Korean Job Discussion Forums

[SwissJames]

Hi,

I used to live in Korea back in 2003-2006, now on my way back for a week's visit so have checked into Dave's to see what's going on.

Seems like there are craft beers around now, and about 20 more subway lines than when I left. Other than that, anything much I should check out?

[timhorton]

Gimbap is now 1,500!

[newb]

They don't stare at you as much.

[fosterman]

nothing has changed!

[cdninkorea]

I know that many of these won't affect you as a visitor, but:

- WalMart is gone.
- iHerb ships to Korea for a very cheap rate. This means I can get lots of supplements, vitamins, foods, etc. with ease
- Was Costco here in 2006? I didn't know about it if it was. Anyway, that's done a lot for me.
- There is much less staring it seems.

Hmm... it seems like a lot has changed, so why can I only think of a few things?

Oh, one more: Itaewon is really different. It's gentrified a lot- not just more upscale places that people like me can only afford on special occasions, but lots of other affordable nice places (restaurants, great bakeries, etc.). And not just the main Itaewon street, but many of the back streets and all around Noksapyeong too. Actually I used to live on the Kyungridan hill (across from HBC and on the way up to the Hyatt) and it was awful back in 2007. Now? Big difference.

[Who's Your Daddy?]

I think a lot more of the foreigners here have been here multiple years.

I remember when I first got here, and there was a co-worker that had been here a year and a half and everyone was like "wow, so long". Now a lot of been here 3 years.

Nice Korean food (e.g. Samgye-tang, or BBQ) has probably doubled in price.

So easy to find foreign beers at supermarkets or even big-chain supers (Buy the way, etc.) And the prices are not bad.

In my area, not seoul, there are more foreign restaurants run by foreigners. e.g. Vietnamese places.

I think the younger woman are more fluent in English, and foreigners are less scary to them(?) [I'm married so I haven't confirmed this:(

A lot more foreigners I know have cars.

Sadly, I think wages are the same:(

[SwissJames]

I always enjoyed the staring, what a pity.

Foreign beers is a definite plus though- I left just as Hite Prime was kicking in, the first domestic beer that seemed to have any flavour whatsoever.

Wasn't (Chamchi) Kimbap always 1,500 though?!

[detonate]

I get older, they stay the same age.

Gimbap was like 800won or something in the small city I was in about 2005.

[drydell]

Wine, lots more choice and now at prices on a par with back home.. Thanks tesco

[sojusucks]

Prices have increased. The biggest difference in the ESL industry has been the sheer number of applicants after the economic collapse of 2007-08. That has changed things and not for the better.

[EZE]

The two things that stand out to me:

1. The paper tickets on the subway have been replaced by the plastic traffic cards that can also be used for buses.

2. It seems like Koreans always passed things with the right hand or both hands in 2006. Now, they often use just the left hand.

[Moondoggy]

[hogwonguy1979]

costco has been here since at least 2004 when we moved to seoul but i think before that i saw one in daejeon near the seodaejeon station.

since 06
1) expansion of the seoul subway which is fantastic, airport line extending to seoul station is wonderful
2) more foreign goods available, so much so that the red door closed last year
3) better choices for food in itaewon however with that the Koreanization of the area has downgraded the place, foreigners are headed to HBC and Kyungnidan more often
4) craft beers, choices are so much better

thats for openers

[schwa]

You'll notice tons more coffee shop & convenience store franchises.

[Stan Rogers]

A lot more foreign cars on the road now.