Korean Job Discussion Forums

[thunderbird]

how is this place? would you find a cafes and pubs and stuff that are cool to hang out in? its on the water so does it have a nice waterfront for taking walks and stuff? what's it like for cycling? are there a lot of hot babes? any info would be great.

[He with Horns on Head]

I will assume that you mean Incheon. Incheon is great, friendly staff at restaurants, clean, good air, lots of foreigners so you can always find someone to converse with in your native tongue, semi-decent bookstores, clean computers at the internet cafe, and the departure lounge is a wonderful place to chill at.

[thunderbird]

[waynehead]

Incheon is huge, you need to be more specific about what gu you'll be in to get proper answers.

Also there have been a gazillion threads about this, use the search button at the top.

[DCJames]

There are a few newer nicer areas of Incheon, but most of Incheon is old and decrepit. Also, it's quite a distance away from Central Seoul and other parts of metro area.

I wouldn't live there if I had a choice.

[Crockpot2001]

[He with Horns on Head]

If you do a search for Incheon you'll see that it is consistently rated the worst city in Korea to live in. I forget the name of the subway station exactly (Songnae Station?), but it serves as a prime example as it separates Bucheon from Incheon.

On the one side you have Bucheon, clean, modern, parks etc, on the other side you have Incheon, grimy, old, dirty, bunch of scowling blue collar workers/peasants all over the place.

You won't be seeing much of the coast in Incheon, and once you do, you'll wish you hadn't. Shoot for a place like Ilsan or Bundang maybe if you can't find a gig in Seoul.

[camp0400]

i lived in incheon for a year and a half. despite having a population the size of chicago it is has little to offer in terms of culture and aesthetics. in fact its quite a feat considering how large it is. the ocean view is nothing special either, unfortunately. there are some points of interest in the form of small islands that feature mud to run around in when the tide recedes...sorta fun...once.

at first, you'll enjoy yourself and you'll probably spend a lot of time in bupyeong - a nightlife area in east Incheon that's identical to the popular spots in Seoul - but you may soon finding yourself commuting to seoul on a regular basis, which is pretty easy as there are tons of express buses to the popular areas of seoul.

all said if you like the city life but can't get a placement in seoul its the next best thing since you're so close. i lived in the gyesan area which is full of small whiskey bars and dirty massage places. in fact i've never seen so many in one spot, but i'm not very privy to that aspect of korea, so who knows. i never really had any specific compaints about the place though and my friend is going on his 3rd year and loves it. i also liked it as the foreign crowd is pretty spread as mentioned before so you can really immerse yourself if you want whithout having to live in the country side. also, as said before it depends on where you live. my area was well known for its access to public transit and connectedness to seoul so that was a big plus.

hmm, now come to think of it i actually sort of miss the place. oh, plus my apartment was freakin awesome compared to the one room i have now. good luck.

[kickittome]

I lived in Incheon for 1 year and was sick of the place after the first month.

The pollution is terrible, the infrastructure decrepit and the nightlife close to non-existent. The city is inhabited by the Korean equivalent of trailer trash. Avoid this place like the plague.

[steveinincheon]

I'm fairly new to this forum but have been in Incheon for a year now and recently re-signed my contract here. Cosmopolitan, international, , trendy, and sophisticated Incheon is definitely not. If you live here you'd better like eating Korean food, and be willing to explain to the locals that other countries do in fact have four seasons. However, I have found nearly all of the locals here to be genuinely warm and welcoming in a way that I dont see in places like Gangnam, Bundang and the more upscale areas of Korea's big cities.

Incheon is a huge spread out city and things like bike paths, outdoor activities, and the level of pollution vary greatly by neighborhood. I live in Gyeyang-gu which is cleaner than the port area, and has easy access to Seoul and Bupyeong. There are certainly some good expat hangouts in the city, although many people do go into Seoul fairly often. There are also some up and coming artsier areas of the city, and many of the older neighborhoods have a lot of character even if they are a bit dilapidated in places.

If you want to live in a city that has an authentic and gritty feel I would strongly recommend Incheon. If you want something more glamorous and cosmopolitan you may want to stick to Seoul or one of the more upscale satellite cities. As for women K-girls are K-girls whether in Incheon or Seoul, although they will speak more English in Seoul than in Incheon. Incheon may not be for everyone but I would take this "armpit of Korea" any day over some of the snotty and expensive parts of Seoul and the satellite cities.

[beercanman]

One of the most amusing (or should that be depressing?) things about posts about Incheon is that most will quickly mention its proximity to Seoul. And I reckon most people who go live in Incheon quickly learn their ways to and from Seoul. Bucheon isn't so bad either, and even closer.

[CA-NA-DA-ABC]

I've been to Incheon a few times and I must say, it's the armpit.

Having said that, can anyone who's lived in the Songdo area tell me a bit about what it's like there?

[Dazed and Confused]

From another thread but I'll post it here too...
I've been in Incheon 9+ years. In my opinion some good points are:
1)Easy to get to the islands for day trips.
2)Close enough to Seoul to do what I want to do there in one day.
3)We finally got TGI, Outback, Bennigans, Starbucks that I can go to if I really want to.
4) An awsome (and cheap) Turkistan restaurant near my house with friendly staff.
5)Foriegn supermarkets in Nam-dong Kong dam where I can buy all my Thai curry mixes and rice. And they're cheaper than the supermarket in Itaewon.
6)A swanky coffee shop near work that has fantastic chocolate cake.
7)The temple where I take my dog for walks and no one complains.
8)Pleasent places like Wolmido, Jayu Park, Incheon Landing Memorial, some temples, etc to visit on nice days when I feel like getting out of the house.

[He with Horns on Head]

[thunderbird]

woah, that doesn't sound so hot then. well thanks for the replies.