Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bejarano-korea]

I've heard about this, is this true?

What kind of exercise equipment is it?

Do you really get loads of old biddies doing tai chi at the crack of dawn?

[Smee]

Yes, it's true. Mostly calisthenics machines and massage-related stuff. Pull-up bars, parallel bars for dips and stretching, posts with pegs for push-ups, and a few things with rolling wooden parts to massage your body. And of course hula-hoops. I've seen a few parks with a small weight on a bench for a benchpress, and in a park behind Gangwon National University there's a barbell sitting there. I think there are some exercise facilities you can join (like the one in Central Park in Bundang), but in general you'll just find the calisthenics stuff.

Actually, at least in the sticks, I find people mostly use trees . . . they bang against them repeatedly. Seriously.

edit: never seen tai chi, though the banging against the trees and the abrasive massages evolve from the same principle of chi.

[oneofthesarahs]

Most of the public parks around here have them. Like smee said, just calisthenics related stuff, but they usually have a little picture showing you how you are supposed to use it. I've only seen old people use any of the equipment, especially the thing you stand on, hold onto the stationery handles and then rotate your lower body(?). I have no idea what it is supposed to do for you.

[bejarano-korea]

Cheers ladies!

For some reason I thought there might be a bench and weights like a Korean venice beach!

I watch Korean TV (EBS channel) I love watching the early morning yoga before 'English time'

Watching the old biddies do their tai chi would make it worth getting up early!

[Smee]

<-- is a boy.

It is kind of fun to go hiking early in the morning. Normally it's middle-aged or older people. Maybe it's a different story in the city's parks or playgrounds, but i've never seen tai-chi being done in Korea. A lot of times there'll be something called a 약수터, yak-su-teo, which is a natural spring, and people will hike there and fill their water bottles. Where there's a spring there's ususally one of these places.



^ here's one near my place

[bejarano-korea]

[GoldMember]

The equipment isn't vandalised either. Wish you could say the same about something similar back home.