Korean Job Discussion Forums

hamster20017 · Joined: 28 Sep 2006

I can't find any info. Of course, it might all be in Korean...but I'm not there yet?

James

VanIslander · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 8:30 am Post subject:

*shrug*

I've been in Korea since 2002.

I pay about five bucks a month for a big jug of delivered bottled water.

And use tap water for soups and tea.

Dunno what the problem is.

Masta_Don · Joined: 17 Aug 2006 Location: Hyehwa-dong, Seoul

Tastes bad.

Tiger Beer · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

Supposedly, it's drinkable.

But I still buy my own water anyways.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Consider:

1) The media isn't very friendly to the government.

2) If Seoul's water was terrible or dangerous, the media would hang the government on it.

The water has a weird taste/after taste but I've never seen anything about the water being dangerous. Koreans live all their lives drinking this water. They're not dying off. You drinking it for a year or two won't have any bad effects.

khyber · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Compunction Junction

If you've seen the pressurized steel pipes ripped out of the ground, I can assure you, you wouldn't that water anywhere NEAR your mouth.

I worked water and sewar construction back home. Where we use thick PVS, bleached and sparkling clean pipes that are impervious to rust, they use laquered steel.

The build up of rust on the inside of those pipes is INSANE.

Hollywoodaction · Joined: 02 Jul 2004

The drinking water in some small villages near the DMZ were found to be contaminated with some nasty chemicals, but I haven't heard anything about big city water being unsafe.

I filter mine with a filtration system. Charcoal and UV lamp. Tastes much better. I've never liked the taste of chlorine.

the eye · Joined: 29 Jan 2004

CeleryMan · Joined: 12 Apr 2007 Location: Seoul

The pervasive stench of raw sewage; feces; and other unexplainables permeating through Seoul has, at some point, made its way to your local water tap. Do you sincerely think local authourities pay any attention to public saftey measures?? I mean come on! This is Korea!!

Tokki1 · Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 9:58 am Post subject:

teachergirltoo · Joined: 28 Oct 2006

I was reading on some water quality website that the water in Seoul area tested very high for the meningitis bacteria which is why people are advised not to drink it.

aldershot · Joined: 17 Jul 2006

kiwigirl :O) · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Location: Bundang

i only drink the tap water once its boiled....it kills the germs....

besides bottled water is very cheap to buy here as is the big water bubbles....

(i do brush my teeth with tap water and i seem to be ok....)

kg

Tokki1 · Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 1:18 am Post subject:

There is no way to avoid getting the local water in your system.

In restaurants, veggies etc... are not washed with bottled water. And of course you take showers (I would hope).

I've known friends who drink the water right out of the tap. Psychotic? Maybe. In the dead heat of a severe hangover? Yup. Razz

pharflung · Joined: 29 Mar 2007

Once again we seem to have a Seoul-centric response to a question. Not everyone lives in Seoul.

I live in the southwest. When I got here my co-teacher laughed at the question, saying he always drinks the tap water, and hasn't gotten sick. Of course, he may have developed resistance to any infectious stuff over the years. I've been drinking the tap water, even made ice tea with it, no problem.

At the school, the teachers are almost obsessive about using the filtered water, though. Don't drink the tap water! I am warned repeatedly. Seems more like the vestiges of old problems, verging on the superstitious. If people living around here were getting sick from the water, you would hear about it.

That said, the water sometimes tastes fine, other times not.

I think khyber is closest to getting it right. A lot depends upon the water mains and the pipes serving your apartment or school. In some locales, old pipes can crack and groundwater can infiltrate the water supply, especially if you have frost heaves. Don't know if that is a problem here.

My water doesn't have a strong chlorine taste. But it does have a bit of flavor of plant matter in the summer, the sort of thing you would get from drawing water from a source relatively near the soil's surface. Ultimately, where the utility gets the water from is the biggest factor in taste.

I'm not worried about it. But I guess it depends upon where you are.

Back in the States you could pay $10 or so and have a sample of your tap water tested. I wonder if you can do that here?

But the short answer, hamster20017, is "no."

___________

Someday all countries will be like Holland, except for Switzerland and Tibet.