Korean Job Discussion Forums

[K-in-C]

Greetings,

I am just wondering what, if anything, makes Euijungbu special? I have been offered a job there and just feel a pull towards going there.

Thanks for any related comments.

Best,

K

[twg]

Something in the water up there causes the GIs to go a little nutty and start beating up the first taxi or bus driver they can find. I say avoid public transportation and you should be safe.

[livinginkunsan]

ya, good luck out there.. I haven't heard anything nice from anyone there.

[Dawn]

Guess it depends on what you're looking for. If your life revolves around being entertained, the city doesn't have a whole lot to offer.

If you're the sort who can entertain yourself, it's a nice place to call home. Housing is certainly more affordable than in Seoul. We've got a nice, quiet, three-bedroom place with a park on one side, farmland on a second, and a school across the road on a third. Pretty much everything we need is within a 5-10 minute walk. If we want to head into Seoul, the subway is a 15-minute walk or a less-than-5-minute cab ride away.

As for the "dangers" of public transportation, I've been using buses and taxis in this area for four years without any major problems. Once in a rare while, you'll run into a cab driver who wants to charge you differently than he would a Korean passenger, but these guys are few and far between and generally recant as soon as they find out you're not that gullible. (One guy insisted on giving me a free ride to my destination once after I laughed at his offer to do a W2,000 trip for $10 and told him I'd wait for a cheaper cab.)

The downtown area is home to a sizeable outdoor market, a couple of movie theaters (one on par with anything in N. America), and a nice selection of restaurants. Aside from an Outback Steakhouse on the outskirts of town, most of the western dining options are of the fast food nature, but there are a handful of ethnic places nestled amid the Korean restaurants downtown.

The area outside the main gate of Camp Red Cloud is one of the rougher parts of town, but business owners in this area tend to speak English. There are a couple of furniture shops here, as well as a second-hand appliance store. (I've found prices to be a bit better downtown for those who are comfortable negotiating in Korean.) There are also two international churches in this area.

I've had many people go out of their way to be helpful at banks, doctor's offices, etc., and have yet to experience any "anti-western sentiment" despite being married to a soldier. Occasionally, we'll encounter someone who's a bit nervous about dealing with foreigners simply because of anticipated language problems. As soon as I begin to speak Korean (limited as my Korean skills are), though, they warm up and give us the same treatment they'd give any other customer.

We enjoy the blend of city and country living. Walking three blocks in one direction puts us in town. Walking half a block the other way puts us in the middle of farmland, and a few blocks beyond that we have access to hiking trails.