Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sojourner1]

I understand Korea to be the most wired country in the world, but is high speed internet available in small towns and rural areas such as Gangwon-do? In America, it's not available in rural areas outside of towns and cities. And still in towns, the best is DSL.


Yes, people are still using dial up and it's only good for email. I got to have YouTube video and access to it all with at least a 1 MB connection.

[Smee]

Yes, I've found high-speed in every place I've ever been, and that has included a year out in the boonies. You can find PC rooms in towns of a few thousand, and running a search for a couple small villages I'm acquainted with brings up wi-fi spots, like in Family Mart for example. I had a high-speed hookup in my town of 16,000 last year . . . it's the norm.

[ttompatz]

[icicle]

Yes, Korea really does have the widest high speed internet availability in the world ... It really is much better than anywhere else ... And from my exprience a lot cheaper as well ... You should have no problem at all

[oots]

I'm in Taebaek, the smallest city in the country. In fact, on the outskirts of town, and I've recently upgraded to something in the region of a 54mb connection.

So yes, crazy fast internet is everywhere in this country.

unless you live on a farm in the middle of nowhere you won't have an issue. Even if you do live on a farm in the middle of nowhere, it'll probably have better internet access that most western countries.

micro

[Bigfeet]

Internet speeds in the US is pathetic. Look at this:

FiOS Internet 50/20 Mbps service will be available in New York and Virginia for $89.95 and elsewhere for $139.95 a month with an annual service plan.

I think this is the fastest service available but only from one company, in a few places, and you have to pay an arm and a leg for it.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2320617,00.asp

[IncognitoHFX]

We didn't have cable or DSL available in my rural town in Canada until about... two years ago. It was expensive, and it took a long time for the townsfolk to embrace it over their precious dial up.

That's one thing the East definitely has over the West, a willingness and a determination to accept new technologies.

[nicholas_chiasson]

2000 people and I can stream video...pretty happy.

[ttompatz]

[aka Dave]

Last year I lived in Ochang, and the internet was super fast. Ochang's a small town (suburb of Cheong-ju), but it's actually really nice cause everything was brand new, including my apartment. It's like a high-tech seed town, so it might not be typical of more agricultural type towns.


on edit: one reason Korea has a digital advantage in rural areas is the population concentration is extremely dense, so you don't have to deal with the distances you have in the USA or Canada. However, the Congress and White House have been absolutely pathetic dealing with the issue.

[bobranger]

Sky TV plus High speed internet about 50,000 won a month (high end HD and 1.5~3.0 MB downloads) avalible everywhere. Both come from your dish. That's my plan but ther eare are upgade and less expensive packages avalible.

[ChinaBoy]

I had an apartment (big 20 story building) and they couldn't install the internet..

reason I was given.. "it's too hard"...

[ttompatz]

[Ya-ta Boy]

When I was teaching in that teeny town of a couple of thousand people with a swamp in the middle, I lived 5km outside of town and had the same internet service everyone else here in Seoul has.