1. Purpose

These terms set out how you can use KOVIA (website, mobile web and iOS/Android app, the “service”), operated by K-PASS GLOBAL (케이패스글로벌, “we”), and the rights and duties of both sides.

2. Definitions

• “User” means anyone who uses the service, including members.
• “Member” means a user who has signed up with a Google or Apple account.
• “Content” means the posts, comments, chat messages and photos members put on the service.
• “Partner” means a school, business or professional that has a contract with us to publish information or ads on the service.

3. Publishing and changing these terms

• We publish these terms in the service.
• We announce changes 7 days before they take effect (30 days for changes that are unfavorable to members). If you do not agree to the new terms, you can end the agreement by deleting your account.

4. Sign-up and accounts

• On the web you sign up with a Google account; in the iOS/Android app, with a Google or Apple account.
• Guides, schools and listings can be viewed without signing in. Requesting a consultation, My consultations, posting, commenting, liking, saving and chat need sign-in.
• After signing up, please complete the required profile (nationality, language, residence status). Some features are available only after you complete it.
• To post, comment and chat in the community, you must accept the community rules (version community-v1). You can read without accepting.
• Your account is for you only; do not transfer or lend it to anyone.

5. What the service provides

• Information about life in Korea: visa, study, tax, housing, banking, daily life and travel
• Study, visa, tax and housing consultations
• Connections to partner professionals such as tax accountants, schools and licensed real estate agents
• Housing listings (provided by partner agents and others)
• Community (boards, expert Q&A and chat) and notifications

Job information and job matching will be offered only after we have completed the job-information business report and job-placement business registration required by law; until then they are not offered.

6. Nature of the information and who does what

• Guides are general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change, so check the official source linked in each guide or talk to an expert before you act.
• Tax filing and refunds are handled by Yesong Tax & Accounting (예송세무회계), a licensed tax accountant and a business separate from K-PASS GLOBAL. Other work that requires a license (such as administrative agent work) is handled by a partner professional who holds that license.

7. Fees

Using the service and the first consultation are free. For paid services we tell you the fee and conditions first, and start only after you agree.

8. Your responsibilities

• Do not use someone else’s details or enter false information.
• Do not post passport, ARC or bank account numbers, or anyone else’s photo, phone number or address.
• Do not post job offers or look for workers on the boards. Sharing work experiences is fine.
• Do not post scams such as paid visa “services”, loans, crypto or easy-money offers.
• No hate, harassment, sexual content, spam or repeated posting of the same content.
• Do not break the law or disrupt the service (for example by unauthorized automated collection or bypassing security).

9. Content

• Members own and are responsible for their content. We use it only to display it in the service and make it searchable.
• Posts and comments on the boards are public and may appear in search engines.
• To keep the rules, the service filters content automatically: numbers that look like personal data and swear words are hidden, links from new members are removed, posts with spam phrases are rejected, and posts that look like job ads are published only after a moderator checks them.
• New members cannot post links or photos, or start one-to-one chats, for a set period.
• You can edit or delete your own posts and comments at any time.

10. Reports and temporary measures

• You can report content, members, ads or information that break the rules (reporting community posts, comments, chat messages or members needs sign-in). You can block members you don’t want to see.
• Moderators review reports every day. When content receives a certain number of reports, it is hidden automatically until a moderator reviews it.
• If someone claims that content violates their rights, or a case is unclear, we may hide the content temporarily for up to 30 days (temporary measure). After that we restore or delete it.
• Content that breaks the law or could harm users may be hidden or deleted without prior notice.

11. Restrictions

• Members who break the rules may get a warning or be suspended, for a set period or without an end date. Suspended members can only read (no posts, comments, chat or one-to-one chats); a suspension with an end date is lifted automatically when it ends.
• If either member has blocked the other, they cannot start a one-to-one chat.

12. Deleting your account

• You can delete your account at any time at Account settings > Delete account (web, mobile web and app).
• Your account information is deleted immediately and you are signed out on every device.
• Posts, comments and chat messages you wrote stay, shown as “Deleted member”. If you want your posts and comments gone, delete them yourself first.
• Consultation records are kept for the retention period in the privacy policy and then destroyed.
• If you sign up again with the same Google or Apple account, you start with a new, empty account.

Open account settings

13. Ads and partners

Partner ads are always labeled “Sponsored”, and payment never changes search order or what our guides say. Partners are responsible for their own offers and listings. See the advertising policy for details.

Read the advertising policy

14. Limitation of liability

We are not liable for losses from dealings or meetings between members, or between members and partners, unless we acted intentionally or negligently. Never send money or deposits to someone you met on the service.

15. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Korea. Disputes go to the competent court under the Korean Civil Procedure Act.