Korean Job Discussion Forums

[summer33ny]

My boyfriend and I are beginning to plan our journey to S. Korea. The biggest problem we are having right now is finding a place to go.

We are not interested in Seoul or other big cities. We hate suburbs. We want to be somewhere with a lot of natural beauty. We like bike riding & outdoorsy things. We're not into bars or partying. We are vegetarians and like organic food. We would love to live in the "California" of S. Korea. We like meditation, buddhist temples, etc. Is there any place in S. Korea that is like this????

[Big Mac]

Maybe Jeju Island???

[Thunndarr]

[renzobenzo1]

California=/=South Korea

[normalcyispasse]

Jeju-do might be good for you, as might Geoje-do. Of course I'm always willing to pimp my own city, Yeosu, as it's nice and quiet, off the beaten course, and pretty.

California, though? Well, good luck.

[SuperFly]

[saw6436]

Damn hippies!!

[hubba bubba]

[andrew]

.....

[kat2]

Yeah, Korea is so far from the lifestyle you are describing. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but you neeed to be seriously prepared for some shock if you are looking for the "california of korea." There's nothing remotely close over here.
There is some organic food, but I'm not sure if hte lable organic is regulated over here.
I was a vegetarian until I decided I had to loosen up and start eating some chicken if i wanted to survive. If you are strict and can't eat anything with even fish sauce in it, then you are goign to be eating at home every night. Koreans don't seem to get that "I'm a vegetarian/I don't eat meat" really means I eat NOTHING that is meat derived. There's a lot of them just taking the dish back to the kitchen and picking it out or giving you fish instead (which I get in the states sometiems) or just general bewilderment.
The probelm with wanting to be in aremote location is that you will be further and further away from anywhere you can buy organic items or vegetarian fare. Seoul and Busan are about hte only places you could find a decent selection.

From everything you've said, I suggest you look at Busan. You will have access to organic markets and there is a vegetarian restaurant in Seomyeon run by 7th Day Adventists. They also sell some of the stuff on this site vegefood.co.kr. If you live in the outskirts of Busan, you will be close to mountains, beaches, etc. But be prepared that everywhere in Korea is fairly crowded and rather polluted.

[n�fara]

I live on Jeju right now, and can give you a run down on how it compares to what you're looking for.

Does it have natural beauty: Yes. Heaps of it actually, although some places can get a bit touristy. It's nice to go off the beaten track - or at least go at an off-peak time.

Bike riding? Yes. Although during winter it might be a bit chilly/windy. There is a bike lane on the coastal rode, so if you want to bike around the island, no problem. The inland roads can be more scenic (and you can hop off and climb a roadside oreum easily), but the roads are also more narrow with no bike lane. Definitely wear a helmut.

Outdoorsy things: Yes. If you went hiking every day after work, you'd probably run out of places to go by the year's end. But if you're more of a weekender, there are quite a few nice places.

Bars and partying: It's there if you want it, but if it's not your thing that's probably just as well. There are only so many places on an island.

Being a vegetarian: Yes, you can do it here. It does take a bit more work, but there are restaurants that serve vegetarian meals (especially by the temples). If you like to cook yourself, even better!

Organic foods: That I'm not sure about. There is an organic food section at the local Emart, but how into it are you? If you want to purchase all organic food, the selection would be a bit slim, and perhaps too costly. You can buy fresh fruit and veggies for cheap at the local markets, but they do use pesticides here, I think.

Meditation: Yes. I know of a couple people that joined a meditation group in Jeju-si. You can go every day, or on the weekends, or whenever. They really enjoy it, and there is such a diverse group of people you can meet there.

Buddhist Temples: Yes. Jeju has one of Asia's largest Buddhist temples: Yakcheon. There are also more scattered about the island.

As for a California-type place: I have no idea. I doubt it, though. I've heard Jeju described as the "Hawaii of Korea". But in reality, it is very little like Hawaii. The similarities: there are palm trees, nice beaches, and honeymooners come here often.

Pollution-wise: I hear Jeju-do is pretty unpolluted and the air is clean. Keep in mind though that if you live out in the country people burn their garbage.

Still and all it's a nice place and I'd recommend it (haha, I've only been her a few months though, so take this with a grain of salt).

But there are other places around Korea where you can find these things as well.

[schwa]

Youre not gonna find any californias here but if youre determined to come to Korea & willing to make some compromises Gangwondo might suit you.

Its beautiful, big but lightly populated by Korean standards, & its got mountains & lots of seashore. Hiking, biking, etc options galore.

As noted above, eating out as strict vegetarians is problematic -- not impossible, but you'd be extremely limited. I allowed myself some seafood after a while here, as a social compromise, since eating together with Koreans is an integral part of experiencing the culture. Having made that adjustment, I find Koreans respect my dietary choices.

Organic foods are rapidly becoming more available. My town of 90,000 has several health food stores with organic produce, grains, etc & organic products are starting to show up on regular supermarket shelves. Pricy though. You can also order just about anything online for delivery anywhere here.

Re: trusting organic certification, I'd guess its mostly honest. Regulation in the States isnt 100% either.
I've had some wonderful experiences in Buddhist temples in this region, typically situated in choice mountain settings. I've never done a packaged temple stay but I've met a number of kind & genuine devotees on my temple visits.

Gangwon people in general tend to respond to friendly sincere people in kind. If you can be a bit flexible, you might thrive here.

[MarionG]

You won't find California here, but you will find natural beauty, and you can find your way around the other things. It will be nearly impossible to eat a truly vegetarian diet...all meals are served with soup (broth) instead of a drink, and it will always be a meat based, usually clear, broth. In restaurants which specialize in many side dishes, you will be able to make a meal of those, but someone has to order the dinner that causes the side dishes to be served to you...and that dinner will have meat in it.

There ARE some vegetarian dishes, but not vegan. And requesting a vegetarian dish will result in what one poster already described...they will take the food to the kitchen and pick out the meat, or they will be completely confused by the request.

Also, bring your own bike helmets...I haven't seen any in Korea.

[driftingfocus]

Wando.

[idiotinkorea]