Mobility specification

Country:South Korea

Institution:Kyungpook National University

City:Daegu

Program:Partner universities

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2025/2026

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Science

Study level abroad:Master

🎓Hit the books! How do you rate the university experience?

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?yes

Does the university offer enough courses in English?manageable

Are your credits converted?yes

Can you give an example?All courses at KNU are worth 3 credits, but at MUNI they are worth 5 credits.

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?Although many courses are offered in English, it's only on paper. Especially for biology majors, it's hard to find a course that is taught in English. Those that are, are taught in Korean and then the lecturer translates the explanation into English. However, all the tests were in English. So one has to have a steady nerve when choosing subjects.
I also recommend going as an undergraduate student, not a graduate student. There is a rule for masters students to enroll in only 3 subjects and they have to take the rest of the subjects as an audit. Which means you have to discuss with the teacher if he/she is willing to enroll you as an audit.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?The university organized one orientation day where students were given a tour of the campus. They also offered a Daegu City Tour and a trip to Ulsan. These events were free of charge.
In addition, the school offered various excursions that included a course on cooking traditional dishes, etc.
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the first week of school and found it very difficult to fit in. Unfortunately there are not many of these events and we all agreed that there could be more.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?Psychological counseling

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:20000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?yes

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?Unfortunately, I needed an unexpected operation during my studies and such an expense cost 200 000 CZK. I would recommend taking out a very good insurance policy, which preferably does not contain an exclusion for illnesses that have already been treated in the Czech Republic.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?Korea is generally quite cheap. I recommend going to the markets for fruit and vegetables. For larger purchases, the big Emart and Lotte are better than the smaller CVS like GS25, CU..
For lunch we went to the canteen, which is a great place to eat for a great price (4500 - 6000 KRW) There are several canteens on campus, I definitely recommend going there rather than restaurants.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?with gestures

How does public transport work in the city?runs like clockwork

And what about transport outside the city?runs like clockwork

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?Google maps doesn't work in Korea, NAVER is used. Here you can find connections and decide where to buy your ticket. As for transport within the city, here (whatever city you are in, not just Tegu) you pay with a T-money card. You can get this card in all shops and at the airport. The money on this card is topped up by the shop assistant in cash only shops. On buses and subways, this card clicks and takes around 1200-1500 KRW per ride depending on the city, no matter where you go. If you are transferring, you also click this card when you get off and then don't pay on the next connection.
As for trains, you can only buy tickets online through individual carriers. I recommend the KTX app and then the SRT site https://etk.srail.kr/hpg/hra/fr/01/selectScheduleList.do?pageId=TE0101000000. Intercity buses are worse because you can only buy online with a Korean card. The easiest way is to make a trip to the bus station and buy tickets there. Connections can be found at https://intercitybuse.tmoney.co.kr/useinf/mrsInfo.do.
Některé spoje se dají sehnat také na stránce https://www.klook.com/en-US/korea-bus/?_currency=USD&campaignid=22908215004&adgroupid=184166277556&targetid=kwd-753468523611&matchtype=b&device=m&creative=770159144859&extensionid=&keyword=south%20korea%20bus%20tickets&loc_interest_ms=2410&loc_physical_ms=9062909&network=g&utm_content=campaignid_22908215004_adgroupid_184166277556&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22908215004&gbraid=0AAAAACa_CWy3ki0arp82iUR-hJq7tmwGD&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgbnKBhDgARIsAGCDdlcaDJwS6X6aldxMMtSoEIKglfdfQ34ng9OpHqybBS6W5SV9t9FXh3saAm3aEALw_wcB.
So the easiest way is to use NAVER to find a connection and buy accordingly. Some connections can also be booked directly with NAVER, but I don't know anyone for whom that works.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?yes

How do you rate the availability of healthcare?I've seen better

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?Tegu is surrounded by beautiful mountains. I highly recommend going to Apsan and Palgongsan. There are cable cars to both mountains.
At Palgongsan is the beautiful Donghwasa Temple, which has one of the largest Buddhist statues in the world.
I also recommend Suseong Lake. For rainy days (and there are many in the summer) I recommend the Daegu Yangnyeongsi Museum of Oriental Medicine where you can make your own soap, balm and indulge in an herbal bath.
Tegu also has plenty of markets, such as Seomun Market. Some of them are downright "night markets", it has a very nice atmosphere. These markets (generally throughout Korea) don't accept cards, so beware of that.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Be sure not to miss the capital city of Seoul and if you like hiking, I highly recommend Bukhansan, there is a view of the whole city. It's also very close to Busan, Pohang, Ulsan, Gyeongju or Jeonju. I also recommend booking a trip to the demilitarized zone, from where you can see North Korea.
If you are in Korea, you have to fly to Jeju Island, those are the rules! It is the largest and also the most beautiful island of Korea. From there I recommend taking a day trip to Udo Island, rent bikes there and you can get around the island in 2 hours.
If you want to go to Jeju (or anywhere really) during the Chuseok holidays, book your tickets well in advance as they sell out fast.

Share your best experience:My best experience was a weekend trip to the Philippines. :))

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?yes

Where can it be arranged?In Prague at the embassy, you have to go there twice.

How long does it take approximately?2-3 weeks

How did you get to the place?Plane

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?Take multiple credit cards. It often happens that one doesn't work for some reason. I got a Revolut physical card and it worked almost everywhere.
As I mentioned, get good travel insurance.
Trains tend to sell out very often, if you want to take the train from Seoul to Tegu, buy long in advance. However, there is a bus from Seoul airport directly to Tegu (4.5 hrs, around 41,000 KRW).
Download the necessary apps before your trip (NAVER Maps, KakaoMap, Papago translator).
I recommend filling out an online arrival card so you don't have to do it at the airport.
Bring a passport photo (with a white background) from the Czech Republic to be used at the ARC.

Can you pay by card?everywhere

What not to forget when packing?Umbrella :))
If you want to rent a car, get an international driving license.
Medication you normally use.
I brought instant porridge from CR for breakfast and it was very useful.
Personally, I missed fruit tea in Korea.
You have to account for all seasons, but I recommend not packing too much so you can buy nice and cheap clothes and cosmetics in Korea.
For women I recommend bringing your own tampons, they are not used much in Korea.
I recommend importing old sheets and duvet covers to leave behind in Korea if possible, I couldn't find any.
Otherwise, you can get everything for a few crowns at DAISO.

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?It was an incredible experience and an experience that pushed me a lot and I am grateful for it. Don't be afraid of it at all and go!