Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kiwigirl :O)]

i know that there has been a lot of negative press given to pohang, but if there are people out there that can be constructive in their advice for someone that has never been to anywhere in asia before,
thanks :O)

[sheba]

Kiwigirl!!

Im a kiwi currently living in Pohang. Been here almost 9months now and honestly I dont see what the big deal is and why everyone dumps on the place. There are western restaurants, cinemas that play english movies, ten pin bowling and several foreigner bars. Ive met some awesome people (and some retared ones too but I bet youll get them anywhere you go).

Id be happy to help you out in any way I can.....
PM me with any questions or advice.

[bluelake]

Maybe we should have a roll call. I'm in the Pohang area, too (Heunghae).

[ahopfe]

Im in Pohang , This place ROCKS

[ilovebdt]

I used to live in Pohang and have no complaints!

[kiwigirl :O)]

hey everyone

thank goodness there is some intelligent people out there!!
Sheba, thanks for that....yay for western restaurants and movies!!!
any word on stores?? i know that there is costco and walmart..can you get normal size clothing there??

as for the weird people...there are heaps of them out there, that is probably one consistent thing no matter where you are

:O) thanks

[xingyiman]

I have lived in Pohang since October. I like it here. I have read all the complaints and can say tat they are probably issued by disgruntled teachers who are unhappy with their jobs and Korea in general because they are genuinely unhappy with themselves. Common complaints:

1. The air is bad and polluted.
-I honestly cannot find any difference between the air here and that of Gwanju, Busan, or Seoul. There is nothing wrong with it. Maybe its the fact that they have trouble buying incense here or something?

2. No night life.
- There is plenty of night life. You just might have to go looking for it. One complaint I have is that most of the expat bars cater to US Marines. I try to stay away from Marines mostly because they are always high strung and prone to violent behavior, especially when they get a little alcohaul in them. I am a pretty hard core character myself but I don't want to get deported or thrown in jail for fighting with one of them. I will say this that the club and socil scene here appears to be much more accomodating to Western males than females but that is just my observation. The people are a little more shy than what you wll find in Seoul or Busan but with a little efort you will find a friendly niche. I have also heard many men complain that Pohang's red light district is wanting in comparison to Seoul and Busan but to that I would say that those guys just haven't been out late enough or walked far enough.

3. Bad, polluted beaches.
- Again I see little difference between the beaches here in Pohang and those I've visited back in the states. Bukbu beach looks like a really nice spot.

In summary, Pohang is what you make of it. You can find anything here just as you can in the big cities but without the big city B.S. There are, as previously mentioned, many restaurants and a wondeful movie theater, as well as many oter diversions for anyone.

[bulgogiboy]

Marines: There are alot of marines in Pohang but honestly they get a bad rep.

I met lots of marines in the bars downtown, and they were all basically really nice guys. I'm still in touch with one of them via email even though he's long since left Korea. Their desperation to get the ladies shows a little sometimes though, which is embarrassing.

I often liked the marines more than some of the weirdo English teachers I met! I didn't like the normal navy guys though, there were a couple of jerks from that part of the military.

[waterbaby]

In hindsight, I actually preferred living in Pohang than Seoul... and that if I ever move back to Korea, I'd probably move back to Pohang. I visited about 6 months ago (my in-laws live just north of Pohang) and I was surprised by how much it had changed (for the better) since I lived there in 2002.

[neandergirl]

There is a Walmart but obviously its focus is the local rather than the foreign population so it's not much different from other Korean department store chains (EMart, HomePlus etc).

The closest Costco I know of is in Daegu but I'd be happy to hear if there is one hiding out in Pohang.

[AbbeFaria]

Pohang is all I've really seen of Korea so far, besides a few drunken nights in Deagu, and it's treated me just fine. I've met several marines over the course of my Soju clouded evenings here and I have yet to see one of them act inapropriately. They're normally out of the bars by 1am, anyway.

If you like to dance, I dunno where you'd go around here, but if you're just a drinking kinda girl, there's plenty of bars. My favorite spot is Mindy's. There are plenty of good traditional korean resturants and a smattering of western stuff, (the steaks at TGI Friday's are not worth the price) as previously mentioned.

My one complaint here is the sidewalks. I dunno if that's everywhere in Korea, but atleast in my neighborhood and nearby, the sidewalks are in piss-poor shape. I found out the hard way with a nasty ankle sprain my second week here. It's still a tad sore when bent to far one way and I'm pushing three months. If you get here and get lonely or get lost or want to know where the best sam-yup-sal (spelling is probably all wrong) resturant is, PM one of us friendly folks, we'll hook you up.

-S-

[kiwigirl :O)]

hey everyone

thanks for all the constructive info being posted on pohang!
i will definitely get in touch with you lot when i get there

thanks

[Asiablue]

I have lived and worked in Pohang for 5 years, and know of one other teacher who's been here 6 or 7 years. Pohang is a grungy but livable place if you like factory towns and the rather conservative culture that tends to go with them. Pollution? You bet! So bad I've never been able to get stats on this, and am told they are not publically available. On the other hand, the city has cleaner air than it did a few years ago.

To their credit, city officials have taken care to improve the quality of the sidewalks by replacing broken and uneven stonework. They even took the time to think through styles and colors for the new stones and came up with a pleasant biege.

Mindy's Bar, the Hess Bar and Whisler's bar, among others, are recommended. There are too many bars here frankly, but that makes it easy to find little out of the way places you might enjoy.

Momma and Poppa's Nightclub is first class and a fabulous way to spend time on a Saturday night. Yes, action of all kinds can be had in the dark of night in various corners of this club. M2 and Kiss Club are good, if they let you in. Better to go with a Korean friend.

Seoul is far more interesting with lots to see and do, and I like visiting. However, any big city need people who can spend their cash and Pohang is boring enough that saving money is the best way to spend it.

The taxi drivers here are some of the strangest perverts I've ever had the displeasure to know, who rule the roads along with other taxi drivers who are some of the most regular Joes you'll ever meet. If the taxi is black, use it. If white or yellow avoid it. And NEVER ride in the front seat no matter how chilly it is outside.

I am Canadian and will say nothing negative about American marines. They are a mostly a decent lot of young men who get a bad rap for any number of reasons. They are good guys looking for fun and are far less noisy than reputation would suggest. The crazy ones are few and far between and policed by other marines. I have met, spoken and played billiards with hundreds of them. You can still see their pictures on the walls of the bars mentioned above. Some have since died in Iraq.

[kiwigirl :O)]

hey asia blue

cheers for the posting...well there must be something in it if you have stayed in pohang for several years

thanks for the info on the bar scene..that will come in very handy!!
momma and poppas sounds...interesting and quite dodge

[azzwell]

loved Pohang, lived in Hueng-hae last year. More of the traditional Korea, out in the country side. As for dirty beaches, swam at chilpo and wolpo all summer, sure a little trash but no more than you would see anywhere else in Korea, plus, the seafood is awsome, cheap, and very fresh.