Some people have observed that being a foreigner on a work visa in Korea is like being a 2nd class citizen. I've always said that, in fact, that's perfectly logical – really, a foreigner working in Korea isn't a citizen at all, so by the logic of national chauvanism, a term like "2nd class citizen" really is actually too good. I mean, "citizen" is exactly what a person is not, in those circumstances.
I'm not writing to complain about that, however, but rather I want to talk about what it's like to try to spend time in Korea as a foreigner without holding even a work visa. I'm not talking about working illegally, either. I'm doing exactly what a tourist should do: I'm sitting in the country, spending my money. But things can be so difficult.
First, there was the cell-phone thing. I couldn't get a "normal" cell phone, because I had no National ID card. I have to subsist with a rental. It's not actually that much more expensive, but it's just the hassle of it. Next, I've realized there is a lot of free wi-fi in the country (e.g. at every single Starbucks location) that I simply cannot use, because there's a sign-on page where you have to put in that same National ID card number. It's all about tracking what people do online, I'm sure, and enforcing that national firewall. But still – it's not very "tourist friendly." Finally, last night I realized I can't watch Korean TV online, because I don't have that number. If I was outside of the country, I could, as they make allowances for that. But within the country (which my IP-address tells them that I am), the only way to register for the website is to put in the National ID number, which I don't have. Argh.