Korean Job Discussion Forums

sillyboy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

Howdy,

I just spent a weekend in Jinju, and kind of liked the place. Seemed like a provincial town in New Zealand, minus the good-natured local folk and kiwi-adventureness:-) The folks we were with said it was like Seattle, which is quite far-fetched. Like Seoulites saying it's just like NYC. Yeah, it's like NYC w/o the culture.

Anyway, how do you like it there? I was amazed that it takes under 4 hours by bus from Seoul. Also amazed that I didn't see any good-looking people the whole 2 days. Been spoiled by Seoul/Kangnam and yes I've become superficial. They say it's a very conservative area, not like 'progressive' Seoul I guess.

Any info/insights would be welcome.
Thanks,

Sillyboy

Tiger Beer · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

I worked a summer camp in JinJu. Very nice city. Absolutely nothing like Seattle - absolutely nothing at all. No resemblance whatsoever.

It is however fairly laid-back, the people are nice. You didn't see gorgeous people all over the place like Seoul, not because they don't have them there, its just you see alot less people. In Seoul when you have 50-100 people walking somewhere in front of you at all times.. there is a good chance one will be good-looking.

Anyhow, I do agree JinJu is a nice little city.. the people are relaxed and don't freak around foreigners.. just like Seoul, unlike Busan.. and just a generally good place to be all-around.

Having said that though, I hung around one weekend and it was really boring and way too small community of expats.. I found myself trying to get far far away on weekends so I could do something anything interesting.

It is a nice little city though.. and I think its been voted as one of the best towns to live in Korea by some Korean poll or something..

tiger fancini · Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Location: Testicles for Eyes

Jinju?

flotsam · Joined: 28 Mar 2006

VanIslander · Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:57 pm Post subject:

Too bad you went last weekend instead of next weekend.

What used to be one of the biggest festivals in Korea, a tradition for nearly fifty years, is held at the beginning of October, on the week of the 3rd, Foundation day.

It's a lantern festival and international art exhibit with displays up and down the riverside park and at the Jinju fortress on the hill. There are even large works of art put out on floating barges and lit up by bright multicoloured lights. It's a busy, festive time and the weather is usually great, warmer down here in the south, not hot of course, but not cool yet either. Just nice.

For those who haven't been to Jinju yet there are buses from every major city. The river flows from Jiri national park through Jinju to near Busan, in Gyeongsangnamdo.

Here's some photos:

And on a quiet non-festival week it's still nice, better in some ways:

tiger fancini · Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Location: Testicles for Eyes

flotsam · Joined: 28 Mar 2006

jinju · Joined: 22 Jan 2006

hmmmm if I didnt have a sense of humor Id probably be angry, but Im the only one here with a real sense of humor so take your shots.

jinju · Joined: 22 Jan 2006

As far as the city they named after me, Jinju is a cool town. Small so if you like bigger cities go elsewhere. The air is clean, it is fairly green, has a very nice riverside area with a cool castle and a small but fairly busy downtown area. Good climate with warmer winters and cooler summers. Close to the southern coast which is the most scenic coast in Korea and close to Jiri Mountain which is a huge national park. Also a short and cheap bus ride to Busan. Friendly locals too.

tiger fancini · Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Location: Testicles for Eyes

Appearing in jinju very soon!!

jinju · Joined: 22 Jan 2006

tiger fancini · Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Location: Testicles for Eyes

liehtzu · Joined: 24 Mar 2003 Location: the sticks, Korea

The lantern festival should be pretty cool if you're in the Jinju area over Chuseok. Jinju's a nice-looking town (by Korean standards), what with its grand palace conveniently located near the E-Mart. However, once you've seen the palace in town good luck finding a way to spend the rest of your day, and your nights won't exactly be hoppin, either. For nightlife Jinju's easily the dullest city of its size I've been to in Korea.

There are no good bars or clubs at all - not even a beer joint with a pool table. A Korean girl from Cheongju who lives around here remarked bitterly that the nightlife in Jinju is like Cheongju's was ten years ago. Whether this is true or not I cannot say, as I've never been to Cheongju - but a boring country backwater Jinju is. The foreigners don't seem to go out much, and those that do often congregate at a restaurant called Zio Ricco's that doesn't have a thing going for it aside from occasional live music acts. Also, foreigners are often "kindly banned" from local establishments as a preventative measure. From what I understand there have been times when some clown didn't pay his or her bill, or someone was involved in a fight or other disturbance which, we all know, automatically gives other foreigners carte blanche to drink without paying and completely destroy said Korean establishments.

jinju · Joined: 22 Jan 2006

Merlyn · Joined: 08 Dec 2004 Location: Korea

I was there for a year and liked it too. I liked the first 6 months more than the last 6. Things did tend to get pretty dull on the weekends. But if you're with good people, doing barbecues, drinking, etc, it could be pretty fun. I really like the look of the city too. A lot of money is being put into it to make it look nice, especially the riverside. One of the cleaner cities in Korea too.