Vegetarian in Korea — how much of a struggle?

It is manageable but it takes effort, and you are right that broth is the central problem. You will cook more than you would at home, but you will not cook every meal.

The honest difficulty: Korean cooking uses anchovy and beef stock as a base almost invisibly. Kimchi usually contains fermented shrimp or fish sauce. A dish described as vegetable can arrive with pork. "채식" is understood but the assumption behind it varies — many people read it as "not much meat" rather than "no meat or fish at all".

What is genuinely reliable:

- Bibimbap without egg and meat, asking for it 고기 빼고. Widely available and cheap.
- Temple food (사찰음식) restaurants. Strictly vegetarian, often vegan, and excellent. Insadong and near Jogyesa have several.
- Indian and Nepali restaurants. Present near every major university and the safest default when you are tired.
- Kimbap without ham and egg, sundubu ordered vegetarian, japchae without meat, pajeon.
- Buddhist-run and vegan cafes, concentrated in Hongdae, Itaewon, Seongsu and Yeonnam.
- Convenience stores now carry a reasonable vegetarian range, and the plant-based sections in large supermarkets have grown a lot.

What to learn in your first week, and this is worth more than any restaurant list:

고기 안 먹어요 — I don't eat meat
생선도 안 먹어요 — I don't eat fish either
육수 들어가요? — Does it contain meat/fish broth?
계란 빼 주세요 — Without egg, please

The broth question is the one that actually matters and most people never learn to ask it.

Groceries are easy: tofu, vegetables, rice, eggs, beans and mushrooms are all cheap and everywhere. The Happy Cow app has decent Seoul coverage.

Realistic expectation: cook most weekday dinners, eat out comfortably a few times a week once you know your places, and near a university you will find three or four reliable spots within the first month. Indian students in particular tend to have this mapped within two weeks — ask them.