Korean Job Discussion Forums

midian3x · Joined: 18 Sep 2006

tomorrow? friday?

spliff · Joined: 19 Jan 2004 Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand

Tomorrow evening.

sojourner1 · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 1:51 am Post subject:

Is going to Seoul from the provinces a good idea? I know if you leave Seoul for Chuseok, you will spend half of your holiday in the worlds largest parking lot as many head out to the provinces where their grand parents live.

schwa · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Yap

I know that from this side of the country (Gangwon) you could head into Seoul at the start of the holiday & return at the end in almost normal time (while the opposite lane would be a coast-to-coast go-slow).

In-between days, anyone's guess.

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

I spent a year and a half out in the boonies. The local restaurants will be busy during the holiday. The 2 lane country roads will have much heavier traffic than usual...all those darn city people. Mad

Gatsby · Joined: 09 Feb 2007

My guess is the remaining weekday traffic will be worst around 4:30 or so, on, with the rush hour traffic piled in.

sojourner1 · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:20 pm Post subject:

TheChickenLover · Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Location: The Chicken Coop

Chuseok is a replay of the insanity of Korea every year.

Saturday, a very significant portion of the population in Seoul will spend 8-12 hours on a very congested and blocked highway trying to get to the countryside to visit their families.

Sunday will consist of mostly lying on the floor drunk or destressing from Saturday's horrible experience.

Monday will consist the same as Saturday, but in the other direction.

Chuseok is NOT a holiday in my opinion. It is more an obligation that requires families to experience a significant amount of stress for a tradition that can easily be fulfilled yet avoided if people acted intelligently.

And yes, people will die in traffic on Saturday due to frustration and bad tempers while driving.

Koreans always have a 'big story' about these problems every year, yet never seem to learn from them. This also applies to Lunar New Year's as well.

I myself will not drive. I don't care who or what or why. My in-laws live in the same city and there is 0% chance I'm going to wake up at 5am to bow. I can do that later. I also think this country is so fixated on death and rememberance it's not healthy. People may be much better off enjoying life and being with the living.

My in-laws are starting to see the light.

Chicken

pkang0202 · Joined: 09 Mar 2007

Why doesn't anyone rent a helicopter?

tefain · Joined: 19 Sep 2007 Location: Not too far out there

nobbyken · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Location: Yongin ^^

Maybe early on Saturday or Sunday will be the best time to visit a fun park. Should be hardly any queues then. Do some shopping in the afternoon.

PeteJB · Joined: 06 Jul 2007

Are parks even open on those days?

Underwaterbob · Joined: 08 Jan 2005 Location: In Cognito

Now that I think about it, for what's probably their biggest holiday I've met very few Koreans who claim to really enjoy it. Most whose opinions I've sought could do without it. Especially women, they're mostly slaving away the whole time while the men mostly get drunk and play go-stop.

jvalmer · Joined: 06 Jun 2003

I wonder, in a few more generations, when families have established deeper routes in the cities, that this mad rush to the country side will become a thing of the past? Or will it be the modern life, and the younger generation not caring about tradition, put an end to this traffic madness?