Recently, I heard about the wedding of my great aunt's son, who is my "cousin brother."

I haven't been able to go to Korea for almost 10 years, but it feels strange to have such a close relative's happy event.

Even though I can't go in person, I thought I should at least send a wedding gift, so I did a quick Naver search, called my mom, and asked around...

Wow, it turned out to be quite complicated. In Korea, you just get an account number and transfer the money. You can even send it via KakaoTalk.

But sending money from the U.S. to Korea is not a simple task.

International wire transfers from U.S. banks are expensive, so I tend to avoid them. (Bofa charges $45 to send $1,000, and the recipient also pays $15.) 

Also, if you input the information incorrectly, it can be delayed for days or even returned. Moreover, in Korea, if the account name doesn't match exactly, the chances of transfer failure are high.

So I considered the following three methods.

Method 1: Wise

This is the method I chose. It has low fees, good exchange rates, and fast speed – a perfect overseas remittance app.

Here's how to use it: 

Sign up for Wise (email + ID verification required)

Input the Korean recipient's name, account number, and bank name (e.g., Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, etc.)

Pay in dollars → it automatically converts to Korean won and sends it.

For example: Sending $100 incurs about $3 in fees, and the deposit is usually completed within 12 hours, at most by the end of the day.

Tip: Make sure to enter the name in the Korean format without 'English notation' (e.g., Kim Min-soo), and absolutely no typos in the account number, as resending may incur double fees.

Method 2: Remitly

Remitly is also a pretty good app. Its feature is that it has a 'fast transfer option'!

If you pay a little more in fees, there is a service that deposits the money within minutes.

However, the exchange rate is slightly lower than Wise, so unless you need to send money urgently, there's no need to use this.

Method 3: Ask Parents (Relatives) in Korea to Help

Actually, this is the easiest method. Instead of sending money directly from the U.S. to Korea, you can transfer money to your parents' account in Korea, and they can send the wedding gift from there. Still, many people ask their parents with the mindset of "since they are going on my behalf anyway."

How much should I send? This is always a dilemma....

What should I write in the message? Just sending money seems too impersonal.

So when I sent the money, I wrote this in the message section.

 "Congratulations on your wedding, brother. I'm sorry I can't attend in person, but I'm celebrating from afar!"

If you're sending it through your parents, make sure to send a separate message via KakaoTalk or text as well.

Words expressing your feelings may be more memorable than the wedding gift itself.

One tip – leave a confirmation after sending the wedding gift.

Sometimes in the U.S., there are cases where people say, "I didn't know you sent it." Especially older people may not be familiar with services like Wise or Remitly.

So after sending the money, I took a screenshot of the transfer completion screen and sent it to my brother via KakaoTalk with a message saying, "I sent it like this!"

If you are also considering sending wedding gifts to Korean relatives from the U.S. like me, try using remittance services like Wise or Remitly.