I'm new to Bootsnall, and I tried searching for this topic but the dash complicates things.

Does anyone have experience with the intricacies of getting an F-4 Korean visa?

I'm a half-Korean who has lived mainly in the U.S. my whole life. I've never been to Korea, but I'm planning a long-term trip to S.E.A. in 2011 (hey, it'll take me time to save up and finish up my MLIS). I'd like to visit Korea, and possibly even teach English. The thing is, I was raised by my father, who isn't Korean, so culturally I'm completely American. My parents were divorced when I was very young, so I have no idea where my biological mother is. I'm really not sure how to apply for an F-4, if it's even possible, or worth the difficulty.

I do have a copy of my birth certificate around here somewhere (I've moved a lot lately, things are packed up), and it does establish that my mother was Korean. However, when she became a U.S. citizen, she took my father's name, and a more "American" first name, and who knows what name now, making finding her difficult. Do I just need to look up my family name in some registry? It all seems very complicated.

Any adivce or other assistance would be much appreciated. My trip is over a year away, so I have time.

Getting an F4 visa is definitely worth the time and I don't think it's that difficult. You'll just need to be prepared to do the Korea shuffle and get all your documents in order.

I'm here on an E2 visa, sponsored by my employer. The employer holds the visa and I can't change jobs without getting a new visa. I've get a slew of friends on F4 visas and they're all doing pretty well for themselves.

F4 visas will give you a lot more flexibility because you hold the visa; you can change jobs and I think you can do private lessons.

You'll have no shortage of people wanting to do private lessons. Even though most Koreans know it's illegal and I could be deported if caught, I've been asked to do privates on several occasions. Private lessons pay around $33usd per hour, so getting an F4 is definitely worth it.

To apply for a F4 you'll need to set up an appointment with your nearest Korean embassy. For more information, check this thread http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=9773. There's something about a Korean family registry.

For more general info about teaching English in the ROK, check on http://www.eslcafe.com.
Here's another article I found: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/328745/f4_visa_the_best_visa_to_korea.html?cat=17

Good luck.

Scritch,
Were you able to figure out your F-4 situation?
If you haven't already tried, my suggestion is to contact the nearest Korean Consulate.
They were most helpful in getting me started, when I thought I needed the F-4 visa some years ago. My case was more straight forward, but I still found the process confusing.
Since you're eligible by the letter of the law, I think you should give it a try. If your father still has paperwork related to your parents' marriage, that might just provide enough information that you need on your mother. In my case, I had to prove my Korean ancestry, my US citizenship, and confirmed lack/forfeiture of Korean citizenship. If I remember correctly, my father's family registry took care of all that, or I had to provide his name, family seat and Korean resident # so that they could look up the family registry. My name was already listed in the registry so I didn't have to separately prove the relationship. For you, your birth certificate would take care of the latter requirement. I say check with your father because what you need to establish your mother's Korean ancestry is the kind of information typically provided in immigration paperwork.
Good luck and don't forget you have 90 days in Korea even in the worst case scenario.