Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Spartacus]

I've been in Korea for about a week now and I have been drinking the tap water almost exclusively. Nothing bad has happened to me yet. Why aren't we supposed to drink the water? Specifically? What are some other options? There's no way I'm buying bottled water for a year, but I've heard you can buy a filter that will take care of any problems? Thanks.

[bassexpander]

They say it's supposed to be clean enough to drink, but when the Seoul city water commissioner was asked if his family drinks it straight from the tap with no filtering, he said, "no."

That's what I heard or read somewhere, anyway...

[ben-ja-mas]

[ytuque]

The US center for disease control still advises against drinking tap water in S. Korea.

[schwa]

You dont specify where you are.

Nowhere in Korea will the water kill you outright. Its effectively purged of bacteria & bad microbes & is perfectly safe for toothbrushing & washing your carrots. As a regular drinking option though I do think you have a fair concern about gradual accumulation of heavy metals & other contaminants that arent effectively screened.

Water from Seoul taps tastes (& smells) nasty.

Water in the provinces can be pure, pleasant, & potable but then again if you're living in an older apartment complex it might be coming through rusty lead-soldered pipes & be better avoided.

Good water is fairly vital to our long-term good health. I opt for the home delivery of large jugs of drinking water, quite cheaply arranged.

[Spartacus]

Cool, thanks for the info. I will talk to my director about getting the water delivered. I am living in Bucheon, the water tastes fine to me.

[Real Reality]

Water of Public Saunas, Hospitals Found Unsanitary
By Bae Ji-sook, Korea Times (September 1, 2008)
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/09/117_30361.html

Fishermen Protest Waste Dumping in Korean Waters
Chosun Ilbo (March 8, 2007)
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200703/200703080019.html

15 Held for Dumping Poison into Han
by Lee Soo-ki, JoongAng Daily (November 2, 2003)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2053654

[aka Dave]

I used to work at a hagwon, and would always fill up a big bottle of water after work. However, now I teach at a Uni, and the water dispensers are in hallways always crowded with students.

I've never seen a prof. every even use the water, and I'd kinda feel like a loser filling a big bottle in front of all the students (though I do fill up a small bottle all the time), simply because I've never even seen a student do so.

So I waste money on bottled water.

[EzeWong]

I once heard someone mention menengitis (spelling?) about drinking the tap water in Seoul.

Scared the crap out of me. I've been drinking bottled crap since.

I drink about 8-10 liters of water A DAY!
I have to go to goddamn homeplus everyday for water.
Even the manager knows me by name now...

[bangbayed]

Buy water in bulk, it's cheaper. I like to always have cold water, but I don't want to bother with a water tank machine (which I know is already cheap), so I just buy six 2 liter bottles every month or so. I drink most of my water during class anyways, so I really don't go through a lot of water at home. If you're going to make tea or coffee or soup (boiling the water), tap water is fine.

[ben-ja-mas]

[aka Dave]

Dude, I never said I was a professor (wtf is the reading comprehension level on this site). Those guys wear ties. I wear shorts .

I really don't know what my job title might be. But I go to yahoo answers for virtually nothing. Anonymous experts on the internet are not something I'm gonna listen to.

[peppermint]

Water delivery guys also sell hand pumps for the jugs. A hand pump costs about 20,000W and screws onto the top of the jug. Just ask the guy for a pump-uh, and he should know what you mean.

Cheaper than buying 2 liter bottles in bulk, easier than stealing it from work, since it's delivered, and shame free. What's not to love?

[Gollywog]

aka Dave wrote:

[ben-ja-mas]