{
  "_license": "CC BY 4.0 — attribute SKETCH.WORLD (https://sketch.world) and link back if you use this data.",
  "_source": "https://sketch.world/south-korea",
  "iso2": "KR",
  "name": "South Korea",
  "slug": "south-korea",
  "updatedAt": "2026-07-12T18:44:30.850Z",
  "score": 87,
  "verdict": "go",
  "confidence": "high",
  "subscores": {
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    "political": 73.950893,
    "policeTrust": 72.349092,
    "health": 76,
    "crime": 99.04538736683033,
    "lgbtq": 90
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  "delta7d": 5,
  "advisories": {
    "disagreement": 0,
    "us": {
      "level": 1,
      "label": "Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions",
      "url": "https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/south-korea-travel-advisory.html"
    },
    "uk": {
      "level": 1,
      "summary": "See FCDO advice.",
      "url": "https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/south-korea"
    },
    "ca": {
      "level": 1,
      "label": "Exercise normal security precautions",
      "url": "https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/south-korea"
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  "generated": true,
  "regionFlags": [],
  "health": {
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      {
        "title": "Global Measles",
        "level": 1
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      "recommended": []
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    "tapWater": "unknown"
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  "entry": {
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    "passportValidityMonths": 0,
    "sources": []
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  "scams": [],
  "laws": [
    {
      "title": "Theft of lost items",
      "body": "Picking up items dropped on the street is legally classified as theft. Avoid touching or collecting lost property to stay out of trouble with the legal system.",
      "sources": [
        "wikivoyage"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "streetWisdom": {
    "summary": "",
    "quotes": [],
    "generatedAt": "2026-07-12"
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  "localKnowledge": {
    "staySafe": [
      {
        "label": "Crime",
        "text": "South Korea is a very safe country, with crime rates much lower than in the U.S."
      },
      {
        "text": "If you do happen to encounter any trouble, police stations are located in every district, usually in walking distance from subway entrances and bus stops."
      },
      {
        "text": "Especially in Korea, there is a ritual of not touching other people's things, so if you go to a cafe or on the street, you may see people leaving their expensive laptops and cell phone bags on the seats to use the restroom."
      },
      {
        "text": "Be careful when picking up lost items dropped on the street, since the legal system here can regard that as theft."
      },
      {
        "label": "Racism",
        "text": "South Korea is one of the most ethnically homogeneous countries in the world, and for many South Koreans, this is a point of pride."
      },
      {
        "text": "In South Korea, lighter skin has historically been associated with beauty, purity, and higher social status."
      }
    ],
    "stayHealthy": [
      {
        "text": "South Korean healthcare is known for its excellence in both research and clinical medicine, and most towns will be able to offer a high quality of healthcare."
      },
      {
        "text": "South Korea is especially known for having a thriving plastic surgery industry, and the vast majority of South Korean celebrities have undergone cosmetic surgery to one degree or another."
      },
      {
        "text": "Most South Korean doctors can communicate well in English: indeed, many studied in the United States."
      },
      {
        "text": "One thing that surprises non-Koreans is that you cannot simply go to a hospital's emergency department and expect to get treatment."
      },
      {
        "text": "Traditional Chinese medicine, along with traditional Korean medicine (한의학 hanuihak or 향약 hyangyak), is highly regarded in South Korea and involves many traditional methods including acupunct…"
      }
    ],
    "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/South_Korea"
  },
  "recentHeadlines": [
    {
      "title": "Japan and South Korea Deepening Defense Ties",
      "url": "https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/10/japan-south-korea-defense/",
      "seenAt": "2026-07-10"
    },
    {
      "title": "N . Korea expands spy agency for operations against  potential enemies  ",
      "url": "https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10805054",
      "seenAt": "2026-07-10"
    },
    {
      "title": "US forced labor tariff on S . Korea  neither appropriate nor necessary : Seoul official",
      "url": "https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10804591",
      "seenAt": "2026-07-10"
    },
    {
      "title": "North Korea vows boost to nuclear buildup , military intelligence",
      "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/north-korea-vows-boost-to-nuclear-buildup-military-intelligence/articleshow/132303738.cms",
      "seenAt": "2026-07-10"
    }
  ],
  "whatChanged": "South Korea’s safety score rose five points to 87 today, and all major government advisories remain at the lowest level of 1/4. Keep an eye on the global measles notice before you book your flight.",
  "practical": {
    "plug": [
      "C",
      "F"
    ],
    "voltage": 220,
    "drivingSide": "right",
    "emergency": {
      "police": "112",
      "ambulance": "119",
      "fire": "119"
    },
    "simAdvice": "",
    "cashVsCard": "",
    "tipping": ""
  },
  "lgbtqLegal": {
    "status": "legal",
    "summary": "Legal + UN decl. sign.",
    "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ_rights_by_country_or_territory"
  },
  "receipts": [
    {
      "sourceId": "us-state",
      "url": "https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/south-korea-travel-advisory.html",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "uk-fcdo",
      "url": "https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/south-korea",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "ca-gac",
      "url": "https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/south-korea",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "worldbank-political",
      "url": "https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/all/indicator/GOV_WGI_PV.EST?format=json&date=2024&per_page=300",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "worldbank-policeTrust",
      "url": "https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/all/indicator/GOV_WGI_RL.EST?format=json&date=2024&per_page=300",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "cdc-health",
      "url": "https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level1/measles-globe",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "wikivoyage",
      "url": "https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/South_Korea",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "gdelt",
      "url": "https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/10/japan-south-korea-defense/",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-10"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "reddit",
      "url": "https://old.reddit.com/r/travel/",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "unodc",
      "url": "https://data.unodc.org/datareport/hom-victim",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "acled-hdx",
      "url": "https://data.humdata.org/organization/acled",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "lgbtq-legal-wikipedia",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ_rights_by_country_or_territory",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
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}