People moving between Korea and Australia ask surprisingly similar questions.
Coming from Korea to Australia: “How do I bring my money over?” Going back to Korea: “When should I move my assets?”
Whether you’re a student in your 20s, a migrant in your 40s, or planning a return in your 60s, you eventually hit the same problem. Money crosses borders — but tax, pensions, exchange rates, and investment rules differ on each side. This blog is about the money that lives in between.
The short version
Money between Korea and Australia breaks into four flows — remittance & FX, investing & assets, tax, and superannuation. And the most important thing is not how much you have, but which direction you’re moving.
Money moves along four paths
1. Remittance & FX
The most basic cross-border flow — tuition from Korea to Australia, support for parents, proceeds from a Korean property sale, moving funds for a return. Most people look only at the transfer fee. In reality, the exchange rate, the timing of conversion, and your tax records can matter more. (Articles coming soon — sending large sums Korea→Australia · how FX affects your assets.)
2. Investing & assets
A question of which country holds your assets — Australian ETFs, Korean shares, Korean property, Australian investment property. Many Korean-Australians hold assets on both sides, so “where do I invest?” becomes “how much do I keep in which country?”
See: Buying Korean shares from Australia (IBKR)
3. Tax
When money moves, tax follows. Do I report Korean dividends in Australia? What if I sell my Australian home from Korea? What happens to overseas assets after I return? How do I solve double taxation? Many people struggle more with tax than with the investing itself.
See: Australia’s 50% CGT discount and Korea’s 5-year rule
4. Superannuation & retirement
Australia’s super has no equivalent in Korea. What happens to it when you return? When can you access it? Will Korea tax it? The closer retirement gets, the more this matters.
See: Moving back to Korea — what happens to your super?
Your direction changes the priorities
The same money raises different concerns depending on which way it’s moving.
- Korea → Australia — remittance · settling funds · investing in Australia · tax residency · building wealth
- Australia → Korea — reverse migration · moving assets · superannuation · CGT · inheritance & retirement
The questions change with life stage
- 20s–30s — study · work · first investments
- 40s–50s — building wealth · property · children’s education · tax
- 60s and beyond — retirement · super · reverse migration · moving assets
Where to start
Coming to Australia — 1. remittance, 2. tax residency, 3. investing, 4. retirement planning.
Returning to Korea — 1. take stock of assets, 2. review CGT, 3. plan your super, 4. check Korean tax.
In closing
Money between Korea and Australia is more complex than it looks. But most of it comes down to four things — remittance, investing, tax, and superannuation.
And the starting point for every question is this — which direction am I moving right now? I hope this gives you a small starting point for finding your own map between Korea and Australia.