Korean Job Discussion Forums

[solo]

Hi. Heading (probably) to a new job based in Ilsan near the border. It isn't too far from Seoul which I don't mind, but can anybody tell me a bit about the city - bars, city itself, things to do, people, foreign population etc. Is it a decent enough livable place if you are not too much into Seoul itself? Thanks.

[MisterK19]

Hey....Ilsan is a pretty cool place. Very new city. My opinion on the good:

1) La Festa (near the Jeongbalsan station) - an area with a TON of restaurants and bars, including several places frequented by Westerners.

2) Lake Park - a man-made, huge park that's actually quite pretty. A nice place for running, usually pretty crowded.

3) Everything that you'd need is there. This ain't like no American suburb.

4) The air is cleaner than in Seoul.

The bad:
1) An hour by subway to Itaewon/central Seoul.
2) 30,000 won cab ride home if you're out late in Itaewon.
3) Not as many foreigners (they're not scarce, but again, this isn't Seoul)

It all just depends on what you're looking for.

[calbruin]

In addition to La Festa, there's the Western Dome, which is a new hub of shops/bars/restaurants located just across the large public plaza/park at the entrance to La Festa (just head toward the giant Bethel Center / Church). The Western Dome's claim to fame is probably the iMAX theater that is housed in its hybrid indoor/outdoor shopping mall.

Living in Ilsan can be quieter than Seoul (if you wish) and the air is much cleaner than *most* parts of Seoul. Although non-Korean citizens aren't entirely rare in Ilsan, there aren't as many of us here as there are in Seoul. Overall, I second MisterK19's statement that "Everything that you'd need" is in Ilsan. However, I would like to add the caveat that not everything that you want could be found in Ilsan. For example, there are decent saunas and jjimjjilbangs in Ilsan, but the nicer (not necessarily more expensive) ones with full amenities are located in Seoul. Likewise, fine dining/cuisine, depending on what type of cuisine you'd like, may not be available in Ilsan. You're probably going to have to go to Gangnam for the nicer French / Italian places. Likewise, if you're looking for an active underground / indie music or clubbing scene, you're probably going to head out to Hongdae.

*However*, I love living in Ilsan. All the things above I can't find in Ilsan (or have yet to know about) are occasional luxuries that I indulge and public transportation to and from Seoul can be speedy / cheap if you know what you're doing. Sinchon / Hongdae are just half an hour away by bus and fares range anywhere between 1,000-1,800 won (77, 77-2, 9705?, 9702?... not sure of the exact number of the 9000 series, but there are at least three of them that go between Yonsei University and Ilsan, last car at 1AM on most days). Gangnam (Sinsa, Yangjae) can be reached by bus in 40 minutes for 1,800 won as well, but that bus stops relatively early (1130PM or so).

If you're confident in your Korean, you can save quite a bit on cab fare by using the call service for Goyang (Ilsan) taxis. Their rate per km is slightly cheaper than Seoul cars, but more importantly, they know the quickest / cheapest ways to get to Ilsan from wherever you are in Seoul. After a late night at Apgujeong, I used the call service once and the driver managed to get me to my apartment by Baekseok station in just twenty-five minutes (he wasn't a bullet taxi either. drove at a very constant and reasonable speed on the freeway). The fare came out to about 24,000 won and the drivers from the Goyang call service never charge you the additional 3,000 or 4,000 won in addition to the meter that most Seoul drivers charge for exiting the city. The problem with taking a standard cab from Seoul is that many of them don't know the most cost / time efficient way to get to Ilsan, and once they get here, they might struggle with how to get to your residence.

If you're not too into Seoul, as you've suggested, I don't think you're going to miss much by being in Ilsan.

[Whistleblower]

You would love St Andrews Institute in Ilsan. I hear they are great employers.

[wylies99]

You'll love La Festa and the ability to shop at many different stores.

[solo]

What's St. Andrews Institute like then? Detected a hint of sarcasm in there so I gotta ask...

[Khunopie]

[ms.catbc]

Hey solo!

i am going to be moving to Ilsan very soon as well. I have heard that it is a nice place to live. We shall see how i like it once i get there. If i discover anything really awesome while i am there i will keep you posted.

cheers

[Oreovictim]

I spent one day in Ilsan. The lake park area was pretty nice to see. I've heard once on here that the town is filled with yuppie families, and it might be a bit hard to meet women. I don't know if that's true or not.

For my next contract, I'm considering Bundang or Ilsan. Even my few Korean friends keep telling me that Bundang's really nice with a lot of attractive Korean women. But I might pick Ilsan. Why? One word: Costco. Korean food is okay, but I get burned out on it really fast. (Not as an extreme burn out as my old coworker. He said there was a period where he would almost gag when he tried to eat Korean food.) I've been to Costco twice, and it's nice to get things like bagels, frozen ravioli, different varieties of cereals, etc. So, yeah, I might do an Ilsan gig.

Good luck

[Khunopie]

[Oreovictim]

[waltjocketty]

[Mr. Susan]

Thanks for the awesome thread guys. Excellent information.

[wylies99]