Buying outright from aborad

Gemmawho

Hi everyone

This is my first time posting so sorry if it's in the wrong section or i make no sense

I have no idea about mortgages or owning a home so again please forgive me if this is a stupid question!

Me and my boyfriend are currently in a long distance relationship. The plan is for him to eventually move here.
At the moment i live with my parents, so ideally we want to buy an apartment. He has enough savings to buy an apartment in my area outright.
Basically i wondered if anyone had any advice on how we would go about this?

Could he buy it before he moved here and it be ok for me to live in alone and rent free?
Is it better for him to buy it or "gift" me the money (is that a thing?!)
Should we buy it outright or get a small mortgage?
Is it going to be complicated legal wise? Will there be tax or anything.

As you can see I'm absolutely clueless. :undecided

He's from South Korea if that makes any difference. The money is just his savings.

Thanks in advance for any help and advice!