So, I've been studying for over 6 months now, gone from level 1 Korean up to level 3 in that time so here's a post of what to expect of your fluency after the 6 month point.
After the end of level one you can more or less survive, you'll be able to express yourself simply, things like "I like that" "I can speak Korean" "I went to the library and borrowed a book" "I'm from (insert country here)" etc. Level 1 is the base of what you need to survive in Korea., ordering food, directions, talking on the phone etc. If you don't intend to be fluent but want to survive just do level 1. It takes about 3 months if you're starting from zero Korean.
Level 2 is a new ball game. You are starting to learn more specific grammar with more subtle meanings, and reaching a more conversational state. Still talking like a baby mind you, but you'll be able to say things like "I don't know if I wanna do this or that" "I've decided to keep studying" "He said he would meet us there" "I thought you liked Kimchi??"etc.
At the end of Level 2 you are at the 6 month mark, and will be able to manage a simple conversation and are also at the point where if you don't know a word in Korean you can actually ask them to explain it in Korean to you rather than needing it in English. So pretty good progress.
Come back after June 2013 for an update on fluency after a year of studying.
