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Yeolchae
Joined: 24 Aug 2006
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 Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 6:10 am Post subject: Street Names coming to Korea |
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Starting in 2011, Korea will adopt a new system of naming addresses based on street names.
That's going to change the way addresses are designated at present, based on the location of buildings, which all have individual numbers.
Under the new system, the present address of the National Assembly will change from 1-Yeoido Dong to 48 National Assembly Road.
Since 1997, many areas across the country have initiated the new system, but by 2011, all addresses will be based on street names.
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from http://www.arirang.co.kr/intro.asp |
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liquidmj
Joined: 25 Sep 2006
Location: Mercer Island, WA
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 8:54 am Post subject: |
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| They have been talking about this for God remembers how long. One of the major problems is opposition from postal workers. They are the only ones that know the neighborhoods so they have job safety. It's a stupid reason I know, but look at farm subsidies in the US. It is political suicide to cut those, but it is such a waste of money. |
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Col.Brandon
Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 2:19 pm Post subject: |
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Another step towards the 20th century. Well done, Korea.
Efficiency: What a concept! |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 2:26 pm Post subject: |
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DJ promised to have all streets named in time for the 2002 World Cup. Nine years after the deadline--not bad.
Both China and Japan use the same system. What I was told is that an area is marked off into lots and the buildings are numbered in the order they are built. So there is some logic to it. Not a useful logic, but not the sheer chaos it appears on the surface. |
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gang ah jee
Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: city of paper
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 2:26 pm Post subject: |
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What I've heard is that you can already use your street name address as a postal address, but since that seems more risky that the established system people aren't bothering - I know I never would have. I didn't know the name of the street or the sequential number of the building I last lived in in Korea - it was useless information that I never expected I would ever have to tell anyone.
It's funny that once you've lived with the Korean/Japanese system for a few years it starts to seem normal. I'd guess a large amount of the inertia is because most Koreans can't imagine the benefits of the street name system, never having experienced it. |
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gang ah jee
Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: city of paper
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
| DJ promised to have all streets named in time for the 2002 World Cup. Nine years after the deadline--not bad. |
I think most if not all the streets are named Ya-ta Boy - it's now the issue of getting people to learn and use those names. |
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JongnoGuru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Location: peeing on your doorstep
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 3:02 pm Post subject: |
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| gang ah jee wrote: |
| I think most if not all the streets are named Ya-ta Boy |
Jesus, I bet that's confusing. I'd want to live on Guru Drive, though.
In reality, most streets have names already. In residential areas they're typically named after trees or shrubs. But they apparently couldn't think of many names of trees or shrubs. So in every neighbourhood -- EVERY neighbourhood, mind you -- you get tedious repetition that only a Confucian bureaucrat could admire: Pine Tree 1 Street, Pine Tree 2 Street, Pine Tree 3 Street, Pine Tree 4 Street, Pine Tree 5 Street, Pine Tree 6 Street, Pine Tree 7 Street.
If they had no fresh ideas, why not name the streets after famous past presidents, like cities in the US do? Okay, so they hate all their presidents... um... favourite past US presidents? Most beloved Japanese prime ministers, emperors & generals? No good? Okay, sell street names to the chaebol and let 'em name them after their products: ChocoPie Lane, 256k DRAM Blvd., iRiver Road, |
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Tiberious aka Sparkles
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 8:18 pm Post subject: |
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All the streets in Bundang have names, yet nobody knows them or bothers to use them.
_*_ |
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gang ah jee
Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: city of paper
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 8:32 pm Post subject: |
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| JongnoGuru wrote: |
| gang ah jee wrote: |
| I think most if not all the streets are named Ya-ta Boy |
Jesus, I bet that's confusing. I'd want to live on Guru Drive, though. |
You miss ONE comma and they pounce. I'm shaking my fist at you, Guru  |
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kimchikowboy
Joined: 24 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 8:57 pm Post subject: |
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The biggest problem with street names here:
How do you get to XXX?
Well, you take Kim Street to Kim Avenue. Go left to Kim Drive, go two blocks, take a right and it's on the corner of Kim and Kim. |
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seoulsucker
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Location: The Land of the Hesitant Cutoff
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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It's a maddening system the way they have it now. It's nearly impossible to describe a location without using subway stops, exit numbers, and convenience stores as landmarks. Incredibly inefficient, but then again, that's par for the course here.
And as far as the postal workers thing? Another prime example of the squeaky wheel getting the oil. Even though it would benefit the entire populace, it's been held back because of a few whiners. |
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jinju
Joined: 22 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:31 pm Post subject: |
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Say it aint so Joe!
last thing I want is for Korea to become more like the craphole I left behind. |
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gang ah jee
Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: city of paper
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:34 pm Post subject: |
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| seoulsucker wrote: |
| And as far as the postal workers thing? Another prime example of the squeaky wheel getting the oil. Even though it would benefit the entire populace, it's been held back because of a few whiners. |
How exactly do you mean? What I've heard is that postal workers are already required to deliver to addresses under both systems. It's not the post office that's holding it back, it's everyone else who has ignored the new system since it started being introduced nine years ago. |
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JongnoGuru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Location: peeing on your doorstep
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:52 pm Post subject: |
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| seoulsucker wrote: |
It's a maddening system the way they have it now. It's nearly impossible to describe a location without using subway stops, exit numbers, and convenience stores as landmarks. Incredibly inefficient, but then again, that's par for the course here.
And as far as the postal workers thing? Another prime example of the squeaky wheel getting the oil. Even though it would benefit the entire populace, it's been held back because of a few whiners. |
It's not really going to improve things much in the way some people might be thinking. London. Big city. Tens of thousands of streets. All with different names. Nearly all been there centuries. Cabbies know them.
Seoul? Bigger city. Far more streets that never had names before, nobody knows what they're called, not even the people living there. AND... an astounding number of duplicate street names. All over the city. Every little dong in the city will (or rather already does) have "Peach Blossom", "Plum Blossom", "Pine Tree", "Bamboo Tree", etc. streets in them, and as I mention above, they just love numbering them up to the heavens. In _some_ respects things will be easier and more efficient, but I expect that will be several removes from the man in the street or in his car wandering around in circles, yapping on his cellphone. "Subway exit No. 7? Okay.... Huh? Which officetel building? I can see four of 'em where I'm standing... Turn left at what bakery? After the SK jooyoo-so? Okay... I see a chicken hof. I'm now walking past the chicken hof.... What? Go down the alley and hang a right at Bunny Town Shoo-pa?" |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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| The real question is how is Seoul going to screw this up? |
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