Korean Job Discussion Forums

[michi gnome]

what's the word on mokpo? I'm considering a job there, & wondering about the general vibe, & if there's an expat scene at all. looking forward to a small town & hopefully easy access to hiking & beaches. anyone know how much the ferry to jeju costs? as far as the contract being offered, it looks about standard, no red flags, though vacation time offered is only Korean national holidays. any first-hand info you care to offer would be awesome. thanks

[skpak]

IMO mokpo is a pretty good place to live

people are nice and generous and you can get great seafood for really cheap

Hadang is the place to hang out in mokpo with lots of bars and restaurants

i think it cost about $30 to go to jeju from mokpo ferry terminal

i dont know much about expat scene there though

[michi gnome]

Thanks for the info. $30 ferry to Jeju sounds great. That is definitely on my list. I imagine catching the train to Seoul or Busan is easy as well. Have you been to Gwangju at all? Wondering what that city has to offer. How about food options in Mokpo? I love Korean food, but a little variety is always nice. Have lived in Busan and in/near Seoul in the past few years, but never made it to the southwestern part of the country.

[shifter2009]

The big down side to it is that its a royal pain to get the south east from there, busan and changwon ect are tough to get too. However, If your not to interested in traveling that direction, I hear good things.

[pegasus64128]

[s10czar]

Mokpo is a beautiful city in my opinion. I live a few towns away and get out there now and then. The key word being "city" -it's not at all small so if you're looking for a rural experience then forget it. Mokpo is a veritable metropolis by Jeollanamdo standards with an Emart, 2 McDonalds, 2 (at least) movie theaters, and a WABAR. Put it to you this way- Mokpo is where we go to get out of the sticks.

Foreigner community is tight and mostly JLP folks. There's a strip of shops and bars informally called "Rose Street" where all the action is. If you're young and into the party scene you'll be happy there.

There's also a beautiful boardwalk that lines the bay. I go there sometimes to drink coffee and watch all the happy Korean families stroll by. It's like the recession never touched this place- everybody is wearing nice clothes and driving nice cars and strolling along with their kids in their latest designer outfits. Reminds me of California about 5 years ago.

For the most part the locals are nice. By Jeollanamdo standards they are nice. Some poster said Jeolla is the nicest province- oh really? IMO the further south you go from Seoul the harder the attitudes get towards foreigners. But there's not too much of that "go home waygook" attitude in Mokpo, though.

The city does have a few seedy areas. Some of the ...er..."literature" you'll find scatterd along street in front of hotels can make for interesting reading.

I'd say you could do a lot worse in Korea and certainly in Jeollanamdo.