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chungbukdo
Joined: 22 Aug 2010
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 Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 9:05 am Post subject: |
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| Underwaterbob wrote: |
| Most Koreans I speak to about Samsung prices being higher in Korea than elsewhere know about it and are actually quite outraged. |
Most Koreans who I've spoken to about protectionist regulations which make them and the country of Korea poorer overall support these regulations because they think it is "good for Korea" if they buy a Korean product at a higher price (thus having less wealth to spend on other things). How millions of consumers making themselves less well off should result in something "good for Korea" is beyond me.
Then again, there's no explaining that to the massive farm lobby here either, mostly because the majority of those people are illiterate. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 10:14 am Post subject: |
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| chungbukdo wrote: |
| Then again, there's no explaining that to the massive farm lobby here either, mostly because the majority of those people are illiterate. |
I'm pretty sure this is BS, what with Korea's 99% literacy rate. |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 7:59 pm Post subject: |
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| northway wrote: |
| chungbukdo wrote: |
| Then again, there's no explaining that to the massive farm lobby here either, mostly because the majority of those people are illiterate. |
I'm pretty sure this is BS, what with Korea's 99% literacy rate. |
Speaking of BS... |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 8:29 pm Post subject: |
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| chungbukdo wrote: |
How millions of consumers making themselves less well off should result in something "good for Korea" is beyond me.
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Yeah, when Americans were buying cars from the Big Three, Flint and Detroit, MI were sprawls of urban decay. After people started buying Japanese cars, those places blossomed into the fine communities they are today and today's youth unemployment rate has never been higher and the job prospects for those with a HS degree have never been better.
Thankfully, those cheaper consumer goods have translated into less household debt and better jobs for the American worker, thereby reducing the income inequality in the country.
Last edited by Steelrails on Sun Jun 10, 2012 9:15 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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madoka
Joined: 27 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 8:36 pm Post subject: |
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| chungbukdo wrote: |
| Most Koreans who I've spoken to about protectionist regulations which make them and the country of Korea poorer overall support these regulations because they think it is "good for Korea" if they buy a Korean product at a higher price (thus having less wealth to spend on other things). How millions of consumers making themselves less well off should result in something "good for Korea" is beyond me. |
Ask most Americans about the tariffs that saved Harley Davidson and they'll probably say they were a good thing, even though they hurt consumers a great deal. I'm sure both Americans and Koreans are thinking the same thing about protectionist regulations; they are sometimes a necessary evil. |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 8:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Troglodyte wrote: |
I'm fairly pleased with the public transportation system in and around Seoul. I find it efficient and cheap.
I've also found that eating out at simple restaurants (the noodle soup places usually) or even getting it delivered is cheaper here than back home.
I had a student a couple years ago who had graduated from nursing school and was at that time doing an MA in "medical tourism". I don't go to the doctor much, and fortunately I haven't had any emergencies so I'm not too familiar first hand with how much medical care costs here, but I hear about it often enough. Apparently medical care here is so cheap that some clinics/hospitals are now offering sort of "tour packages" for medical care. You stay in a nice single room at a private hospital, eat nice food and undergo whatever procedure is necessary then spend time here recovering before heading back to your home country. From what I'm told, it's popular with Americans and Germans.
I would agree though with the statement that most day-to-day living costs are comparable to what you'd pay in a similar sized city back in the States. i.e. food, utilities. Rent seems to be a bit cheaper, although it's rarely an issue because I almost always take the provided accommodations. And electronics in general are a bit more expensive. |
I wonder how popular medical tourism in Korea is other than for Chinese and Japanese coming here for plastic surgery. I think that's currently most of the market for the packages you mention.
And it's only cheap if it's elective surgery that your insurance won't pay for or if you don't have insurance in your home country. You mentioned a single room. At Yonsei Severance hospital that's more than 100,000won a day, with Korean health insurance. Without insurance, the price would be higher.
India, Thailand and now Singapore are all pursuing the mediacl tourist's dollar. India and Thailand are definintely cheaper than Korea and have been doing it for a lot longer. |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 10:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| chungbukdo wrote: |
How millions of consumers making themselves less well off should result in something "good for Korea" is beyond me.
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Yeah, when Americans were buying cars from the Big Three, Flint and Detroit, MI were sprawls of urban decay. After people started buying Japanese cars, those places blossomed into the fine communities they are today and today's youth unemployment rate has never been higher and the job prospects for those with a HS degree have never been better.
Thankfully, those cheaper consumer goods have translated into less household debt and better jobs for the American worker, thereby reducing the income inequality in the country. |
Thanks for the oversimplification. Everything is so much more obscure now. |
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