Korean Job Discussion Forums

[catchshime]

I've searched Dave's high and low and cannot find any particulars about Dongjak-gu, other than job postings really.

I would like to know more about Dongjak-gu because there is a main CDI (Chungdahm) branch located there and I will be working at a main branch come November. I've found info on the other main branches and their neighborhoods, but when it comes to Dongjak I find close to nothing that is of worth. You can all guess my questions and concerns:

1. Feasible rent price / key money for an officetel?

2. Amenities -- Gyms, parks, greenery and open spaces, supermarkets, legit grocery/convenience stores, etc. (This is a long one so feel free to add anything that falls under 'amenities')?

3. Nightlife -- Bars, Night clubs, Cafes, Movie Theaters?

4. Shopping -- Malls, Outlets, Retail streets/areas/shops, Markets?

5. Vibe/Demographic -- Visible number of foreigners, mostly older/younger Koreans, clean/dirty/smoggy, general "vibe" of the area

6. If anyone who has worked for CDI is in the know, how far is the Dongjak branch from the Dongjak station?

Awesome thanks all!

[Css]

Dongjak station is kinda deserted, its right next to a huge cemetary and not much goes on there..

Isu station is the next one down and then you get to sadang station..both are pretty cool places..not lively like shinchon or kangnam etc, but nice enough.

Do you know exactly where in dongjakgu you will be?

[catchshime]

[Css]

Sogang is quite a trip..

I doubt you will be close to dongjak station..It will probably be closer to one of the universities down there.

Its a good area to live..I used to live just down the road near SNU..but went to sadang/isu often.

not that many foreigners down that way though...

[Lynns]

Very good access to Itaewon from there, just over the Dongjak bridge, but you might be better off a bit closer to Express Bus Terminal, just a little east of there, somewhere closer to the new Line 9 Sinbanpo station and Banpo bridge. The French village is over that way, lots of restaurants and cafes. The immediate Dongjak area is kind of sparse, and the grocery store situation is dire.

[Kimsmith]

Dongjak-gu is quite large and includes Dongjak, Isu, Sangdo, Namseong, and Soongsil University Stations.

I've rented a couple of places there - paid 380,000 for a one-room, not sure about the key money because my school covered that,

There are several gyms of varying quality, but all good enough. The National Cemetery is lovely green area for walks, you can easily walk down by the Han River, and there are some smaller parks too. Near Soongsil University there is a hilly/tree covered area. Various little korean supermarkets. There's a Homeplus Express by Namseong station and it is easy to take a bus to Emart or a bigger Homplus, depending of course on where exactly you end up.

There a movie theater near Isu Station, and while not exactly in Dongjak, there's one by Seoul National.

There are a few market areas and the usual clothing and cosmetics stores. Nightlife is not great but you can get is Itaewon and Kangnam very easily. The French area is not all that far away either. There is a Starbucks by Soongsil University and I saw a Coffee Bean in a department store when out for a walk one time, but I was lost so can't exactly recall where it was.

It is kind of old, but improving (if big apartment complexes can be called an improvement. I guess I'd say it has character, but is not all that clean. There seem to be plenty of foreigners around, but they are easy to avoid if you want..

[catchshime]

[catchshime]

Anyone here know of the CDI branch in Dongjak too?

[catchshime]

Just thought I'd bump this thread. No one else knows about Dongjak?

[gkp1987]

I am leaving for Korea on the 27th of December, and I am going to be located in Dongjak-gu. Is anyone currently teaching over there? If you could tell me about the location and PM me, that would be great.

[dongjak]

I live in Dongjak-Gu and love it. It is a quiter area of Seoul but really in the center so Gangnam, Hongdae, Itaewon are not that far away. There are alot of parks here if you like to run and depending on your location, you could be close to the river. Plus if you happen to live in the Noryangjin area of Dongjak-gu you will be at an express stop of line number 9 and can reach Gangnam in 10 minutes. Plus lots of cheap but really good food.

[rumdiary]

I lived in Isu and worked in Dongjak. I walked from home between the two and found it to be your average Korean neighborhood. The only thing of note in Dongjak was a small French neighborhood that had some good restaurants and cafes. The Paris Croissant near Dongjak station was the best bakery I ever found in Korea. They actually had ham and cheese baguettes that weren't made on sweet bread and didn't have corn on them. Isu is a great little neighborhood. Especially around exit 13 from Isu station. Great outdoor market, restaurants, movie theater, gyms and some decent hofs. There are some nice trails in the hills behind the cemetery too.

[alistaircandlin]

[Lazio]

[alistaircandlin]

Thanks Lazio - I think I know the building actually - just never noticed the cinema.

Yeah - we go to the emart occasionally. Don't like it much though, for some reason - prefer the local Haengbok Mart, close to our house.

Thanks again,

Alistair