Korean Job Discussion Forums

ashke516 · Joined: 01 Mar 2005 Location: on the beach

Hey! I have a friend that is considering a job in Uijeongbu and she would like some information about living in the area. We did a search and the little info that was found was a couple of years old, sooooo... in no particular order of importance:

-what is the teaching expat community like and where to find them?

-what are some good bars to go to for drinking, dancing and socializing?

-things to do in the evenings during the week other than drinking (she's considering a public school job so will be free in the evenings) and is she one of those people who likes to socialize and keep busy. Individual or group things, ie clubs, hapkido, etc...

-is there a foreigner/mixed soccer team that is looking for new players and doesn't care that she is female?

-is there anyone currently in the area (Koreans or foreigners) who wouldn't mind getting in contact with her to tell her more about the area? If so, please PM me and I will pass along her email.

Thanks!

Kim Jong Jordan · Joined: 13 Mar 2004 Location: The Internet

if the school is ECC then tell her to stay the hell away, WORST HAGWAN EVER!

numazawa · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Location: The Concrete Barnyard

So far as I can tell, the one thing to recommend the joint is that it's conveniently home to the Kyeonggi-do Immigration office. Relatively speaking, that would give it a slight premium over other potential wastelands.

Satori · Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Location: Above it all

Ive been thru there a couple of times and its pretty much a suburban hell hole with nothing going on. You would be coming in to Seoul for your socialising Im sure...

pet lover · Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Location: not in Seoul

If she likes military guys, she'll be in heaven.

ashke516 · Joined: 01 Mar 2005 Location: on the beach

endofthewor1d · Joined: 01 Apr 2003 Location: the end of the wor1d.

i was in the bu for my first two years in korea. i kind of miss it sometimes. it's not what i'd call a 'pretty' place, that's for sure. but it's got some character. the downtown area has some good bars too. as bar quality is the primary attribute i look for in a city, that's all i really have to say about it.
as for the expat scene, there were plenty when i lived there, and i believe there are still plenty, but i don't keep in touch with anyone up there anymore. good luck!

ashke516 · Joined: 01 Mar 2005 Location: on the beach

Thanks endoftheworld!

Any current information out there?

SarcasmKills · Joined: 07 Apr 2003 Location: Seoul

I'm in the 'bu and I love it..

Expat scene is strong and there's more than enough decent bars to get you through the night...

Of course many still do the trek to Hongdae every once in a while, but that's the same for any satelite city in the Seoul Area..

If she's into the mountain thing, there's plenty of them here... huge national park

The Nowon area is more developed and a 15-20 minute bus ride away... for your Outback, Bennigan's, etc...

It takes about an hour to get to Itaewon by subway... 30-35 minutes for the Hyehwa and Dongdaemoon areas, and about an hour 20 to get to the Hongdae area...

if she's into skiing,Bear's Town in Pocheon is 40 minutes away by bus..

Do some people complain about the relative quietness compared to Hongdae/Itaewon areas? Yes. But it's not a terrible place to live by any means.. There are a lot of GIs, yes, but their relatively harmless these days and are back on base by 1am-ish anyways...

When I first moved here, endofthewor1d recommended I hit Beer World on a Friday night.. well I now live 4 buildings down from the place, and yes, it's still a popular hangout...

I'm leaving June 15th, but if she has any questions, PM me...

endofthewor1d · Joined: 01 Apr 2003 Location: the end of the wor1d.

i miss beer world.

ashke516 · Joined: 01 Mar 2005 Location: on the beach

Thanks SarcasmKills! Lots of useful info. I sent you a pm.

re:cursive · Joined: 04 Jan 2006

Uijeongbu is an alright place to live. I honestly don't think I'd choose to live in Uijeongbu if I was to return to Korea but I also don't have any problem with the idea of living here for another 8 months. It is what you make it.

It's a bit quieter than Seoul and I think a bit more friendly. The air is marginally cleaner and there are some areas in the mountains where you can actually feel like your out of the city for a while. At the same time it is on the subway line and close enough that you can get into Seoul fairly easily when you need to.

A lot of people seem to say that Uijeongbu is an ugly place but I think that says a lot more about them and their own aesthetics than any true comment about the place itself. Yes a lot of it is urban/ suburban but so what? I often find the area to be quite beautiful, especially in the last couple of months.

There are definately foreigners out here and there are bars in which to drink with them. I live near Beer World so I can recommend that. I've also had some good nights out in downtown Uijeongbu where there is an OK selection of bars. As for clubs, I'm yet to find anything I would heartily recommend but I could also say the same about Seoul.

As for things to do mid week, it totally depends on what your friend wants to do. I don't know anything about mixed soccer clubs.

alexh · Joined: 13 May 2006

Uijeongbu rocks! There's lots of things to do and it still has the small town atmosphere. Yes, there are GI's there but they hang out in the swank parts, so no problems.

Kim Jong Jordan · Joined: 13 Mar 2004 Location: The Internet

The only thing I disliked about the boo was my job. And yes, I too miss Beer World.

ashke516 · Joined: 01 Mar 2005 Location: on the beach

Well that's four votes for Beer World. If she takes the job then we will definitely check it out! Is it easy to find?