Aussie life in Seoul: footy, cricket and community

The best thing about Seoul for a footy tragic? The clock. Seoul sits one hour behind Sydney in winter and two in summer, so the big games land at civilised hours.

The short version

Seoul runs on Korea Standard Time, with no daylight saving. Live Australian sport usually falls in the morning or early afternoon.
Cricket in Korea is run by the Korea Cricket Association, an ICC associate member, and the country's first purpose-built ground is Yeonhui Cricket Ground in Incheon [1].
Australia and Korea have deep ties: NSW and Seoul are sister states, and thousands of Australian students have studied in Korea on the New Colombo Plan [2].
The Australian Embassy handles passports and notarial services and posts community safety updates [3].
Cooee South Korea, our Facebook group, is where Aussies here organise screenings, swaps and meetups.

Who are the Aussies in Seoul?

There's no neat official count of Australians living in Korea; DFAT's country brief doesn't publish one [2]. In practice, the crowd falls into a few familiar groups:

English teachers at public schools and private academies, often on one or two-year contracts.
Working holidaymakers in their twenties, here for a year of travel and casual work.
Students and researchers, including New Colombo Plan scholars and exchange students. Since 2014 the programme has funded 133 scholarships and 2,876 mobility grants for Australian undergraduates in Korea [2].
Corporate and government transfers, often in Gangnam, Yeouido or Jongno.
Partners and families of Koreans and Korean Australians. More than 102,000 people living in Australia were born in Korea, according to the 2021 census [2], so plenty of Aussies have family ties here.

The links run deep at government level too. NSW and Seoul are sister states, and the Australia-Korea Foundation funds cultural and education projects, including a Visiting Professor of Australian Studies at Seoul National University set up in 2024 [2].

Footy, cricket and watching sport from home

Watching the AFL and NRL

The time zone is your friend. A Saturday afternoon game in Melbourne is a Saturday lunchtime or early afternoon game in Seoul. Night games start in the evening here. The grand final becomes a long lunch rather than a dawn alarm.

Finding a screen is the trick. Itaewon, Seoul's long-standing international district [4], is the usual place to find bars that will put the footy on if you ask nicely, especially on grand final day. Book a table and bring mates: one Aussie asking is a request, ten Aussies is a booking.

Streaming the AFL, NRL and cricket from overseas usually works through the codes' international streaming services rather than Australian free-to-air apps, which tend to be geo-blocked. Check which service has rights in Korea before the season starts.

Playing footy

Australian rules football has a small amateur presence in Korea. Teams and fixtures change from year to year as players come and go, so ask in the Cooee group for the current club contacts and training times rather than relying on an old website.

Playing cricket

Korea takes cricket more seriously than you'd expect. The Korea Cricket Association has represented the country at the International Cricket Council since 2001 and is now an associate member [1]. Yeonhui Cricket Ground in Incheon was built for the 2014 Asian Games and is described as the country's first cricket stadium [1]. There's an amateur scene too, much of it driven by expat players from cricket-loving countries, so ask around for a team before the season starts. If you've got whites in the cupboard, pack them.

Anzac Day and the Korean War connection

Australia fought in the Korean War, and the connection shows up in quieter ways around the country. Strathfield in Sydney is sister city to Gapyeong County [2], the area where Australian troops fought the Battle of Kapyong in 1951. Australian war dead from the conflict are buried at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan.

Australians in Korea mark Anzac Day each year, and the details change, so keep an eye on the Australian Embassy's channels and the Cooee group in the weeks before 25 April [3]. Standing with other Australians at dawn in Korea, a long way from home, is a moving way to meet your community.

Food: Seoul cravings and how to fix them

Korean food will win you over quickly. But at some point you'll want something from home. Here's what Aussies usually miss and where they get it.

What you miss	Where to look in Seoul	Honest verdict
A proper flat white	Specialty cafés in Seongsu, Yeonnam and Hannam	Seoul's café scene is world class. You'll be fine
Brunch, smashed avo	Itaewon, Hannam, Seongsu brunch spots	Easy to find on weekends, priced like Sydney
Meat pies and sausage rolls	Western bakeries and expat delis in Itaewon	Hit and miss. Some Aussies bake their own
Vegemite and Tim Tams	Foreign grocers in Itaewon, online import shops	Available, at a premium
Lamb	Specialty butchers, some Mongolian and Central Asian restaurants	Much harder to find than beef or pork
A barbie	Korean BBQ, every night of the week	Different, arguably better

Pro tip: ask friends flying in from home to bring a jar of Vegemite and a few packs of Tim Tams. It's the most appreciated house gift in Seoul.

How to meet other Australians (and everyone else)

Join Cooee South Korea. Our Facebook group for Australians in South Korea is where people post grand final screenings, flat leads, "anyone flying home with a spare suitcase?" requests and meetups.
Play something. Cricket, footy, touch, running clubs and hiking groups all welcome newcomers. Seoul's mountains, such as Bukhansan, are a short subway ride away.
Get involved in business networks. The Korea-Australia and Australia-Korea Business Councils meet annually [2]. If you work in trade, investment or education, it's worth asking about events.
Learn Korean in a class, not just an app. Language schools at universities are full of other foreigners in exactly your situation.
Say yes to Korean colleagues. After-work dinners are how relationships are built here. Pace yourself with the soju.

Staying connected to home

Register with the embassy's channels. The Australian Embassy in Seoul posts safety updates, including advice to avoid demonstrations and large gatherings [3].
Know where the embassy is for paperwork. Notarial and passport services are by appointment on weekdays, and fees are paid in Australian dollars by card [3].
Watch the crowds. Itaewon's 2022 Halloween crowd crush killed more than 150 people, including foreign nationals [4]. Big events in Seoul are fun, but be aware of crowd density and have an exit plan.

Aussie life in Seoul: grand finals at lunch, cricket at Yeonhui and your crew