyable reading for people who like both eating and learning about Korean cuisine.
Annyeong♪ Anmitsu-hime! (アンニョン♪あんみつ姫！)
Neighborhood food adventures from a traveler’s perspective. This personal blog centers on visits to Korea and the food discovered along the way, including patbingsu and local specialties. Rather than a quick directory of famous restaurants, it is the kind of travel diary that makes you think, “I want to go there next time.”
Megumemo (めぐめも)
Korean home recipes learned locally, in Japanese. Run by a resident of Korea, this blog shares home-cooking recipes and daily-life information. Recipes learned from local friends and family are part of its appeal. It is useful for exploring everyday Korean meals beyond tourist favorites.
🔍 You might also enjoy
Speaking of food differences, even the rice we eat every day is worth exploring. I have also written about the differences between Japanese and Korean rice on this blog.
Blogs by Japanese Residents | Everyday life in Korea
The appeal of personal blogs is that they share small discoveries and firsthand impressions you rarely find on official guides. Here are Japanese-language blogs that focus on living in South Korea.
Kankoku Blog Ken (韓国ブログケン)
Understand Korean language and culture through real life. Ken, a Japanese resident of Seoul, writes about Korean, housing, schools, transportation, food culture, and daily life. What makes the blog interesting is how it connects language with situations that cannot be understood through vocabulary lists alone.
KOREA Chuzai Oyaji no Kankoku Shokai
Food and drink adventures beyond Seoul. This blog follows visits to Korean restaurants and bars, excursions to other regions, and everyday outings. Its articles extend beyond Seoul into Gyeonggi Province and elsewhere, revealing places outside the main tourist areas and meals shared with local friends.
Kankoku de Kurashite Mitara
Everyday chains, cosmetics, and familiar routines. The blog covers eating out, cafés, beauty products, shopping, and domestic travel. Posts about Starbucks and movie theaters offer a glimpse of ordinary life rather than sightseeing alone. It is a nice way to see what everyday Korea looks like.
Fujikorea☆Korea Memo
Follow life events through personal accounts. This blog describes shopping, married life in a Japanese–Korean household, fertility journeys, pregnancy, and other experiences in Korea. Some subjects unfold across a series of posts, allowing readers to follow the writer’s experiences in her own words.
Nazeka Hajimatta Kankoku Gurashi
Food and leisure around Bundang. Based on life in Bundang, this blog covers restaurants around Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, tennis, and other leisure activities. It is particularly interesting if you want to know how people spend time in residential areas outside central Seoul.
Wanbi no Ima no Tokoro Seoul Seikatsu
Family life and shopping in a candid voice. Drawing on many years in Seoul, the writer shares family moments, shopping, meals, and beauty-related stories. The straightforward personal style is part of the appeal: it can feel like catching up with someone you know.
Kan Buratto (韓ぶらっと)
Practical travel and daily-life guides, from buses to map apps. Based on experience in Korea, this blog covers useful Korean expressions, public transportation, and travel tips. Posts about Naver Map and bus travel tackle those “How does this work?” questions that come up on the ground.
Life in Korea (ライフインコリア)
Practical advice on airport access and accommodation. Run by Takami, a resident of Korea, this blog provides travel and living information on airport limousine buses, transportation, hotels, cafés, and restaurants. It is helpful when you want to picture how you will get around and where you will stay.
Futsu ni Kurasu in Central Seoul (ソウルのまんなかで、ふつうに暮らす)
Cafés and shops you can enjoy on your own. This blog covers cafés, shops, dining, cosmetics, and preparations for an expatriate stay in Seoul. It also highlights places where solo visitors can feel comfortable, making it a good match for anyone who likes exploring at their own pace.
Beauty, Fashion, and Trends | What is popular in Korea?
These sites are for anyone curious about beauty and fashion trends in Korea. Along with Korean-focused publications, I have included Korean-cosmetics features from Japanese beauty magazines and websites.
JOAH
From beauty and fashion to everyday life. JOAH covers Korean beauty, fashion, food, entertainment, studying abroad, travel, and language learning. You can start with cosmetics and easily branch out into cafés or trip ideas, making it fun to explore related interests.
Mouda (모으다)
Explore themed roundups through photos. This site introduces makeup, fashion, hairstyles, cafés, food, and entertainment with plenty of pictures. Its themed collections are useful when you know the style you like but have not yet decided which product or place to look for.
manimani
Discover cosmetics, cafés, and small lifestyle finds. A Korean-trends site covering beauty, fashion, cafés, accessories, and K-pop. It also highlights new products, events, and brands. It is enjoyable to browse even without travel plans, especially when collecting ideas for future visits or purchases.
K Village MODULY Web
Move between beauty and Korean culture. This media site by K Village covers cosmetics, restaurants, recipes, dramas, actors, and Korean-language learning. A visit for a skincare article can easily lead to a piece about Korean food or a useful expression.
Korean Cosmetics Iyagi by Jayeonmi
Product reviews and changes in Korean cosmetics. Written from Korea, this blog focuses on new beauty products and firsthand reviews. Posts looking back at stores and earlier products also offer a sense of how K-beauty has evolved. It is more personal than a simple product directory.
Biteki.com / Korean Cosmetics Articles
A guide to brands and products available in Japan. These Korean-cosmetics articles from Japanese beauty publication Biteki.com cover brands, new releases, makeup, and award-winning products. They are useful when deciding what to buy in Japan, too.
VOCE / Korean Best Cosmetics
Compare products through curated features. Japanese beauty magazine VOCE’s Korean-cosmetics features highlight products chosen by beauty professionals and readers through rankings and articles. Checking who made the selections and why can help you decide what suits you.
MAQUIA / Korean Cosmetics Articles
Editorial features and user reviews in one place. This collection of Korean-cosmetics articles from Japanese publisher Shueisha’s MAQUIA covers new launches, makeup, and product reviews. It offers a Japanese beauty-media perspective to compare with reporting from Korea.
Korean Language and Culture | Get to know Korea through words
Learning Korean is not just about vocabulary and grammar; movies, music, history, and culture can make the journey more interesting. This selection ranges from free learning articles to an official dictionary.
hana+ (Hanatas)
Connect language study with cultural reading. In addition to Korean vocabulary, expressions, study methods, and exam preparation, this site offers articles on movies, music, history, and food. It is enjoyable for anyone who wants to encounter Korean through books or films they already love.
Korea.net (Japanese Edition)
Culture and policy news from the Korean government. This is the Japanese edition of South Korea’s government-run international information portal, covering culture, art, history, and public policy. Because it represents a government viewpoint rather than an independent newsroom, it is also useful for understanding how official information is presented.
Korean Cultural Center in Japan
Find ways to experience Korean culture in Japan. This official website lists exhibitions, performances, films, and hands-on cultural events held in Japan. You can connect with Korean culture without traveling to Korea. It also provides information on King Sejong Institutes and library resources.
Dekikan Blog (でき韓ブログ)
Korean explanations of pronunciation and expressions by a native teacher. A Korean teacher explains Korean grammar, pronunciation, everyday phrases, and study methods in Japanese. Articles based on dramas and idols make learning enjoyable. The free articles are separate from paid lessons.
Korea Book (コリアブック)
Find the basics and organize your study plan. This resource covers Hangul, vocabulary, grammar, conversation expressions, and study methods. It is useful for beginners unsure where to start and independent learners who want to rethink their approach.
Hanakan Matome (ハナ韓まとめ)
Combine reading with PDFs and quizzes. Alongside explanations of Hangul, vocabulary, and grammar, this site provides free downloadable learning PDFs and quizzes. It works well for learners who want to practice and review rather than simply read. Some content also uses BTS and videos.
Kajiritate no Hangul (かじりたてのハングル)
Start with the Hangul alphabet and pronunciation. This introductory site focuses on learning to recognize and read Hangul from the beginning. It suits learners who want to get comfortable with the writing system before moving on to vocabulary and grammar.
Chibikani no Kanburo (ちびかにの韓ブロ)
Review beginner grammar one point at a time. This blog explains basic Hangul, beginner Korean grammar, and vocabulary. Some articles help readers find Korean equivalents of Japanese expressions, making it handy when you cannot quite remember a grammar pattern. You can work through the archive at your own pace.
National Institute of Korean Language / Korean–Japanese Learners’ Dictionary
Check meanings and examples in an official dictionary. Provided by Korea’s National Institute of Korean Language, this dictionary supports searches in Korean or Japanese and gives Japanese explanations and examples. It is a useful companion to learning websites when a single translated word does not show how an expression is used.
Find your favorite resources for different purposes
For news, try newspapers and broadcasters; for trip planning, tourism sites; for official procedures, government agencies; and for everyday impressions, personal blogs. Rather than expecting one website to cover everything, choose the source that best fits your question.
If a Korean news story catches your attention, checking another newspaper or an official website can deepen your understanding. Different approaches to the same topic often reveal something new.
When you find a site that interests you, start by reading one article. It is worth bookmarking a few resources whose writing style and organization work well for you.
Opening hours, transport services, prices, and regulations can change. Before relying on a post, check its publication date and the latest official information.
