Korean Job Discussion Forums

Mosley · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

I've never dealt w/the Can. Embassy in Korea, but it sounds like it's totally useless like the Can. consulate in Nagoya. The overpaid satrap there was really put out that a Canadian citizen would bother him w/a problem!

kangnamdragon · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Location: Kangnam, Seoul, Korea

Everytime I call the Canadian embassy, they are out to lunch.

Tiberious aka Sparkles · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: I'm one cool cat!

Definitely a dream job. Work three hours or so a day, get a two hour(!!?) lunchbreak, and have all hollidays -- Canadian and Korean -- off. All the while not lifting a finger nor helping anybody. What's not to like?

And, I'm surprised nobody mentioned "The Secret Door".

I was at the consulate in early September, submitting my daughter's application for Canadian citizenship (the little angel; she filled it out all by herself Laughing

). I sat around until I heard The Voice. "Mr. ______, you may enter now," it said. Well, I got up, but wouldn't you know, there was no door to be found. First, I mistakenly walked into the little room at the back with all the maps and cultural crap (whowudda thunk Johnny Pneumonic is a Canadian film -- for me, right up there next to the greats: Citizen Kane, Casablanca and Weekend at Bernie's). Anyway, the voice keeps beckoning me, "Mr. ______, we are ready to see you now. Over this way please." Finally, I find this "door", a sliding deal, painted to blend in with the wall (for security reasons? one wonders). I can picture the big bang the workers probably get from watching schlub after schlub wander aimlessly looking for that damn door. I mean, if I worked there, that'd probably be the highlight of my day -- the best reason to get up in the morning. I know I'd never grow tired of it, either. But I'm a sadist.

Anyway, that secret door. That kills me.

Sparkles*_*

applepie · Joined: 30 May 2003

If you are disatisfied with the embassy why not write to them from thier web site

http://www.korea.gc.ca/forms/feedback1.e.html

If they got enough letters, maybe something woudl be done, doubtful, but possible.

rapier · Joined: 16 Feb 2003

The British embassy is probably the most pointless monolith of all. Did you know that when the Sh*t hit the fan in Phnom penh and the Khmer rouge invaded, the Poms mostly fled and directed their citizens to the chicken coup at the U.S embassy?

Circus Monkey · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: In my coconut tree

the_beaver · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

Korea Newfie · Joined: 27 Mar 2003 Location: Newfoundland and Labrador

Circus Monkey · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: In my coconut tree

Mosley · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

That turkey in Nagoya gave me the same spiel about being primarily a trade office, yada, yada. The fact is, most embassy staff are effete elitists who hate to have to deal w/ the hoi polloi of their own country. A pox on them! The elitists, that is.

oldfort · Joined: 09 Oct 2003

hmmm...haven't visited the Cdn embassy in Seoul, but the Korean Embassy in Canada lent me some books about Korea, and they said I could borrow some Korean movies, too. I was pretty surprised that they were happy to let me walk off with some of their stuff.

Does the Canadian Embassy in Seoul lend out books and movies about Canada? Your reasons for going there are much less frivolous, I know, but I can't help but wonder if they have a bunch of Due South tapes or whatever there.

best of luck dealing with the Canadian Embassy in the future.

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

The Lemon · Joined: 11 Jan 2003

I've been meaning to post this for a while - I had a series of dealings with the Canadian Embassy last month while processing the citizenship for our baby daughter. We told them we were planning to visit the US in February, so they issued a 1 year temporary passport for her (the embassy's idea), even though she still doesn't have her Canadian citizenship certificate. First class service the whole way. Though the whole thing they were beyond helpful and courteous. They were NOTHING like what's portrayed in this thread. A real pleasure.

A few weeks ago we had to get a visitor's visa from the US embassy for my wife. According to her, the American staff (once inside) were kind and professional. The Koreans the embassy employs for crowd control, however, were a different story.

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

I went there in 1997 - wasn't so friendly. The office was a bit dirty.

Had to go in 2000 to get my passport renewed. Wasn't really a problem.

I went back there in 2000 when I got married I needed to register it. At that time there were no problems. They were professional, and I was served by a real Canadian, not a Korean staff member.

I went back in 2003 to register my baby and I experienced quite a few communication problems. First they don't advertise you should register yourself with the receptionist if you wish to get some service. Then the person who helped me was a Korean and didn't explain everything properly. It wasn't until I flipped out that she then did a "oh I meant you could do this..." type thing.

So I think they aren't that bad, but they could do more to advertise what you have to do in order to get assistance, and the Koreans who are doing the job should have good enough English to explain EXACTLY what I need to do a certain task. The big problem was their website said one thing and the woman was trying to say something else.

I agree with many posters that you wouldn't want to go there in case of an attack by the North. I'd think they wouldn't be much help.