This article is meant for those who will be working in South Korea. I will inform you as to what your identification card (known as an "Alien Registration Card") is, and what it is needed for. I will also outline the medical examination that you must undergo in order to receive your Korean I.D. card.

Once you are in South Korea with your valid E-2 or similar working visa, you will need to get an identification card. This card is issued by the immigration department, and will be your primary means of identification once you are in Korea.

Prior to you being able to receive your alien card (as it is commonly known) you will need to undergo a medical examination. The exam is rather thorough and covers a wide array of tests. The following tests are taken (might differ slightly from place to place):

Height/weight
Blood pressure
Eye sight
Hearing
Chest X-rays ( to ensure that you do not have any bronchial infections)
A dental check-up (very brief, and seemingly irrelevant)
Blood test
Urine test (the blood and urine tests are needed to check for HIV, any illegal drug use, hepatitis, TB, syphilis and any other STD.

The tests cost 80,000 South Korean Won (as of February 2010) and your employer should cover this. They do not always do so, so you should be prepared to have to pay for them yourself.

If all of your test results are clear and there are no issues related to the health examination, you may then apply for your alien registration card at the immigration offices. The application process should take about ten working days, during which immigration will be in possession of your passport.

The alien card is a credit card sized identification card. It is used for many tasks including opening bank accounts, getting health insurance, applying for a cell phone contract and for identifying yourself in general. The card will have several fields of information on it namely your "alien number" (simply your South Korean identification number), your work address, a photograph of yourself and your name.

The first issue of your card is free, but a re-issue will cost 10 000 South Korean Won (at the time of writing). It is vital that you keep your alien card in a safe place as you will not be able to work without it.

I hope that this article has answered any questions that you may have had about the medical examination and the alien card. For further articles related to this field please search this site or alternatively browse my personal blog.

Do you want to learn more about teaching, and living, in Korea? Simply go to http://www.christopheranderson.information-here.com and read up on what life can be like in Korea. Chris Anderson is currently working in Gyeongju as an ESL teacher.