If you’re ready to meet some new people, start a new project, or even find a new job, there are plenty of networking events and opportunities around Korea. Some events have meetups in real life, while other online communities offer the chance to ‘meet’ people no matter where you are. Note that while there are plenty of ways and places to perform around Korea, these groups are specifically intended to help you meet new people without the performing aspect.

Photo credit: buddawiggi on Flickr

In Seoul:

Linked Seoul remains one of the best places to see and be seen. If you’ve heard of the Wine Down Wednesdays they have once a month, this is the group behind them. They’re pretty active on Facebook as well.

Seoul Space throws a number of events, mainly related to the technical or computer fields. The business incubator has any number of start-ups working to get their products or services off the ground, and are a great bunch of people creating opportunities. Their blog keeps you up to date on what’s happening in the Korean IT field, while events are announced there and on their Facebook page.

Korea Business Central focuses on working with Korean businesses or working within a Korean business. As a result, the focus is more geared towards established Korean companies and the foreigners working in or with them. The message boards look to be the most active ones on the topic in the country, while the KBC Professional Certification Program gives you some great tools to understand how to do business in Korea.

Business Network Korea looks to be brand new, but has a good start under them.

Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch is out to help people “enhance their understanding of the arts, customs, history and landscapes of Korea through lectures, tours and publications.” They’ve been doing it since 1900, so they must be doing something right. Look here for trips done by experts, and more of an academic angle than others.

KOTESOL (KOrean Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) is easily the biggest and most organized group dedicated to helping native English teachers improve their teaching abilities. It tends to skew towards professional educators and people working at universities, but anyone working at a hagwon or public school can pick up some useful tidbits.

Geoje Foreign Residents Association – going south to Geoje-do? They’re down there, and anyone new to the area is welcome. The website looks to need an update, but presumably they’re too busy meeting people in real life!

Several other groups have a narrower focus, but have regular meetings all the same:

American Women’s Club (awckorea-seoul.org)

British Association of Seoul (britishseoul.com)

British Chamber of Commerce in Korea (bcck.or.kr)

Busan International Women’s Association (biwa-korea.com)

Bom dia Seul (bomdiaseul.com) – for Brazilians living, working, or traveling in Seoul. Understandably, the website is in Portuguese only.

French Chamber of Commerce and Industry Korea (fkcci.com)

Seoul International Women’s Association (siwapage.com)

As new ones pop up, they’ll usually make their presence known in the magazines – be on the lookout for 10 Magazine and Groove Magazine around Seoul, and the Busan Haps down south.

Any new networks you know of that meet in the offline world? Mention them in the comments!

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