Well, I pronounce them exactly the same. If your accent is non-rhotic then they are both two syllable words, with the exception I suppose being if you have a posh RP accent. In that case I think 'Korea' would be a three syllable word. But anyway, in most parts of England there is no difference in pronunciation between the two words. See the IPA for both words in oxforddictionaries for example for the 'standard' British pronunciation. For both words they put /kəˈrɪə/.

There's only a difference if you pronounce the final R in a syllable that ends with R. This means following Daniel's explanation. If your final R "disappears" (ie. the explanation from Paul and Jimmy), then the two words sounds exactly the same. There is no difference in the vowel sound in the second syllable. This applies to any type of English.

Most of the differences described in the answers so far are imagined rather than real. Many language learners find it hard to believe that 'son' and 'sun' are pronounced the same, but native speakers are accustomed to this. But most people probably haven't thought before about the difference between career and Korea, and will find it shocking that their job is the same as an exotic place. It is possible to pronounce them differently, but it is not natural to do so. The only real difference is one that Sara mentioned: in some English accents - e.g. in the US or Ireland, the final 'r' in 'career' is pronounced. I think you can hear this on YouTube rather than having to learn about the IPA and rhoticity.

Career is pronounced: cuh-reer Korea is pronounced: Kur-e-a

http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=Korea http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=career It's interesting to know about the "posh RP" version since that seems to be the chosen phonetic transcription here (same for Cambridge dictionary, at least the online version). It seems there IS a difference in the vowel sound; whether it's regional or up to the speaker's preference/background, is a different story. In fact, as it usually happens, there seems to be a variety of opinions and preferences among native speakers: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/240700/pronunciation-of-korea-and-career Listening to real English on YouTube is an excellent way to boost our listening skills and learn some slang, but more often than not, being aware of the different sounds that exist in any given language, and having a visual aid can help a great deal when it comes to oral comprehension and expression - students can't often tell the difference until they are actually taught the specific sounds. Whether some students are too lazy or afraid to do this 'cause nobody told them about this stuff at school, is also a different story. In fact, some of the best native English teachers on YouTube use the IPA to make their points clear.