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Korean Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
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Yaya

Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 12:34 am Post subject: |
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kimchipig wrote: |
I was in Korea in those days and I loved it. There was none of the "progressive" crap that started with KDJ. Sure, students were allowed protest but only to a point. The Yonsei riots were case in point. After the students murdered a riot cop, no hold were barred. I remember seeing the stupid kids tied together and led down Jorgo-3-ga while the crowd pelted them with insults and any other trash they could grab.
The fronts for the Dear Leader now called "Civic Groups" were illegal. The country was dynamic and growing and a whole pile of fun for a waygook. A 500 ml draft beer was W1000, a pack of smokes W500 and a taxi W1000 for 3km. I didn't take the bus once in a whole year. I was CLEARING W2.2m a month with my regular job (no taxes in those days) and two privates. That is when one Canadian Dollar was W520. I lived like a king on W300k a month, never walked, cooked or did my own laundry. In a year I saved $20,000 without much trouble.
Then the crash came in 1997 and the place has never recovered. |
Uh, the riot cop was NOT murdered, he was hit in the head by an object thrown by protesters. I'd say it was involuntary manslaughter. |
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endo

Joined: 14 Mar 2004 Location: Seoul...my home
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 1:54 am Post subject: |
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What was it like dating girls back then? |
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lawyertood

Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul, Incheon and the World--working undercover for the MOJ
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 1:59 am Post subject: |
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What was it like dating girls back then? |
Much easier--probably because I was 12 years younger than I am now. Novelty factor was greater back then, although during the currency crisis, the GIs were living large in Itaewon as the dollar had quite a bit more value. Teachers were making around 1,200,000-1,500,000 back then. |
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endo

Joined: 14 Mar 2004 Location: Seoul...my home
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 2:08 am Post subject: |
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Was Itaewon the only place to meet them, or were Sinchon, Hongdae, and Kangnam good as well?
And how did the general public react when you were out in public with a Korean girl (or for the women) a Korean guy?
Just curious, cause it seems like this country has changed incredibly fast. |
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hogwonguy1979

Joined: 22 Dec 2003 Location: the racoon den
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 2:55 am Post subject: |
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We also came here in 96, man how did we survive living down in Gongju? I know how spending the 2 previous years in Alpine Texas aka the middle of nowhere while the wife was in grad school. We had a phone that would only call locally, we had to use a payphone to call the states as they wouldnt let foreigners get land lines. net access was the computer center on campus which was open m-f 9-6, no cable tv, had to get a shortwave radio to get english news via VOA and the BBC
Back then the only net cafe I can recall in Seoul was the Net Cafe (???) near Kyobo bookstore. you had to wait hours to get on and it was text based (anybody remember Pine?). We used to come up at stay at the Dong-il yeogwon right next to the Seoul Tourist Hotel near Jonggak station 20,000 nite the adjumas who ran it were great. in 2002 i booked the place out with americans here for the world cup, they loved the price compared to where they were staying. just went by there last week and saw the whole block was being torn down behind jongno felt really sad about that.
those were the days afn was good, they showed sports all nite on weekends and we would come to seoul just to watch it. we would also go nuts over the tgi fridays in jongno as there were no american food places in gongju. the nashville steakhouse was the best steak in seoul heck nashville then had a sign saying "no koreans allowed"
i do remember the riots and tanks going down chongno we were here like 6 weeks and were scared out of our wits. same with the sub incident
now i lost afn this week and could care less i download stuff, dont have a shortwave radio, cant spit without hitting a pc bang, i can find western food anywhere and dont know what i would do without my cell phone
man have things changed |
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itaewonguy

Joined: 25 Mar 2003
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 3:09 am Post subject: |
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a lot has happpened in 12 years!
couple of people have been murdered in itaewon!
the subway line opened in the won, and everyone thought it was gonna be like Chongno! that never happened! hahahaha
the us military has been talking about moving to OSAN for the past 10 thats also never happened! hahahaha
korea changes everyday! one thing is for sure it was way better back in the day! it just seemed more korean, now everyday its becoming more and more like an American Mall!! |
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The Perfect Cup of Coffee

Joined: 17 Jun 2007
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 3:09 am Post subject: |
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Great thread. Damn, the 5 years I've been here must seem like centuries for those of you who've been here a decade plus.
What was Busan or Daegu like back then? |
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Yesterday

Joined: 15 Aug 2003 Location: Land of the Morning DongChim (Kancho)
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 3:24 am Post subject: |
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hogwonguy1979 wrote: |
the nashville steakhouse was the best steak in seoul heck nashville then had a sign saying "no koreans allowed" |
yes - when I first arrived - the first weekend some friends took me to the Nashville -
and I kept going back every weekend - it was good back then...
These days the Nashville has also changed - and I would even be bothered going there now... its just not like how it used to be...
I also had a Korean co-teacher back there - who used to LOVE to tell her story - of how one of the "North Korean agents" stopped her car on the highway - and forced her out of it - and took off with her car...
she reported it - but for two years later - the motor vehicle registration department kept sending her the BILL for the cars registration...
she kept telling them it had been stolen by one of the North Koreans - but they still kept insisting she pay the registration.. |
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bangbayed

Joined: 01 Dec 2005 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 7:28 am Post subject: |
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Nashville! I remember they gave out free steak dinners on Friday nights. I kid you not, but I don't remember it lasting long, maybe a few months.
hogwonguy1979 wrote: |
Back then the only net cafe I can recall in Seoul was the Net Cafe (???) near Kyobo bookstore. you had to wait hours to get on and it was text based (anybody remember Pine?). |
Don't remember Pine, but remember the Net Cafe well. Before it opened, I spent Sundays going to teahouses in Insadong and writing letters(!) - way before PC bangs and cellphones. Most people, believe it or not, had no computers, nor used the internet. And Insadong was way quiter then.
So many people had beepers that coffee shops had phones at each table. You could sit down with a coffee and some lesson prep work, send out a few beeps (either business or personal - most likely a combo of both) and wait for them to call you at the coffee shop. It was like your own little office. The coffee was crap and not cheap, but you were paying for the space. Also, payphones, esp on Chongno, always had big lineups outside.
On weekends, before we discovered the Hongdae clubs Golden Helmet and Sangsudo, we went to Itaewon and watched army guys and Korean headbangers mosh at a rock club called Heavy Metal at the bottom of the hill. No bands, just taped music and a little moshing stage at the front. Pretty entertaining after a few drinks. Usually a fight broke out on the hour.
Ah, memories....  |
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gangpae
Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Location: Busan
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 11:28 am Post subject: |
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Cell phones were the size of a loaf bread and I lived in a cardboard box. Wait that was Canada. |
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Tiger Beer

Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 12:32 am Post subject: Re: Stories from Korea 12 years ago |
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I was in BUSAN 12 years ago in 1996. I remember the SUB incident. It really shocked me at the time. I remember a few warnings as well that sent a few of my co-workers thinking they should pack up just in case something more happened!
Last edited by Tiger Beer on Fri Oct 03, 2008 1:12 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Tiger Beer

Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 12:36 am Post subject: |
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The Perfect Cup of Coffee wrote: |
Great thread. Damn, the 5 years I've been here must seem like centuries for those of you who've been here a decade plus.
What was Busan or Daegu like back then? |
BUSAN was almost TOTAL CONSTRUCTION. Seemed like everything was under prepare, and everyone was wearing 2002 World Cup clothing and banners were everywhere...and this was 1996! They were geared up.
I also lived near what I later learned to be the largest dogmarket in Korea. One kilometer of butchered up dogs and cages everywhere. It was between my workplace and my apartment, so I just assumed that was quite normal.
Strangest thing about Busan in 1996 was that there was a WENDY'S RESTAURANT next to Busan Station...now of course, there are ZERO Wendy's Restaurants in the entire country of Korea. Too bad.
Western comforts were in short supply, I recall my roommate/co-worker went everywhere in Busan looking for brocoli. Now you can find that in Korea quite easily.
Cellphones...no cellphones anywhere, it was all BEE-BEE (beeper messages). I remember how amazing that was though, to be drinking in Busan and your friend could actually notify you with beebee, then you call a number on the payphone and could hear the message. Revolutionized getting together at the time.
I also remember the first internet cafes in Busan at that time, they started at Busan National University. It was my first exposure to Hotmail.com as well, and it was hard to get my mind around the fact you could check you email at ANY computer anywhere in the world. Weird at the time!
My biggest memory however, was being stared at constantly every single moment I existed in public. People grasping for breath when they saw me, kids pointing and shouting 'miguk saram', and just constant shouting and yelling everywhere I went that I was in people's sights.
Last edited by Tiger Beer on Fri Oct 03, 2008 1:13 am; edited 1 time in total |
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HapKi

Joined: 10 Dec 2004 Location: TALL BUILDING-SEOUL
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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 12:52 am Post subject: |
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12 o'clock curfew on the Hill (for about 30 minutes).
Stompers till dawn. |
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JongnoGuru

Joined: 25 May 2004 Location: peeing on your doorstep
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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 1:06 am Post subject: |
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I have an irrational habit of glancing at posters' "Joined" dates under their names and then assuming, at some level of consciousness or another, that that's the year they washed ashore on the ROK. And even though it's laughably not the case for me and my own "Joined" year, I still tend to regard you all as rank newbies, even if you're not.
So it's good to read threads like this. I love the nostalgia (I'm saying "yeah, I remember that!" with just about every post) and it's reassuring to know I'm not the only grizzled "old hand" kicking around this board. I'm the youngster and recent arrival amongst my own circle of expat friends IRL, but on Dave's I feel like a friggin' fossil most of the time.
Anyway, I'm enjoying this thread. (even if 12 yrs ago seems like last week in my travelogue) |
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OiGirl

Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: Hoke-y-gun
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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 1:35 am Post subject: |
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1995 in Gwangju...
Riots with teargas every weekend.
No PC Bangs. I dialled into a Korean access number for AOL.
You could take a bus home from shopping at the department store.
My favorite fried rice restaurant was down the street from my school...I'd often eat two meals a day there...it closed in IMF.  |
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