Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sho]

Hi! I'm fairly new to Korea (1 month) and live an hour out of Seoul. I don't really know Seoul well at all...

Anyways, I want to buy a gift for my bf back home (and yes I know shipping will be high) and was wondering where some good places to look might be?

I would have something delivered to him off Amazon, but I thought it'd be more personal to send something from here ��so I'm not looking for big western malls. Although, come to think of it, I can't really think of an appropriate "Korean" gift from here. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Obviously you don't know him, but if you have an idea about where to buy high quality or cool tourist items or things that are very Korean/Asian, that would be cool. Or gifts cool gifts that you've found/received here. Otherwise I might do Amazon...

Also, for the record, long distance sucks. I don't recommend it.

[GoldMember]

Get a new cool boyfriend-much cheaper!. Plenty of cool Nigerians in Itaewon that would be happy to be your new cool boyfriend.

[northway]

Go to Insadong, there's tons of Korean crafty stuff there: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insadong. If you can, plan to actually spend some time there, as it's an area worth a day in its own right. You could also pop across the street and check out Samcheongdong, which is full of cafes and galleries and provides a nice mix of old Korea and new Korea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samcheongdong. Both are most easily accessed via Anguk Station.

[sho]

[madoka]

While Insadong is certainly more accessible, Namdaemun is the wholesale market Insadong retailers are buying their merchandise at. You'll find the exact same souvenirs and craft items for a heck of a lot less at Namdaemun. The only exception is the high-end stuff, such as artist specific paintings, pottery, etc. which are unique to certain Insadong shops. But somehow I don't think your BF would be very interested in a $1000 celadon vase.

[Modernist]

It's a pretty tough one, actually. Korea doesn't do gifts terribly well, compared to say China or SE Asia. Much of what they offer is either chintzy, poorly-made, tasteless junk [see Insa-dong] or extremely expensive, decently-made, tasteless junk [see major department stores such as Lotte or Hyundai].

If you want something quite typically Korean that will make him smile [if he has a proper sense of humor] then I recommend heading down to Lotte World in Jamsil and picking up one of their absolutely shameless ripoffs of Mickey or Minnie Mouse [raccoons instead of mice], I believe called Lotty and Lorry.

If you want to spend a bit more, try something from one of the museums [the National Museum in Yongsan has the largest selection; the War Memorial and the Seoul Museum of Art are also good].

If you want to splurge, take a meaningful picture to one of the hanji [traditional Korean paper art] shops and have them do an interpretation. This will run you well more than 100,000 however.

And I echo the warning about the LDR. Depending on your duration here, I wouldn't have the strongest expectation of it surviving. Sorry, but the deal here is pretty rough for those kinds of things [unless you're engaged or plan to be].

[northway]

[tardisrider]

I agree with Madoka: while Insadong is nice in and of itself, the same things can be gotten much cheaper at Namdaemun (and maybe other places, too).

There are always shops near Buddhist temples that sell sometimes really interesting Buddhist statues and paintings and things, and if you go to any mountains or national parks there are always things for sale--sometimes cheesy junk, but also maybe nice or at least things that your bf wouldn't be familiar with--Korean artwork on calendars, that sort of thing.

[luckylady]

if it's a fairly serious relationship, have a little class and send him something nice - I always find great gifts at the museum shops, the Seoul Met is my favorite - here:

http://seoulmoa.org/global/information/information_1.jsp

you can tour the museum for yourself and find him a nice gift all at the same time - plenty of restaurants in the area as well

all kinds of prices too

[sho]

Museums, temples, Namdaemun, Insadong...Got it:) I figure I need to check out all these things anyways, so this will be a nice excuse. I wish I could just fly home instead. Sigh.

And modernist���I know the odds aren't in my favor. But I'm rather fond of him.

[Underwaterbob]

If he's like any other male I know of, I think he'd appreciate a gift from the Yongsan electronics market more than some "meaningful" Korean trinket.

[sho]

[luckylady]

then send him some photos of Yongsan market and let him know he'd have a good time browsing there w/you as a hint -

but as an fyi, if you just arrived, I'd give it a little more time before heading over there, it can be a bit overwhelming, is quite large and lots to see. get your bearings first, and be prepared to spend some time there

[sojusucks]

Try the gift shop at the Natioanal Museum of Korea. They have some very nice things at all price levels. To get there you can take the subway to Itaewon or Yongsan and then take a taxi to the museum. It will cost less than 5,000 won for the taxi. You don't have to enter the exhibits to get into the gift shop.

http://www.museum.go.kr/main/index/index002.jsp

[luckylady]