How to send money to South Korea from Japan with the best JPY-KRW rate

These are the leading options for a ¥1,000,000 transfer to South Korea.

Cheapest way to send money to South Korea

The cheapest option is Regency FX, funded by bank transfer with bank deposit for the payout. Your recipient gets 8,633,541.33 KRW, which is 0.23% more than the next best option.

Fastest way to send money to South Korea

The fastest option is Revolut. Pay by bank transfer and choose bank deposit for the payout. Your recipient gets 8,591,551 KRW in within minutes.

Japanese banks and registered funds-transfer companies can ask for a residence card, address, My Number and the purpose of an overseas payment.

The exact documents depend on the money transfer company and transfer purpose.

The first payment may take longer while the account is being checked.

Keep the invoice or document explaining the payment ready if you are sending tuition, property money or a large personal transfer.

The Financial Services Agency advises foreign residents to use a licensed bank or Funds Transfer Service Provider.

PayPay, Suica, IC cards, and a domestic furikomi are useful inside Japan, but they do not send JPY to South Korea.

Japan's annual basic gift-tax exemption is ¥1.1 million per recipient under the calendar-year system.

The recipient may need to file and pay tax when total gifts received during the year exceed that amount.

Residence and asset-location rules can make cross-border cases more complicated, so do not assume that receiving the money in an overseas account avoids Japanese tax.

Non-bank remittance balances are protected under the Payment Services Act, but they are not ordinary bank deposits, so avoid leaving more money there beyond what you need to send.