Korean Job Discussion Forums

purple_octi · Joined: 10 Jun 2008

is it safe to drink the tap water in Seoul or should I stick to bottled water? Also, how is the air quality?

sojourner1 · Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:35 am Post subject:

Drinking bottled water is a very sensible and highly intellectual decision and you must also wear a gas mask at all times to protect yourself from industrial chemical agents hanging low in the air. If breathing unpurified indoor air that your fan blows on you while you're sleeping, you will for sure die younger than anticipated.

I wish you the best in your living, uh, I mean survival, up in the big smoke.

peppermint · Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:41 am Post subject:

Koreans will tell you not to drink the tap water, but then, they'll also tell you not to sleep with the fan on.

I found it didn't taste very good, and I arranged for watercooler jug delivery every couple of weeks. You can buy a handpump that fits onto the jug for about 20,000W, if you don't want to spring for a full watercooler.

uberscheisse · Joined: 02 Dec 2003 Location: japan is better than korea.

bottled water is best enjoyed by the 500 ml full - after which make sure your bottle ends up in an ocean somewher.

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

Nearly everyone drinks bottled water (pick up at the nearest convenience store) or has the jug delivery at home.

You can cook with and use tap water for tea, coffee, brushing your teeth etc without boiling and without worries.

Many neighborhoods have a spring nearby and people get their water for free there.

myamata · Joined: 16 May 2008

water is good to cook, make tea, etc...

OneWayTraffic · Joined: 14 Mar 2005

The water is supposed to be safe to drink when it leaves the filtration and treatment plants. No accounting for the quality of your building's pipes though.

We've been drinking boiled tap water for years in Seoul with no concerns. There's Barley tea available in the shops cheaply. You boil up a big jug and put a tea bag in it. Works for us.

rebel_1812 · Joined: 17 May 2008 Location: Seoul

oh no! I drink the tap water everyday. I assumed the water was safe. I mean it is an industrialized nation, how can it not have safe water? What is wrong with the water?

bacasper · Joined: 26 Mar 2007

I hear that a lot of your tap water quality depends on local plumbing. Older places might have rustier pipes and higher concentrations of heavy metals and/or bacteria, but I have no idea if this is actually true. Anyone?