Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pkang0202]

I'm thinking about getting a PS position in Nowon-gu Seoul. I was wondering if anyone could tell me about the area. I'm familiar with Gangnam, Mokdong, Ilsan, and Suwon. Is Nowon similar to those areas? How's the restaurant and bar scene? Is housing going to rape me like in Gangnam? Is the place clean and new like Ilsan or dirty/sketchy like Itaewon?

[mindmetoo]

Nowon is firmly middle middle class. Teachers, cell phone salespeople, salarymen are the professions of the school kids. They lead very boring lives. A trip to Jeju would be a very exotic vacation to them. Their parents mostly just speak Korean and provide little support or inspiration. Most of my kids have no clue whatsoever the 1988 olympics were held in Seoul. They can't find Asia on a map.

I'm not much of a bar hopper but I don't hear anyone rave about it. It's not very newish. But not horribly old and slummish. I guess it's advantage is you're close to a Lottemart, an Emart, and a Homever. There's no starbucks. There is a Krispy Kreme.

It is connected via line 4, 7, and 1.

[HapKi]

What the above poster has failed to say is that his description of Nowon could apply to any Gu outside of Kangnam. As well, I doubt the poster's kid's dull, uninspired lives come from their Nowon environment any more so than anywhere else in Korea. I see plenty of kids rolling around on roller blades, scooters, and those board thingies where your feet are strapped in and you weave back and forth. One elementary girl I know snowboards. I guess it's who you know. Around the Eun-Haeng Sagori area and others, many of those parents are rich, rich, rich.

Over-all I'd say the streets are a bit wider than other parts of Seoul. Plus you got the Do-Bong San mountains looming in the skyline in two directions. Plenty of shopping and restaurants. From Seokgye Station, you can be in Itaewon in 25 minutes.

[pkang0202]

I'm sure it'll be a lot better than Gimpo where I currently live. Are there a lot of buses that go to the major areas like City Hall, Gangnam, Yeongdongpo?

[twg]

Nowon would be "the suburbs" if it wasn't attached to the city. Good place to raise kids.

And really, you're not too far from a handful of universities like HUFS, Kyunghee and Seoul. While they're not the Saturday night meat markets of Itaewon and Hongdae, you'd probably find them a lot better than the ajushi bars in Nowon if you're looking for lovin', McLovin.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Boring, flat. Like the rest of Korea.