Korean Job Discussion Forums

[PeteJB]

I often see hundreds of apartments available in Gwanak-Gu (관악구) - Anyone live here? I'm getting the impression it's not so great a Gu..

[VanIslander]

My Gu is fine, thank you.

My Qi is another matter.

[Chillin' Villain]

It's a little more viscous than usual, but I think it's just from my diet.

[anyway]

You just keep your nose out of my gu, MISTER!

[mj roach]

i'm fine, thank you and 'ru'?

[sojourner1]

It's not a Gu where I am, it's a dong. I noticed that when a neighbor moves out, someone else is occupying within 12 hours. It's not a real expensive part of town(yet), but it's a good bargain on small villa apartments for the time being.

This will soon change though, since a cluster of huge 50 to 60 floor high rise business center buildings are being built nearby. This new business center is the size of the entire downtown St. Louis hi rise business building area and it's just one small spec in this small country bursting at the seams with new developments. Real estate values are sure to go up if not already. I noticed that people all this year in my dong have been building new fancy marble homes and rehabbing old homes with marble since they know the values are sure to escalate when the new business center opens next year.

I must say I am in a dynamic neighborhood that still shows it's old poor 3rd world qualities, but is changing into a well to do white collar class place where the houses are showing more marble and more BMW's and Mercedes are coming around. There still are mostly blue collar type of people who seem to always have a chip on their shoulders and I now understand it is because they will have to leave what they call home due to increasing cost of local living as well as being alienated by those with money and the changes coming about. It definitely is a place in a state of change where it's going from being a primitive impoverished kind of place to an affluent place, but all that really is happening is that the poor will be pushed out further to the side of town or a Eup area. This is not the rags to riches story that it appeared to be at first, except for those Koreans who obtained higher education although college students usually have parents who already make good money. In my dong, the poor are not getting richer, but poorer while the rich are coming to push them out of the area so they have convenient commutes to their fancy new business center. This would explain why there is a very tense protectionist attitude from small store owners and street market vendors as there livelihoods are threatened due to the wealth and educated elite moving in to take over. This is a work in progress which I, unfortunately, will not see the entire story to unfold, but it's obvious how it plays out.

[bassexpander]

I don't know about my Gu, but my Dong is just fine.

Perhaps you should consider a move to Guui-dong?

I bet THAT is a fun place to live!

[The Perfect Cup of Coffee]