Korean Job Discussion Forums

[catchshime]

So I will be living *for sure* right outside of SNU subway station on Line 2. This is quite close to Guro and Sadang, however there doesn't seem to be much in regards to big grocery stores. All I see are 7-11 and Family Marts, and I like to cook, so....

I posted a similar question about sadang, so same applies here:

- Shopping
- Gyms
- Restaurants/Takeout?
- General tips?

Thanks all

[Xuanzang]

You can take the 501 bus directly to Yongsan and Sinyongsan stations (big Western style mall with an Emart).

[fermentation]

I don't go there often but I know there is boxing gym that trained a former world champion. There's also a cat cafe in the area as well.

[AaronDiesel]

OP:

Send me a PM.

[Css]

Theres a mid size GS supermarket nearby..head up the road that leads to SNU and take the second right..its the road just past pizza school. Its not huge but its not too bad.

There are lots of gyms around the main junction...jamaica fitness right at the exits, lots of smaller ones dotted around..above pizza hut etc.

Lots of not bad korean restaurants...the normal western places/pizza/outback etc.

i found it to be quite a boring place to live to be honest...even though its labelled as SNU, the uni is miles away over a massive hill and so its not a lively student area like shinchon and others. So you will probably find yourself travelling to more fun places like shillim...but its in a pretty good position in regards to subway and bus links..

I used to live right outside the subway exits.

[rumdiary]

I agree with Css. I thought living in a university area sounded fun, but its just your typical neighborhood. A very high concentration of love motels. The highest I've seen anywhere in Korea. In fact there are lots of sports massage places and the streets are covered with business cards for call girls. Egg Yellow has a movie theater. If you walk up the street from Egg Yellow, toward SNU, the first tall building you come to has a gym on the 8th or 9th floor. Across the street there is a Beer Hunter with some batting cages behind it.

[mr. positive]

Yeah, unfortunately that GS Mart already mentioned is the biggest supermarket around. Otherwise you have to travel a good bit by subway, bus, or taxi for anything large. If you like nature, though, catch one of the many buses onto the SNU campus and you can hike up Gwanak-san (the mountain at the foot of which sits the university).

[daniel-andersson]

Hi!

If you live near exit 1 or 2, there is a smaller supermarket (CS) near the market which is a bit cheaper than the GS supermarket. There is also a really good and cheap restaurants near that area. Next to the love motels.

I live between SNU and Nakseongdae. At Nakseongsdae you also have Subway fast food if you want some other western lunch. SNU is a really big campus so you should take advantage of this. Check out http://www.snulife.com/ (only in Korean) but there you can find some nice deals. For example I bought a queen size bed from a guy when I moved in for 20 000.

[whome33]

im just about finished a year of living there. it's been good. like someone said theres a gs supermarket down the street from the gwanak-gu office (out exit 3, go straight, right at the first light, walk for 2 blocks). and if you continue down that road, theres a market in off the main road (to the south- left if you're coming from gwanak gu office).
some good restaurants, i would reccommend a bbq place along that same road, you would pass it as you walked to gs supermarket, big place, has a large patio/parking (just after the gs25)
gym, ya theres the jamaica fitness. good value. be careful of the times u go, sometimes u can spend 10-15 minutes just trying to get the elevator to the 13th floor.
its not a very banging area night-life wise. you'd think it would be due to the proximity of a university, but its seoul national- buncha dorks.
still, jin bar outside exit 3 is ok to take a girl. which there are alot of walkin around the area
enjoy

[dalem]

I live right near SNU subway station myself. I have been able to find most things i need at the GS, as mentioned many times before by others here. I also like to cook. As for gyms, there is one in the Egg Yellow, and I believe there is another one directly above the pizza hut near the subway station.

The area does have a strange plethora of love motels, but other than the call girl cards everywhere it all seems to stay behind doors. I haven't seen anything skeezy... (other than those super skeezy cards which really are everywhere here). I like living here because it's on the green line and so close to sadang too... easy to get around.

Along one of the major streets, there is an office depot and such. Just past the office depot, there is a restaurant called 'Chinese Restaurant' (i know, not very orriginal). Still, worth going to, especially for the sweet and sour chicken. Very good food. It's pricey but you get a serving big enough for two people.

I generally like the neighborhood here.

[catchshime]

thanks all - what about pharmacies and appliance stores - rice cooker, iron + stand, drying rack, hangers... I know that's a wide spread but I just moved in

Also, how much do these things go for here? I looked on craigslist and found microwaves for 40,000 and less, rice cookers for about 20.....so, pretty cheap

[daniel-andersson]

There is a cheap and good store in Silim for this. It's down at a basement so its not very easy for me to describe. However if you ask a Korean friend who lives around they probably know what place I am thinking of and can take you there with the buss.

Also there is a free bus to and from the uni from SNU station. Its the yellow busses which you might sometime see even if they dont go so often. You dont need to be a student to take them. And if you need to go to the airport, there is a direct buss, 6003, from exit 5 which cost 8000 won.

[dalem]

Pharmacy: go up exit 8 and keep walking. There is a woman's gyno clinic, and a pharmacy right beside it.

Appliances: Go up exit 7 and cross the busy, busy street. Keep walking until the street makes a y, take the large alley. This is a market where you can get lots of different meat and such. Along this alley is a grocery store, and if you keep walking there is a store that sells many appliances. We got a really good electric fry pan there *huge* for about 20$. It is also where i bought my drying rack and iron, for very reasonable prices. A little bit before the appliance and home store, there is a basement (but easy to see) dollar store. That's where i got cheap cheap dishes, home stuff for cleaning, and hangers.

Also, the GS mentioned many times before sells appliances.

The 20$ rice cooker and 40$ microwaves are really good deals i bet, cheaper than you'd find in the store for sure.

[PeteJB]

You could hop on the train to Sindorim from SNU and go to Emart. You don't even have to leave the station, so it's pretty convinient.

[catchshime]

Hey guys, I've done some exploring the past couple of days and here's what I've found:

Jamaica Fitness is a nice gym, got a membership for 33,000 KRW/month. Great deal I think.

Jungang Market when you leave exit 6 is on your left after about 150 meters. It's got a great selection of produce, Korean food, and meat, and it's reasonably priced. There's tons of ordinary working-class Koreans there shopping all the time. There's also plenty of stuff for household needs, cleaning supplies, and even an auctioneer for the produce section! It's pretty funny actually.

As for the appliances, I found a rice cooker and microwave at an E-mart near my hagwon for about 110,000 KRW together. Not a bad deal, but I've found much better on Craigslist. They just keep being sold before I can get them!

Hope this helps.