Data sources
The official Korean sources behind each Korea Tools calculator, with their licences and update schedules.
Korea Tools uses public data and published rules from Korean institutions. The table below lists each source, how often it is checked and the licence or terms it is used under. Each tool also credits its sources next to the figures that come from them.
Automatic updates run on a schedule in Korea time. A source that has not published anything new, such as the exchange rate table on a public holiday, keeps its last published values, and the page shows the date of those values.
Rules that change rarely, such as tax refund limits, fare bands and TOPIK cut-offs, are checked against the official text at least once a year and whenever a change is announced.
| Tool | Data | Source | Checked | Licence or terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tax refund calculator | Tax refund conditions and limits | Korean law (Ministry of Government Legislation), Korea Customs Service, Korea Tourism Organization | Checked yearly and when changed | Official legal text and public notices |
| Tax refund calculator | Refund amounts by purchase price | Global Tax Free (published refund table) | Checked yearly | Published factual information |
| Currency converter | Daily exchange rates (base rate) | Export-Import Bank of Korea | Every day at 12:00; retried at 17:00 if the rate is not out yet | Korea Open Government License, Type 1 |
| Currency converter | US dollar to Taiwan dollar rate | ExchangeRate-API | Every day at 12:00 | Free use with attribution |
| Seoul subway fare calculator | Fare rules and the AREX fare table | Seoul Metro passenger regulations; AREX passenger regulations | Checked yearly and when changed | Official regulations |
| Seoul subway fare calculator | Stations, distances and station names on Lines 1–8; distances on other lines | Seoul Metro and Korea National Railway (public data portal) | 5 January and 5 July, 08:00 | Korea Open Government License |
| Air quality today | Live PM2.5 and PM10 readings | Korea Environment Corporation (AirKorea) | At most every 10 minutes | Korea Open Government License |
| Air quality today | Fine dust forecast | Korea Environment Corporation (AirKorea) | Every day at 12:00 | Korea Open Government License |
| Air quality today | Air quality grade bands | Korean government notice on air pollution forecasts; World Health Organization guidelines | Checked yearly | Official text |
| TOPIK score and test dates | TOPIK level cut-offs | National Institute for International Education | Checked yearly | Published factual information |
| TOPIK score and test dates | TOPIK test and result dates | National Institute for International Education (TOPIK website) | Every month on the 2nd | Published factual information |
| Festival calendar | Festivals and events in English, Japanese and Chinese | Korea Tourism Organization (TourAPI) | Every Monday at 07:00 | Korea Open Government License, with attribution |
| Festival calendar | Korean public holidays (festival calendar) | Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (public data portal) | Every Monday at 07:00 | Published factual information |
Times are Korea time.