Korean Job Discussion Forums

rnrpaulsen · Joined: 20 Jun 2005 Location: Cheongju, South Korea

Hi all.

I know I've almost entirely posted questions about living in various cities that we were looking at contracts in, but this time we've taken the plunge and signed on with a school in Cheongju. I believe the suburb is called Yongamdong.

Anyone lived there? Visited there? Heard of it?

What are we in for?

I've heard that it's a relatively clean, medium-sized city and is quite livable, with most things you could want, but to avoid the discos cause they're crap. Any information at all would be most appreciated!

Thanks!

joe_doufu · Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere

I spent a night there on my way to a national park over the vacation. It seems like a nice medium sized city, and some picturesque rice paddies and forests and moutains are only a few minutes outside the main city. (of course picturesque is relative)

babydriver · Joined: 21 Sep 2004 Location: US of A, temporarily

I lived in Cheongju for five years. It's a small, manageable city and used to have a really tight-knit groupof expats. About an hour and a half from Seoul on the bus. Yongamdong is one of the aeas of the city; it's not really big enough to have suburbs. I liked it, made some good friends. PM me if you have any specific questions.

PolyChronic Time Girl · Joined: 15 Dec 2004 Location: Korea Exited

I currently live in Cheongju. I live next to yongamdong. It's a nice sizable area and it's close enought to take a 5 minute taxi ride to downtown. Cheongju itself is really decent city, especially if it's your first contract in Korea. And although I prefer the hustle and bustle of Seoul, I find the Koreans to be warmer and friendlier than in Seoul. It's very comfortable and many of the foreigners in this city stay in this city because it is that comfortable. There are a couple of foreign bars that attract a regular crowd...some good people. I'd love to meet you and show you around but unfortunately I'm leaving for the States this Tuesday. Crying or Very sad

**By the way, what school did you sign at? I know a few people who are working in yongam-dong, and a couple of them are leaving because they weren't happy with the conditons of the school. You can PM me if you need any info.

flint · Joined: 11 Apr 2004

I lived and worked in YongamDong for almost 3 years, Cheongju for 4 years.. It is a good place to be, and only a cab ride away from the party spots (like SachangDong) if that is what you are looking for.

It is a fairly middle class, upper middle class area. There are some great Korean restaurants there too.

The central area is based around a square behind my old school. Lots of restaurants, bars, PC Bangs. If you like sushi there is a nice place named Texas. Thought it would be western food when I first went there, but it is all sushi/sashimi. There is even a nightclub. It used to be called Casanova now it is Mool. It is mainly 30's and up Koreans.

I hope you aren't working for my old employer, I am one of those who didn't leave under good terms. Heading home Monday.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

peppermint · Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2005 10:51 pm Post subject:

Damn, and I the only ghetto chick from CJ ( lived in Sachang dong the entire time)

Small enough to be friendly but big enough to have lots of conveniences. The city itself is a university town . I know of at least 4 unis and a handful of colleges there, so the nightlife is pretty hopping for a small city. Imported goods are more difficult to come by there than in other parts of the country, but there's stuff to compensate.

Tons of movie theatres and coffee shops and things, nearly free Korean lessons at the Y on saturdays, hanggliding or hiking (depends how adventurous you are) at the fortress and short bus trips to most places because it's central ( trains are another matter)

flint · Joined: 11 Apr 2004

My first year was spent in SachangDong. (Although I didn't frequent the foreigner bars then like I do now. Taught mainly adults and spent many a fun night in Korean bars and soju bangs.) Many is the fond memory I have of those days. My liver approved of the move away though. Smile

igotthisguitar · Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2005 2:08 am Post subject:

>. I'll second the comment that Cheong Ju is indeed a nice little city with a decent little expat community made up of mostly friendly people Wink

tomato · Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2005 2:56 am Post subject:

Hello again, Paulsen!

I'm happy where I live now, but there are a few things which I miss about Cheongju:

--its city parks. Most of the cities in Korea are woefully lacking in city parks. Hongseong is an example and Cheongju is an exception.

--its public libraries. I like to read Korean baby books because they're about on my level. Cheongju has a city library, a province library, and a library specializing in children's books. All three libraries have better children's book collections than the library in Hongseong.

--its classical music station. I lived right down the street from the KBS station, so I heard the station loud and clear.

Peppermint and Flint both say that they lived in Sachangdong. That's one busy intersection west of Sajik Sageori, where the orphanage is located. Sachangdong is a hopping place. There is a Dunkin Donuts and a Subway around the corner. There are lots of language schools in the area, so both places get lots of foreign customers.

I worked at Brainy English in Bunpyeongdong and at Chungbuk University. If you're signing up with either of those places, write back quick.

PS Peppermint, they recently built a train station in Cheongju.

rnrpaulsen · Joined: 20 Jun 2005 Location: Cheongju, South Korea

The school we signed up with is the Jongro M School in Yongamdong. Any word on whether that was a school that caused people to leave under less than favourable circumstances?

Thanks for the information everyone, it sounds like an awesome spot, I think we're really going to enjoy it.

Peppermint, you said that it's easy to get places by bus, cause Cheongju is so central, but said that "trains are another matter." What do you mean?

jaganath69 · Joined: 17 Jul 2003

I currently live about 15 minutes out of town from where you are headed. If you want to know anything, PM me.

flint · Joined: 11 Apr 2004

Odds are, and this may have changed, I never kept track of trains (no pun intended) but to get a good train to other parts of Korea you had to go to Jochiwon. It was much more convenient to just get an intercity bus. Add to that, if you want to use the KTX you have to take an intercvity bus to Cheonan. That could be what Peppermint meant.

You aren't at the place I am lucky enough to be out of.

I have really enjoyed living in Cheongju. If I decide to come back to Korea, I would like to come back here. It is going to be hard to leave here, almost as hard as it was to decide to come here.

PolyChronic Time Girl · Joined: 15 Dec 2004 Location: Korea Exited

So many people from Cheongju here that I haven't met...how is that possible? Well, I met you Jaganath69. I've been in Cheongju since 2003 (well,not 2004..I was up near Seoul). When have the rest you folk been in Cheongju?

SarcasmKills · Joined: 07 Apr 2003 Location: Seoul

I was in Cheongju August 2002-September 2003...

I also frequented the place quite a bit when I first moved away and still head there every 2-3 months to meet up with friends there...

Anyways, I also lived in Sachang-Dong and loved it... ChungDae Chungmoon is a good area for bars and the like... The Expat community there was a lot tighter than most other places I've seen and I loved the fact that it was a great starting point for weekend trips, camping trips and the like...