Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wavering]

Hi all,

First time posting on this forum but have posted this query on other Korea-related boards, so apologies if anyone's reading it twice. I lived in Seoul for a couple of years around 1999/2000, met my (Korean) wife there before moving on to Singapore. We've since had a kid and have grown really tired of the place -- it's certainly not the paradise it appears on first visit. It now looks like I may have an opportunity to work in Seoul again, and while a couple of years ago I wouldn't have even considered that it's now starting to look strangely appealing -- I miss the food/drink and mountains, would like to get my Korean skills up and have my son spend more time around that side of his family. I'm trying to work out whether a move back would be a good idea or one I'd live to regret. Would really appreciate any thoughts on the following:

*On my visits back I get the impression Seoul's become more liveable/cosmopolitan over the past few years (more non-Korean restaurants, imported beers, etc.) but I'm still wary of the "freak" factor -- you know, Koreans staring at you like you have something growing out of your head, kids shouting random crap at you on the street, passive-aggressive behaviour if you're hanging out with a local woman, etc.. This grated on me sometimes when I was last there; have things gotten any better, at least in Seoul?

*How's the air quality/pollution situation? Winters were dismal when I lived there but I was back a few months ago and it seemed squeaky-clean.

*Anyone with experiences raising mixed kids in Korea? My company would probably take care of international school so I'm not too worried about education (would be great if anyone could recommend a good international school though). I was thinking more about day to day life for my son -- people showering attention on him, other kids picking on him, etc. I do want him to have a sense of his culture/heritage but would hesitate to raise him there if he'll be constantly reminded of the fact that he's "different."

This is a big decision and would really appreciate the perspective of folks on the ground. Thanks and happy to answer any questions about Singapore in return, in the unlikely event there are any.

[GB]

This is my first post here too. I have lived here for 2 years now...and am generally happy. However, in regard to your questions:

The stares are still there....me and my girlfriend (Korean) are still stared at...mostly by drunken men. We get the odd comment said under the breath, but nothing too serious, so far (threats/violence).

The air quality is not great...especially for a young child...but true of any major city.

The education aspect. My girlfriend is a teacher and she has had experience of teaching mixed kids (elementary age). She was really upset one day when she saw a group of "pure" Korean kids teasing a mixed "non-pure" kid. They made comments such as "speak English, not Korean" etc. She intervened, but I'm sure when teacher isn't around this sort of thing would still happen. Maybe International Schools are your safest bet.

Hope this helps and goodluck.

[Newbie]

1. Seoul is getting better for most of the things you mentioned. However, there will always be those who don't want to see a Korean woman with a foreigner. But I guess we're kinda lucky cuz all we get is glares and snickers, not much violence to speak of.

2. Air is brutal. The yellow-dust seems to be getting worse and worse every year. (just my observation over the last 6 years)

3. Some parents and their children are getting on fine. They seem to be the majority. Others have some negative. stories. My daughter is only 8 months so I have nothing to report yet.

Good luck

[GB]

Let me just clarify...the reason they said "speak English, not Korean" is that they viewed the child as being non-Korean, different and so the child should not speak Korean but English.

[Yaya]

For the sake of your kid, perhaps staying in Singapore might be better, unless you have the dough to send your kid to an int'l school.

I'm curious as to why you got sick of Singapore?

[wavering]

Thanks for the responses guys.

Yaya, hard to say why I got sick of Singapore -- it's an easy place to live, money's pretty good and it's close to a lot of interesting destinations. But it's also small, dull, expensive, and rapidly turning into the world's biggest gated community for the very wealthy -- noone else need apply. I know plenty of people who love it and plenty who can't stomach the place, and I think I'm falling into the latter category.

[articulate_ink]

Is there a way you could come back on a temporary basis, if you're already established in Singapore? I'm going on 3 years in Korea and I'm fed up with it. I've been going to Singapore for years, have a number of friends there, and would move there in a heartbeat if I weren't already aiming for Hong Kong.

If you read through the threads on here, you'll see that there are quite a few problems related to banking and the new visas. With a Korean wife you'd be exempt from the visa stupidity but she would have to handle all your financial affairs here. You would have difficulty obtaining very basic financial services on your own, otherwise, regardless of your visa status, Korean fluency, and so on. In Seoul and Bundang, the foreigner freak factor is definitely lower, but outside that relatively narrow piece of geography, you're still going to get the WAH! WAEGOOK SARAM! treatment. Do you work out and take showers afterward? Do you care if the ajosshi taking a leak next to you in the men's room is staring at you equipment? How about the day-to-day things like checking movie listings online and buying tickets? Ordering food? You can do more of this if you've got access to the language, of course, but the point is, there's a lot in Korea that's needlessly difficult if you're not Korean. It gets easier the more Korean you learn, but ultimately you're going to hit the wall in terms of financial services and social treatment.

Could you do something like come up for an intensive course in Korean at, say, Yonsei or Sogang? Do that for a few months? Bring your wife and kid so they can enjoy time with family?

Sure, Singapore has its drawbacks. I still think the quality of life is much higher than it could be in Korea. A change of scene my do you all some good, but it's hard to imagine this place being a step up.

[Yaya]

[MissSeoul]