Korean Job Discussion Forums

Tiberious aka Sparkles · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: I'm one cool cat!

I'm used to things here. Too used to things, I think. My mother, who yesterday left Korea for Canada after spending 3 weeks here, couldn't help commenting that Korean bus and taxi drivers tend to be the surliest b*stards one is likely to meet. I can't argue that point. Unfortunate, because any tourist to Korea is probably going to take either a bus or a taxi, and usually both. And it's those impressions that one tends to remember when they return home and people ask them about their trip.

She's been here 3 times in the past 5 years, and she can't get over how rude and reckless they are.

Korea: it's the little things. If you want to be well thought of in the minds of foreigners who visit you, take steps (take bigger steps, I should say) to ensure that you make a good impression on your guests. What the hell happened to the smile campaign? Yesterday the cab driver almost had a brain aneurysm from yelling when I asked if we could put my mother's luggage in his cab. I sugest a "don't be a b*stard" cabbie/bus driver campaign.

But at least she got to see the real Korea. Confused

Sparkles*_*

The evil penguin · Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 6:40 am Post subject:

Do tourists come to korea???? Really, has anybody ever met a real authentic tourist here??

Zyzyfer · Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 6:58 am Post subject:

Man, them taxi drivers hate it if you have anything extra to put in the cab. Even if you're going to the airport to leave their country forever. They're all RAH RAH SCREW YOU HIPPIE.

Tiberious aka Sparkles · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: I'm one cool cat!

Flossie · Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 7:08 am Post subject:

Summer Wine · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Location: Next to a River

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

my kid brother had a good time when he come up here last year. Is korea a tourist destination probably for the chinese and the japanese, but for anyone else there are probably other places they would blow their cash on.

jg · Joined: 27 May 2003

I went to Korea as a tourist, and it was okay. Years ago I met a Korean who was backpacking around the states and, since I live in Shanghai, decided to go over and check it out, visit my buddy for a week.

It was okay, but all I saw for the most part was Seoul. It felt like China-lite; cleaner, more modern, but less flavor (and less flava too) and grittiness. The people were less intrusive of my personal space than the Chinese are, thats for certain.

I might go back, as Japan doesn't really interest me, Korea is cheap and easy to get to and perhaps seeing Korea as a tourist is better than being involved in the silly minutae of working there. I say that based on conversations with Koreans and foreigners working in Korea.

I have found that sometimes the places i like most aren't on the heavily traveled tourist trail, and though there was no one thing that struck me as remarkable about Korea, it has a slight appeal due to its proximity and quirkiness.

jlb · Joined: 18 Sep 2003

My friend came to visit me for a couple weeks when I was teaching and she had a pretty good time. The thing she loved was the food. She couldn't believe all the little side-dishes everywhere you went.

The temples are also pretty cool if it's your first time in a predominantly Buddhist country.

buddy bradley · Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Location: The Beyond

indytrucks · Joined: 09 Apr 2003 Location: The Shelf

Taxi and bus drivers are the scourges of this country.

plattwaz · Joined: 08 Apr 2005 Location: <Write something dumb here>

I had friends who had been teaching in Japan for three years come to visit me for a week. They did say that they had no desire to visit Korea for one of their holidays, but the attraction of free accommodation and a friend to visit was the only sway for them.

The biggest things that surprised them were the taxis - first that they were soooo cheap, and secondly that the drivers were really "rough" compared to the Japanese taxi drivers. I have no experience with Japanese taxis, so I had to take their word. The other big thing that surprised them was the meat. We went for galbi a few different times with them, and each night they were freaked out by how much meat we had and how cheap it was. The first night they said they were terrified what the cost would be and couldn't believe it when the whole meal came to only about 40,000 won.

They were impressed that they could stop people on the street and ask for directions to a certain place, and have the Korean people either speak okay English, or if they didn't, they would still try their very best to help them out, and that in those situations, people were super friendly. A few times people gave them slightly wrong directions and ended up chasing them down the street for a few blocks to correct their directions.

So, all in all, they thought that as tourists, Koreans were really over-the-top friendly and accommodating, but that the country itself was dirty, boring and not worth the vacation money, unless visiting for a certain purpose.

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

I came as a tourist, twice. I loved it. Hence, the reason I'm here. The bus and taxi drivers are crazy but I've never found the bus drivers to be surly. They always say hello to me when I board.

Seoul and Korea get a lot of tourists. The majority come from China, Japan, and the rest of Asia. There are 1.5 billion potential tourists in Asia. Attracting North American and Western European tourists isn't the end all be all.

fruitcake · Joined: 18 Apr 2004 Location: shinchon

when i was at the airport going home for summer vacation, I met a young girl who was in Korea to visit family. When asked how she liked Korea, all she replied was "it smells".