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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 9:42 pm Post subject: |
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| nukeday wrote: |
The subway is nice, but the lack of any express trains, in my view, makes it vastly inferior to New York's dirty, expensive system.
And a subway system is not a tourist attraction, so, good luck with that. |
Uh, they have express trains on the No. 1 and 9 lines. |
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Pa Jan Jo A Hamnida
Joined: 27 Oct 2006
Location: Not Korea
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| Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 9:43 pm Post subject: |
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| DaHu wrote: |
Just compare Seoul to the rest of Korea.
Seoul's the best! |
Busan is marvelous while Daegu is dire. That said I prefer Daegu to Seoul. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 9:54 pm Post subject: |
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| orosee wrote: |
| Steelrails wrote: |
They should remove the smoking bans and promote it as one of the few places left in the free world where you can drink and smoke wherever you want. That and not have to worry about strolling through the wrong neighborhood. That and you can drive in a libertarian manner. If you like baseball you can bring in your own food and booze.
That and you don't have to worry about being PC because no one can understand what you're saying.
Come to Seoul and enjoy the freedom. |
This! |
To add on- things like come to Seoul and drive however you want wherever you want and stay up as late as you want and get as drunk as you want (just make sure you fall asleep under a public fountain rather than act a fool)
Wear whatever you want. You're a foreigner and outside the scope of things. Promote whatever far-left or right view you hold. It might be mainstream here. Want to sell stuff? Come here and set up a cart on the sidewalk. No need for those stupid health permits.
All Seoul would need would be a foreigner-only drug/prostitution zone to make it a true place of hedonistic freedom/non-government intervention, minus the extremes of such systems in places like Somalia.
Seriously, I could walk down the streets in Nazi regalia with a Soviet Flag for a cape, smoking a cigarette and drinking soju, while shouting at the top of my lungs my support for the Taliban, spank my kid while he's holding his 5 airsoft guns and setting off roman candles, then get in my truck, not buckle up, drive on the sidewalk and through a red light while blasting David Allen Coe/sermons by Ayman Al-Zawahiri, all the while selling either illegal movies or philosophical tracts or non-refrigerated seafood out of my truck.
There's actually a sick and twisted appeal to being able to do that stuff.
It also makes you wonder...People back home would get so upset with every aspect of the behavior I mentioned, but no one here would care and guess what? Life goes on.
That's what's really struck me about Korea. That IS a big draw for it. An escape from all the noise and whining back home. |
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orosee
Joined: 07 Mar 2008
Location: Hannam-dong, Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 9:57 pm Post subject: |
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| cj1976 wrote: |
| This is a tough on e. Seoul is a good place to live for a young expat looking to party. |
THIS!
If you LIVE in Seoul (or Korea), EVERYWHERE else becomes a great holiday destination. |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 10:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Korea is a pretty big tourist destination for Asians. Every single affluent SE Asian I've met said they want to visit Korea and Japan. I say Tourism Korea should dedicated minimum effort trying to court westerners and go all out with the Asian market. I think deep down inside Asians just want a sneak peak of what their countries might be like in a couple of generations if things go well. |
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tiger fancini
Joined: 21 Mar 2006
Location: Testicles for Eyes
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| Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 11:18 pm Post subject: |
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| jvalmer wrote: |
| Korea is a pretty big tourist destination for Asians. Every single affluent SE Asian I've met said they want to visit Korea and Japan. |
I'll echo this. Walking through Itaewon today I heard Chinese, Thai, and a number of other Asian languages I didn't understand. |
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Tamada
Joined: 02 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 12:09 am Post subject: |
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| GoldMember wrote: |
Time to make my travel plans. Now where should I go?
Egypt, see the pyramids and temples
Cambodia, see Ankor wat
Thailand, gorgeous beaches, and great food
England, castles, and countryside
I know, I'll go the Seoul to visit the subway system. The relatives back home will be thrilled to see all my photos of subway stations and subway cars. The higlight will be getting line 1 from Seoul station to Incheon, standing for a whole hour whilst getting pushed and shoved.
Beats a massage on the beach anyday! |
LOL. A classic post and absolutely spot on! |
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rainism
Joined: 13 Apr 2011
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| Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 12:34 am Post subject: |
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| tiger fancini wrote: |
| jvalmer wrote: |
| Korea is a pretty big tourist destination for Asians. Every single affluent SE Asian I've met said they want to visit Korea and Japan. |
I'll echo this. Walking through Itaewon today I heard Chinese, Thai, and a number of other Asian languages I didn't understand. |
simple answer to this:
look at the exchange rate of the KRW crap won vs all other Asian currencies (and generally all currencies period) since 2007.
they come here to shop. Nothing else. Oh.. they also get much cheaper flights to Korea than Koreans (or us) get out of Korea.
it's called getting bang for their shopping buck. |
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brier
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:03 am Post subject: |
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The demographics.  |
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Quack Addict
Joined: 31 Mar 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 2:12 am Post subject: |
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| Seriously, I could walk down the streets in Nazi regalia with a Soviet Flag for a cape, smoking a cigarette and drinking soju, while shouting at the top of my lungs my support for the Taliban, spank my kid while he's holding his 5 airsoft guns and setting off roman candles, then get in my truck, not buckle up, drive on the sidewalk and through a red light while blasting David Allen Coe/sermons by Ayman Al-Zawahiri, all the while selling either illegal movies or philosophical tracts or non-refrigerated seafood out of my truck. |
I now understand why Asians are so hated in America. They drive like they do in Seoul in SF and Portland and wonder why people are screaming at them. They let their kids take leaks on the sidewalk and hawk loogies INSIDE buildings.
It works in Korea but outside this little outpost of weirdness...it doesn't fly! |
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Modernist
Joined: 23 Mar 2011
Location: The 90s
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| Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 2:34 am Post subject: |
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| they come here to shop. Nothing else. Oh.. they also get much cheaper flights to Korea than Koreans (or us) get out of Korea. |
Exactly what I was going to say. Do you know how many Chinese go to Yongsan to buy computers? It's cheaper to buy them here than in China, even though they're all MADE in China. All those 'authorized Apple sellers' with their fake iStores everywhere sell TONS of MacBooks and iPhones and iPads to Chinese 'shopping tourists.' I've heard several people there say they sell more to Chinese and other Asians than to Koreans.
| Quote: |
| I think deep down inside Asians just want a sneak peak of what their countries might be like in a couple of generations if things go well. |
I sincerely hope that nowhere else in Asia lets its cities turn into Korea-style concrete-block ghettos. They would be better-served looking at all the progress China is making in design in dozens of cities, the immaculate Singapore, the sparkling Hong Kong, the charming frenzy of Bangkok...almost anyplace else in Asia, really.
The biggest problem in Korea with buildings is their refusal to bring in globally capable architects and designers. Instead, everyone has to be Korean, and Koreans just haven't demonstrated the originality to create first-rate stuff. The Chinese hire Paul Andreu to design their performing arts center, the Koreans...well, have you ever stepped inside the pitifully derivative Sejong Center? Look at the magnificent Shanghai World Financial Center [American], or the brilliant CCTV Building in Beijing [Dutch], compared to the mediocrity in Jongno and Gangnam. For God's sake, the freakin' Bangladeshis--barely solvent--spent more than 10 years getting one of the 20th century's best parliament buildings from the genius Louis Kahn. The Koreans, right at the same time [1975], dumped out that huge ugly block of concrete nothing on Yeouido--but it IS the biggest parliament building in Asia, so...I guess someone should care?
They need to recognize it's more important to get the best, than to get something done by a Korean. Otherwise they end up with Seoul, 2011--Come see our subway system! |
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Tamada
Joined: 02 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 2:40 am Post subject: |
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I've talked to quite a few Thais and Chinese that came to Korea for a few days.
ALL of them, without exception were majorly disappointed, and thought Seoul/Korea was fairly bland and uninteresting.
Interestingly, they all said that they much preferred Japan. |
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NohopeSeriously
Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Location: The Christian Right-Wing Educational Republic of Korea
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| Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 3:11 am Post subject: |
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The only thing I like about Seoul is that it strives to be as anti-touristy as possible. My friend lives in Tokyo near at a huge monument. He always complains to me every day on Facebook how Tokyo is a horrible city to live in and how Tokyo only positively appeals to non-Japanese tourists than to the Tokyoites.
Tourism is not a viable way to measure a city's status. And this is why I absolutely love Toronto, which has lack of sustainable touristy places. |
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rainism
Joined: 13 Apr 2011
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| Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 3:34 am Post subject: |
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I kinda dig Toronto... but that's a different story for a different day.
of course Thai and Chinese would find Korea bland and uninteresting.
touristy style places and places to see./things to do are so much more abundant in their own countries.
but shopping is a different matter. Even at elevated Korean prices, they get better selection here..
AND (here's the kicker)
since 2007.
the currencies of those countries are ALL significantly stronger against the ddong KRW won than they were as recently as early 2008.
and this is as of today.. when the won is supposedly "strong" against the USD, at 1075 to 1.
Prices in Japan are as bad as Korea's, so the fact they can buy TWICE as much for their yen in Korea and the cheap/easy travel distance makes tons of Japanese shoppers here a no brainer.
today's rates:
168.6 won to 1 remnimbi
14.06 won to 1 yen
36.0 won to 1 baht
rates on 1/1/2007 (would be similar on 1/1/2008 actually, as the ddong hits the fan in the spring/summer of 2008)
119.0 won to 1 remnimbi
7.81 won to 1 yen
26.2 won 1 baht
so. Chinese yuan is up 41.7%
Japanese Yen is up 80%
Thai baht is up 37.4%
that's called getting a LOT more won for your yen/yuan/baht rather than buck!
p.s. if you look at it from the percentage standpoint of depreciation of KRW, the percentages get smaller. For e.g. an appreciation of 100% is a depreciation of 50%. |
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rickpidero
Joined: 03 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 4:32 am Post subject: |
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I think for tourist, Busan would actually be a better place to go in the summer.
How about either A) promote the 24-hour-drunk-off-your-rocker culture. People, especially backpacker types would like this.
Or, B) legalize it! Put coffee shops all over and wait for the cash to roll in. |
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