What must be in the lease, and matching it to the payment schedule

Once the room is chosen and the register checked, what remains is the contract and the order the money moves in. Anything left out here becomes a dispute later.

A row of Korean real-estate agency shopfronts

Give the agent numbers, not preferences

A vague brief does not narrow anything. Say it like this:

"Within a 10-minute walk of the station, a KRW 20 million deposit, rent under 500,000, move-in after the middle of next month."

Zigbang and Dabang filter by location, size, floor and terms, but call the agent before visiting to confirm the listing still exists and the price has not moved.

What the lease has to state

The exact address, landlord and tenant details
Deposit, monthly rent or jeonse amount, and the lease period
Payment dates for the initial sum and the balance
The brokerage fee
Included fixtures and repair responsibilities

A residential lease commonly runs two years, and the initial payment is often about 10% of the deposit — though the parties may agree otherwise.

A street crowded with real-estate signs, a passer-by walking through

For foreign tenants

You will generally use your residence card details, and a passport copy may be requested as supporting identification. Ask the agent to explain every Korean clause you do not understand before signing, and use a trusted interpreter or translation where you need one.

The order the money moves in

The initial payment goes across as you sign; the balance goes on the date the contract names. The balance and the handover of keys are normally the same day, so if the contract's balance date and your move-in date do not agree, settle that before signing.

If the deposit or the rent sits far below nearby market prices, find out why before transferring anything. The better the terms look, the more the property rights are worth checking first.

The last check before you transfer

That the written terms match the account you are paying into
That you have a copy of the signed contract and receipts
That the balance date and the move-in date agree

Line those three up before sending the balance and most of the irreversible mistakes disappear. The clause-by-clause explanation is on the WeBring blog.