Korean Job Discussion Forums

seoulsucker · Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 7:35 am Post subject: Evac with Korean Spouse

After nearly a decade here, things have changed a bit for me. Got married, wife is preggers, etc.

I'm usually not one to buy into the fearmongering, but I've been digging around a bit to find info on how I can be sure that my wife will be able to join me if and when evacuation of Seoul becomes a real option/necessity.

So far I've come up blank...I'm registered with the embassy, my marriage was done at the US embassy, etc. We have all the documents, but I'm wondering if there's more I can do to make sure we don't get stuck here because she can't go. No way in H-E-double hockey sticks I'd leave her behind.

Anyway, after years of being flippant about this stuff my soon-to-be fatherly instincts are kicking in and I'd like to have my bases covered. Anyone got the skinny on this?

Dodge7 · Joined: 21 Oct 2011

there'll be no evacuation when the nukes hit.

My wife told me I can take our 6 month old daughter to America because my family wants to me to come back because of all the threats. They are sure something is going down. But they read Drudge, and he plasters fear-mongering headlines in 50 point font everyday about N Korea. Like you, I just can't leave her behind and not to mention all the money I'd lose out on that would take me a year to recuperate because she would probably have to take another loan out just to get by in my absence.

toby99 · Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 8:31 am Post subject:

Not sure how evacuation would work. I'd imagine about the first things the Norks would take out are Incheon and Gimpo.

Anytime the Norks start lobbing threats to turn DC into a "sea of fire" etc Drudge goes absolutely nuts banging the war drums. People who get their news solely from Drudge (a frighteningly large number exist) will have a majorly distorted view of the world.

slothrop · Joined: 03 Feb 2003

augustine · Joined: 08 Sep 2012 Location: México

I still contend that nothing remotely major is going to happen, but where would the norks strike first, if they decided to go out jihad style? As an Itaewon inhabitant, I figure I'm near a prime target spot. Maybe my future Chernobyl-like nuclear mutation, assuming I live through it, will enhance my marketability and I can run the talk show circuit before I die of cancer. Crossing my fingers!

*Edit: Wrong thread probably, but there are too many of these anyway.

toby99 · Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 8:53 am Post subject:

slothrop · Joined: 03 Feb 2003

toby99 · Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 9:09 am Post subject:

toby99 · Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 9:27 am Post subject:

CNN had on a military 'expert' to discuss how an attack by the Norks might play out. Has graphics and everything:

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=ias_t2#/video/us/2013/04/03/tsr-foreman-korea-war-spider-marks.cnn

EZE · Joined: 05 May 2012

I know a teacher who resigned at his school in Bundang and evacuated to Toronto. Has anyone had any co-workers evacuate?

toby99 · Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 10:47 am Post subject:

Seems like evacuation is really jumping the gun at this point unless you're teaching on one of the islands off the Nork coast (and even then probably not worthwhile).

KimchiNinja · Joined: 01 May 2012 Location: Gangnam

hellofaniceguy · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: On your computer screen!

diver · Joined: 16 Jun 2003

A lot of people have been asking questions, discussing their plans ("I will drive to the coast" - good luck with - that see p.12). I mentioned in another post - there are only two plans: 1) stay put 2) do whatever the authorities tell you to do.

I post the following as GENERAL INFORMATION only. It is EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD and specific details (ie. some of the important stuff like assembly points) may have changed.

This is (was) the Canadian Consular Emergency Contingency Plan booklet. A lot of the general info is still relevant - and it shows that there IS a plan. I do NOT think there will be an evacuation, or a war. An "incident" maybe, but not a war.

NOTE: I don't even know if the NEO exercises are held any more. I don't hear about them because I don't live in an area with AFN, nor have I ever been notified by the Canadian Embassy again. I've been the three NEOs, and only told about one of them by the Canadian Embassy. They used to be held as part of Foal Eagle.

Canadian Consular Emergency Contingency Plan
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/30711563/Canadian_Consular_Contigency_Plan.pdf

Toby, make sure you have your marriage certificate and all relevant docs. Make sure your wife and child have a copies in case you are separated. They will evacuate her.

If anyone wants the updated plans, they should contact their relevant embassies. That's who you should be asking for advice - not the denizens of Dave's (even if they DO know where to buy deodorant). Wink

Burndog · Joined: 17 Feb 2008

I worked for the Australian government when we evacuated people out of Lebanon during a conflict with Israel. We evacuated people using ships, which took Australian citiizens, their partners and children to a nearby safe port, where they were further evacuated to Australia by air.

I figure with the South's relative naval strength, this option would be the most likely (not that I believe that there will be a conflict/evacuation any time soon). The issues that we had in Lebanon were that Israeli jets were bombing roads to the port cities and they refused to guarantee the safety of the ships doing the evacuation.

It's fair to say that IF anything were to happen, then there truly would be no safe way out...even if North Korea didn't get all nuke happy.