Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Korussian]

I've been reading on these forums and Wikipedia about the scary serial killer and other crime issues in Hwaseong, but am considering an offer in Namyung-gu.

I'm coming with my (also Caucasian) girlfriend, and will be doubly concerned about safety. It would be great if you folks could suggest if Namyung-gu is or isn't sketch-central in itself, and how it relates to the rest of the Hwaseong experience.

If it's actually an area to avoid, would you recommend commuting daily by bus to Namyang-gu from, say, Suwon or somewhere else nearby? What's the trip like to Seoul on the weekends?

[Squid] on this forum mentioned that Namyung is "the sticks", but coming from south Jeollanam-do this mightn't pose a problem for us. [Otherside] on this forum has also provided a great amount of info to another Hwaseong-related post, and I'd appreciate your additional comments here as well.

We've been having so much trouble finding individual public schools (high school for me, younger for her) in good areas in Gyeonggi-do, so Namyang might be a good opportunity. We've been avoiding GEPIK, but September is fast approaching.

Should we just drop Namyung-gu and find positions elsewhere?

I'd appreciate your specific answers and general Hwasung/Namyang-related advice.

Thanks in advance!

[ttompatz]

Bad news for you is that ALL public schools in Gyeonggi province are under the jurisdiction of the Gyeonggi provincial office of education (GPOE/GEPIK).

The serial killer in Hwaseong is old news.

Commuting would depend on where the school is. Hwaseong is a very large area that goes from Suwon out to the coast at jebu-do.

.

[Otherside]

Namyang is about 45mins by bus from Suwon station.
That's really your call whether you want to spend 90mins each day travelling.

I wouldn't be too worried about the serial killer, he hasn't struck since the early 90s...

Realistically I wouldn't worry about the crime here.

For what its worth, I work just before namyang and I choose to commute from Suwon station.

[Jeweltone]

Hwaseong itself is not too bad, but AVOID the Byeongjeom community (near the subway station). Although it is the county seat, there are some scary characters around there. I have personally been groped and verbally harassed by random drunks in Byeongjeom...right in front of the police station (twice!) . The natives are also, shall we say, less-than-friendly (and I have never had a problem making friends with the locals in any country I have visited). Treat Hwaseong like you would any major city (even though it is not); do not let your lady walk alone after dark ,and be aware of the people around you.

The area further away from the station is pretty decent, but a bit hard to access except via foot. There are some chain stores and a small movie theatre however - not a thriving metropolis, but decent. There are some nice apartments in the section near city hall as well.

[traxxe]

I live in Gok Ban Jeong Dong which is in Suwon. Close to Byeongjeom but closer to Seryu Station.

Korea is far safer than any country in the west. Drunk Koreans are usually the main source of frustration and they can be irritating.

Most women get groped at some point or another but that is pretty much part of the perverse culture of Asia. If you are a half-attractive white girl then you can probably expect at least one or two uncomfortable moments.

The serial killer only killed Koreans wearing red clothes in the rice paddies. He hasn't struck in around fifteen years. You don't have much to worry about. The chances of getting murdered here are far less than western societies. Hit by a car? Another story.

It's safe to walk around in public places at night. Many women do it in the country with little fear.

On my motorcycle it takes me about 20 minutes to get to work in one of the many Hwaseong areas. Sometimes a little less, sometimes more.

[wylies99]

So, they never caught the serial killer?

[wylies99]

[Jeweltone]

It is only near the station that I have had trouble; I was never harassed when I lived in Seoul, btw. I had to walk through the red light district/boshintang restaurant row of Byeongjeom, and then under an unlit traffic bridge (aka the public urinal/groping central) to get home...at the time, I was the only white female in town, so it could get a bit hairy at times. I am a pretty-average looking blonde (albeit a bit busty) so maybe that was the "attraction."

The reason Korea is safer is because people tend to walk in GROUPS. In teh major metro areas, people are on the street 24/7. Not so in the countryside. Parts of Hwaseong are quite remote, and it is not a good idea to be alone at night in such circumstances...in any country.

As for serial killers, they never caught him, but everyone knows who it is...or so I've been told (by an English speaking local). Something about the statute of limitations running out. There was another Hwaseong disappearance in December 2006; a middle-aged female office worker (whom I knew by sight, as it turns out) vanished right outside an ATM machine. There were three other apparently related similar incidents in some of the other outlying communities.

Just be careful and take note of who is around you, even in a "safe" country.

[wylies99]

Jongo- Sam Ga has large groups (mobs?) of drunken adjoshis running amok all of the time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jongno_3-ga_Station

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Amok. Absolutely it does.

[traxxe]

There is a red light district in Byeongjim? Huh, never saw it. Probably because I have my own transportation and don't need to go by certain areas foot pedestrians usually travel.

[Jeweltone]

Yes, there is - a small, but active red light district. Take a left after you go out of the station and look for all the boshintang restaurants.

Most of the brothels and strip clubs are on the right a bit further down. They are not particularly obvious until Saturday night, although I have seen Aeien (lover) open midday with the curtained cubicles flapping in the breeze; I am guessing it gets a little stinky in there! Customers enter through a side door. The hostesses are discreet, but can be seen in formal sexy ware at dusk hanging out in the (front) doorway with their best come-hither simpers. The police occasionally shut them down but they reopen just as frequently.

One of the hostesses (I was there in 05-06, so she may have moved on) speaks some English - she is a middle-aged heavy-set woman with green hair and has been seen keying up the elderly "key man" outside Byeongjeom station (quite funny at the time). There are also trucks with dancing girls patrolling the neighborhood, and our apartment building was regularly buried in advertising flyers featuring clearly underage girls (su-trip-ah!).

As I said, it is not an obvious district (unlike most of Korea), but it is definitely there, as well as a double barber pole establishment (called Audition). I have photo and video evidence (taken on the sly) of most of it (not much else to do or take photos of in town).

My coworker tried to go into one of the establishments, but he was angrily turned away.

The main part of BJ isn't too bad though. Just be careful in the more remote parts of the district.

[sojusucks]

Avoid the sticks. Definitely stay close to the subway line, such as with Hwaseong. I have lived in the sticks and it sucks.

Besides, Suwon is only an hour or so by metro to Seoul. You won't have to ride for hours to get there.

Hope you find a place that you like soon.

[Jeweltone]

The train (Korail) from Suwon Station to Seoul Station takes only 25 minutes, and costs around 3500 won (less if standing room only).

[icicle]

As a previous poster has said ... If you want to teach in a public school in Gyeongi do then you cannot avoid GEPIK. Even if you get your actual job directly from the school rather than being assigned by GEPIK you will still have the same contract and GEPIK. You will get the same support etc including orientation as any other GEPIK teacher. GEPIK is responsible for all of the public schools in the province so cannot be avoided.

Why are you trying to avoid GEPIK?