Korean Job Discussion Forums

[HANGRY]

I like to jog around in the city that I live in here in the States.

A Korean friend of mine mentioned that it is generally unheard of to just step out of your house and start jogging.

Have you found this to be the case?

Is it any better in more rural areas?

[Died By Bear]

hhm, well apparently no one ever told that weird white guy with the hair all over his body because he used to wear a pair of speedos and go running without a shirt on. Gross. out. to. the. max. ugh. So embarrassing. He had a beard too. Koreans were laughing at him so hard, I am thinking he just enjoyed the humiliation.

[UknowsI]

I live in Daejeon, and while jogging is not as common as "health walking", it is still fairly common. My uni even run bi-monthly health running races. There are always people jogging along the river, I would however give it a 10 to 1 ratio between walkers and joggers and a 100 to 1 ratio between walkers and runners. Still, nobody will think it's strange to exercise here. There might be different areas which are considered jogging areas from what you're used to. In my home country pretty much everywhere is considered ok for jogging, while here it seems like its mostly along rivers and in some parks (but not all). Just visit different areas in your vicinity to find the best paths.

EDIT: But I agree with the guy above, keep your shirt on.

[PigeonFart]

The air pollution is terrible (in Seoul anyway), the streets are overcrowded (sorry for stepping over your vegtables Mrs.Ajjuma), and the traffic lights take an eternity to change color.

For those reasons, i would go to the gym instead. It's true, koreans rarely run on the streets.

[SeoulNate]

much better to find a river path or community track/field to jog along. they are everywhere in seoul.

the only weird looks I get at those places are when I sprint.

[Zackback]

If you are comfortable without your shirt take it off. The POSITIVE attention and encouragement from people (tons of girls, the firemen, truck and taxi drivers and yes even the police) is awesome.

[furtakk]

i run along the han and there are tons of people. i go late at night too (10ish). i would imagine there are more earlier in the evening/morning. there's also a park near my place with a soft running track that is pretty busy.

people run, but they keep to designated areas typically. you don't really see people randomly running on the sidewalk. if they jog, it's in a gym, park, or on a running path.

[conbon78]

I run along the river in Seoul as well as outside on the streets; however, I've done research as to which streets are less traveled. No one looks at me funny - if they did, I wouldn't care.

No, it's not nearly as nice as running wherever in the states, but it's doable.

[PatrickGHBusan]

[Hamlet]

Running is huge in Korea. Outside of the winter months, there is a sponsored running event, at least a 10K, and usually 1/2 and full marathons as well, every single weekend. They are well-organized events and loads of fun.

I used to run on the sidewalks all the time, and nobody cared. Oftentimes I'd get a thumbs up, especially from the older people.

If you want more info, plus some running partners, check out Seoul Flyers.

[PatrickGHBusan]

[ren546]

Not very common (most Koreans are walkers), but nobody really cares. They might look at you a little funny, but they do that anyway whether or not you're running so it really makes no difference. Try find a decent path or an underpopulated sidewalk.

You will get the odd thumbs-up, which is nice.

As for clothing, I've found that Koreans tend to overdress outdoors, and you will even see people wearing gloves in summer while hiking or walking along a trail or path. The other day it was about 23 degrees and almost everyone I saw along the river path was wearing a sweater. I jog in a tank top and shorts. I get stared at a lot, but I don't care. It's hot and I'm running. I'm sure they understand, since I have seen a few Korean men jogging in VERY short shorts.

[Patrick Bateman]

[runthegauntlet]

[runthegauntlet]