Korean Job Discussion Forums

christina88 · Joined: 15 Jan 2014

Hello!

This is my first time writing on ANY forum! Nice to meet you all!

I will be starting my job as an English teacher in Pohang, South Korea next month. I'm SUPER excited, but also nervous--- and full of questions!

So, I already have read that there's a whole lot more to do in Seoul and blah, blah, blah.... what I want to know about what there IS to do in Pohang.

So here are some of my questions:

1. I know there are cinemas there-- do they play any English movies?

2. Are there any US banks available there?

3. What are the best restaurants for local food? How much does it normally cost per meal?

4. Do they have any bookstores that carry English books?

5. What are the best hiking places?

6. Is it a good city to travel by bike?

7. What department stores are there?

8. What are the best nearby cities to visit?

9. Do they have trains or buses? What's the best means of transportation?

Thank you for listening! I may have more the closer it gets to movin' day! I look forward to hearing from you all!

Ginormousaurus · Joined: 27 Jul 2006 Location: 700 Ft. Pulpit

Hi there!

Here is a huge thread about Life in Pohang. It may be a little dated, but it might contain info you're looking for.

edwardcatflap · Joined: 22 Mar 2009

Pohang often wins the ex-pat prize of being one of the scummiest, ugliest towns in Korea, and as you can imagine that's up against some pretty stiff competition.

Having said that, you can get some good local seafood along the front if you're into that and they let you take your own wine as they never sell it. You can't swim in the sea due to the pollution from the local steel works but there are nice beaches in the neighbourhood and plenty of hiking to be had.

archaeologist5 · Joined: 25 Dec 2013

ghostrider · Joined: 27 Jun 2011

You won't find a bookstore like Barnes and Noble with a great selection of English books in most Korean cities. I'd invest in an ebook reader/tablet. You'll probably have to get a Korean bank account in which your employer will deposit your salary. KEB is a good choice because they make it easy to send money home. There are a few cinemas in Pohang that usually have at least 1-2 English movies playing. A lot of people just download/stream movies these days. There is a train station and buses in Pohang. Daegu and Gyeongju are cities nearby that are worth visiting. You might want to check out Pohang English Club to meet other people. Search for it on Facebook.

thegadfly · Joined: 01 Feb 2003

If you are a youngin' looking for nightlife, Pohang isn't so great, but if you like a bit of nature, a bit of quiet, and a slightly more mature (physically, if not mentally) batch of expats, it is pretty nice. There are nasty, smelly parts of the city, but there are also pretty clean, newer parts -- the old downtown is kinda dying but the area around the new city hall has new construction going up and a decent array of restaurants, and unless you are right next to Posco (the steel factory), the air is much cleaner than folks make out -- way cleaner than Seoul, for example.

I'm the feller what started that other Pohang thread that was referenced, and I am still here. The noise in Seoul got to me by the second year, but I am still pretty happy with Pohang...then again, I like my apartment, like my job, and like my boss, and since they are all in Pohang, that may be why I still like Pohang....

andrewchon · Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:26 am Post subject:

1. If you want US movies, then you get cable.
2. If there are, they'll cost more than using a local bank.
3. The best ones are the ones run by the parents of your students. 6000won for noodles, meat dishes are 10000-30000 won.
4. One or two. Choices are rather minimal. Not a big market for Eng Lit in Korea. TOIEC is huge though.
5. Anywhere except the Mipo dockyard.
6. No. I travelled on motorcycle and that was hard enough. Pohang streets are narrow and hilly and full of cars.
8. Fukuoka
9. Walk.

If the answers seems rather gloomy, that's because Pohang is a steel town a la Pittsburg PA. If I asked the same questions about Pitt then I'd get similar answers, too. It certainly isn't NY, LA or Miami. Worse, before they built the blast furnace, Pohang was only known for... whale hunting and not much else. So, if you want to have fun, then start attending Pohang Steelers soccer matches.