How do I operate Korean washing machines and dryers?

Korean washing machines are mostly front-loaders and work like Western ones once you decode the labels. The key buttons are 전원 (power), 시작 or 동작 (start/pause), and a cycle selector. Common cycles are 표준 (standard), 강력 (heavy), 울 or 섬세 (wool or delicate), 이불 (bedding), and 쾌속 (quick wash). The stages you will see are 세탁 (wash), 헹굼 (rinse), and 탈수 (spin). 온수 controls water temperature, 예약 is the delay-start timer, and there is a detergent drawer with sections for detergent and fabric softener (섬유유연제); load detergent in the drawer, not the drum, for front-loaders.

A few Korea-specific notes: many machines have a 통세척 (tub-clean) cycle you should run monthly with cleaner to prevent the mold and smell that humidity causes, and leaving the door ajar between washes helps too. On dryers, they are less universal than in the West but increasingly common; a 건조기 is a separate heat-pump dryer most people buy in addition to the washer, with cycles like 표준 건조 (standard) and 섬세. All-in-one washer-dryers exist but dry slowly, so many Koreans still line-dry on a rack (건조대). If your place has only a washer, an inexpensive folding rack plus Korea's dry air handles most laundry. When in doubt, snap a photo of the panel and run it through Papago, or ask your landlord for a quick demo, since older machines vary.