3 Hilarious Random Ways to Make Money in Korea

I came to Korea in 2011 as an exchange student. Back then, I didn’t really need to worry about making money because I was happily leeching off the Dutch government’s student stipend. Luckily, soju cost next to nothing at the time, so my stipend went a long way! Those were the days of living on the cheap and just enjoying the ride.

Fast forward a few years, though, and things got real. Suddenly, I had to be an actual adult, making my own money to survive. No more stipends, and unfortunately, no more free rides. If I wanted to keep living in Korea, I needed a job and enough cash to pay for essentials, like rent and food (and, let's be honest, a bit of nightlife here and there). My first real job in Korea came in 2015 when I worked in a whiskey and cigar bar on a Working Holiday Visa. From there, I did the usual: English tutoring, because, let's face it, Dutch people are the best non-native English speakers in the world. I also dabbled in the Korean entertainment industry as an extra, actor, and model. Sometimes tough, often ridiculous, and occasionally very lucrative.

But today, I want to share some of the more random ways I found to make money in Korea. The Korean job market for foreigners can be pretty competitive, so sometimes, you have to get creative and keep an open mind. Did you know you could make money by:

• Being fake,
• Being hairy, and
• Pretending to be someone you’re not?

Let me tell you how:

One day, I was strolling through Pangyo on my way to a co-working space when I suddenly got a text from one of my agents. I had a few agents offering me work in the Korean entertainment industry, and they always came up with the most random gigs. This one was no exception:

“I need you to record a congratulatory message for someone’s wedding, pretending to be a friend of the bride and groom. The video has to be between 10 and 30 seconds. You can just shoot it with your cell phone and send it over Kakaotalk to me. The payment is 30,000 Won, and I’ll transfer it to you today.”

At first, I just laughed. Who does something like this? Pretending to have foreign friends just to impress a bunch of people at your wedding? You don’t need congratulatory messages; you need therapy. But then I thought, “Hey, 30 bucks is 30 bucks!”

I quickly thought of what to say, hit record, and ended up doing three to five takes before I found one I liked. It went something like this: “Hey, Jihyun! Congrats on finally getting married! I hope you and your hubby have an amazing honeymoon. When you’re back, let’s grab some dinner, and you can tell me all about your big day! See you soon!”

And that was it. 30 bucks in my pocket for a 20-second video. That's like 20 bottles of soju, or maybe 12 foreign beers when they were still 4 for 10,000 Won (the good old days)! Totally worth it. In Korea, you never know what opportunities will pop up. Sometimes, you’ve just got to say yes to the randomness and roll with it.

I’m a hairy dude. I started growing facial hair when I was about 10 or 11 years old. Thanks, Dad—I'm pretty sure I’ve got some gorilla genes in there somewhere.

One day, my long-time expat buddy Rasmus reached out to me. He was testing razors for a company and mentioned that they needed more hairy foreigners to help them tweak their razors for export. He said that if he referred me, he’d get a little bonus too.

The idea of making money by doing something I already do almost daily sounded awesome, so I said yes. I applied, and before I knew it, I was part of the test. Here’s how it went:

The company would reach out: “Hello! We’re conducting a new test in October. We’ll send two razors to your house. When the first razor arrives, you’ll have 10 days to shave three times. After each shave, please fill in the supplied questionnaire, which only takes about a minute. Once you’re done, pop the razor in the included return envelope and send it back. Then you’ll get the second razor and repeat the process.”

It was super simple. I’d shave, and fill out the questionnaire with questions about how the razor handled, whether I got nicks or irritation, and which razor I preferred. Altogether, it was maybe an hour of work, and they paid me 50,000 Won each time. I mean, you’re already shaving, so why not get paid for it? They even sent me a big bottle of shaving cream once as a bonus, which was great because shaving can get pricey.

To this day, I still test for them a couple of times a year. It’s a nice little side gig, and it helps me keep my supply of shaving gear going strong. The takeaway? Money can be made everywhere—even with mundane products like razor blades. Just keep an eye out, and you’ll be surprised by the random ways to make cash.

As I mentioned, I’ve been involved in the Korean entertainment industry for a while now. I’ve been in over two dozen dramas, like Descendants of the Sun, Mr. Sunshine, and The Goblin. I even had a small role in Champion with Ma Dong-Seok. Plus, you can spot me as a prison guard in TWICE’s BDZ music video.

But commercials? That’s where the real money is. I’ve done ads for LG, Hyundai, Samsung—you name it. One of my most memorable gigs was for a cheesecake company called Ballaz. I had to pretend to be the CEO, showcasing how amazing their cheesecake was. In one scene, an astronaut came over and cut a slice with a lightsaber. I’m not kidding. It was as bizarre as it sounds.

They didn’t care what we said on camera because they planned to dub over it in Korean. So, we were just chatting nonsense, which made the shoot hilarious. It was easy money, and I got to eat unlimited cheesecake! I think I earned a few hundred bucks for that day, and it was quick, fun, and tasty.

If you’re curious, this is the commercial. Be careful though, it might melt your brain:

Nowadays, I can pick and choose which entertainment gigs I want to take. But back when I was in “Survival Mode” in Korea, I took anything I could get my hands on to build a name for myself with the agents. That led to better-paying, more frequent jobs, which was great when I needed the cash.

So, there you have it—three hilarious ways I made money in Korea. I’ve been a wedding guest for strangers, a razorblade guinea pig, and a fake CEO. Living as an expat in Korea, you’ll often find yourself with a need to hustle. And sometimes, that hustle comes in the form of the most unexpected, entertaining side gigs.

If you’re open to trying new things, you never know where you might end up or what stories you’ll collect along the way. Living in Korea has taught me to keep an open mind and say yes to the weird and wonderful. Who knows? Your next paycheck might come from somewhere you never imagined. Cheers to surviving—and even thriving—in the Land of the Morning Calm!