Korean Job Discussion Forums

[emma katherine]

In people's experiences about being over in Korea, have you seen any runners? Do Koreans go for runs?

[hondaicivic]

[Mr. Peabody]

Before or after midnight?

[Lastrova]

Several teachers, not just coteachers, have characterized runners as arrogant and immature foreigners. That can be taken in several ways.

[jvalmer]

The generally Korean population hardly cares about ESL teachers and most have no idea of the reasons people may run. To them it's just someone who skips out on a job, most would be shocked if you told them that some places don't pay people on time, or housing is questionable, etc...

[eamo]

Is it just me or has there been a rash of ambiguous thread subjects recently?

Is this about midnight runs from jobs, or jogging?

[littlelisa]

Haha, I guess this is about jogging.

You might want to clarify and write running (jogging) in the title.

In Korea, when speaking about ESL, the term running usually means running out on a contract and leaving the country rather than giving proper notice. It's also called doing a midnight run.

Either way, whichever you mean, you should clarify.

[cheolsu]

I've been living and running here for three years. The weird thing is that while just as many people run here as back home, though there are more women and less men, you never really see them. I think that's because sidewalks and city streets really aren't good places to run. You will see lots of runners along the Han River, at parks or at a university campus.

The Seoul International Marathon gets about 20,000 runners and there are runners by the thousands at weekly races. In the spring and fall, you could run two or three races every weekend in Seoul if you're creative.

Running is very club-oriented here. Just about every company or government office ("Incheon Seo-gu Office Marathon Club") has a running team.

As far as opinions of runners, it's the same as anywhere else in the world: "good for you, I sure couldn't do that."

[BoholDiver]

If Koreans have experienced groups like Hash House Harriers, then maybe they have a negative view.

I have found that no one gives a crap if you're running. That includes people not giving way on a sidealk they're hogging, cars running red lights, etc. Just like if you're walking.

If you go to a marathon, you will see how many runners Korea has. But most of them see themselves or act like 'professionals'. They wear expensive gear and even coats for their respective marathon group with their name on it.

I almost never see Koreans exercise in my area except for mountain hiking ajosshis drinking makkoli.

[Bondrock]

Prior to the World Cup it used to be more common. But Koreans had a big campaign to try and get these guys off the streets in order to show a better facade to the outside world.

Of course I live in a far better neighborhood now and that may also account for the lack of sightings. But prior to the World Cup I recall that almost nightly there would be 3 or 4 guys passed out in my neighborhood with the front and back of their pants spoiled from the runs. Usually the spectacle included a sidewalk pizza or two. And, these guys always seemed to be wearing expensive suits.

[cheolsu]

[emma katherine]

i had no idea that there was a running from job type of phrase!!

I should have started out w/ this: I am a runner and going over to Korea I was wondering if i would be able to continue running on a regular basis. I usually run about 25-30 miles a week. But I've done some marathons and I think it would be so great if I could not only teach ESL over in Korea but also train for a marathon too!!

[interestedinhanguk]

[interestedinhanguk]

I imagine running might be difficult. I don't run myself, so take this advice with a grain of salt. City streets are difficult for obvious reasons. However, I think that parks aren't much better.
I go bicycle riding at a large park. There's separate paths for pedestrians and bikes, and each path has lanes for opposing traffic flow. However, it never works. People often walk slowly and in big groups, taking up both lanes, making it difficult to pass (and that's just when you're walking). So running on the pedestrian path is a pain.
What a lot of runners do is run on the bike paths. This allows them to go faster, and they seem to have little problem for the most part. However, it's against the rules (common to ignore these rules in Korea) and a great inconvenience to the bicyclists. I hate swerving around the runners on bike paths.
You're best bet may be to run out in the paths of the farmland around all the city. Unless one is in the middle of one of the big cities, one never seems to be that far from farmland, including satellite cities around Seoul.

[matt chaos]

It will depend on what your local area is like.

I live in Sanbon, Gunpo and have found some decent running routes with wide pavements. You need to figure out how to minimise time spent waiting at traffic lights and that's half the challenge. But expect people to spot you and still walk directly in front of you, people letting their dogs run under your feet whilst laughing, people laughing in general at the spectacle, people saying things like "good job" or "well done", people trying to stop you for a chat... that and the weather extremes.

Annoying but it's part of the fun. If you're near a mountain there should also be some good trail running too.

P.S. Seemed pretty obvious what was the subject was. See "Do Koreans go for runs?" Unless you think that Koreans read this forum and decide to take up the idea to run from their own country...