Alright guys, this is a thread for all you 20-somethings out there in soompi land who are currently residing in Seoul, Korea. It doesn't matter if you're living here permanently or on a temporary/extended stay... or even if you're still planning to move there or visit sometime in the future; this is the place to post any particular events (clubs, festivals, concerts, etc), job connections (corporate, hakwon, etc), and gatherings (college trips, get togethers) so that fellow korean-americans (and others) can be "in the know".

Feel free to talk about where you're residing, what your job situation is, or anything of importance that's in connection to the happenings of Seoul. I know that as a Korean-American it's sometimes hard to go back to the motherland and pick up on what's going on, especially in terms of meeting new people and finding special events to go to... so feel free to use this space to make new friends and discover both the mainstream and also the more underground events that enrich the city on a weekly basis.

^(bump) Thanks for creating this thread! I was in Seoul two weeks ago, and I found that the "free hugs" campaign was active in 인사동 (Insa-dong). If you haven't heard of this, see the YouTube video. A bunch of twenty-something Koreans were giving hugs to passers-by. So if you're feeling all alone in Seoul, at least you can get a free hug.

Slightly off topic: If any single Korean guys out there want to meet a new friend in Seoul, my female (hetereosexual) cousin is 32 years old and single. She lives in Seoul. She works for a cosmetics company and has a professional interest in aromatherapy and herbal medicine. Everyone says that she's cute, and I think that she's pretty (of course, she's my 사촌누나!). PM me if you're interested in getting her contact info. You'll have to go through a rigorous screening process; I mean, I'm not going to fix up my cousin with just anybody.

awesome topic!! I'm a bit lost w/ Korea n stuff cuz i've never been there yet..yea i know, i'm so old n i've never gone to my own country -.- but such is life. I'm going to Korea for the first time next summer after my jr year in college so i was wondering where the best n cheapest place to stay n also the best restaurants, shopping places, clubs, and attractions are in Korea..

I am planning to travel to Seoul a few weeks from now. Can anyone recommend me a friend to accompany me? Mainly going there for business related and some personal reasons. I do not speak Korean and ideally be with someone who speaks English and Korean.

I can pay USD for the accompany. Help me find a hotel or stay at a friend's place (living room is fine) I will pay some USD for the rent.
I can pay for food and other transportation.
I plan to stay there 2-3 weeks end of Jan.

Would someone be able to help me out?

thanks

bumpin' this thread up!

Are any of you guys ESL teachers in Seoul, or do you know any? My friend and I are on the confusing search to find a good school in Seoul at which to teach starting in June.

-ginger

it mainly depends on what your credentials are. what's your SAT score? are you currently attending or have graduated from an accredited american university? is your university prestigious and top-ranked? is english your native language?

depending on how you answer those questions, there are a variety of options open to you. granted, if you can answer all of the above favorably, then it won't be hard to find a job that pays $25-$30/hour. if not, you might be looking at something along the lines of $10-$15/hour. check dave's esl cafe (www.eslcafe.com/jobs/korea) or worknplay (www.worknplay.co.kr) for decent, average-salary jobs but don't expect any of the higher-paying academies to be listed since they go through direct recruitment methods other than the job-search boards listed above.

hope that helps,

Majah

I'm graduating from Catholic University in D.C., and yes, English is my first and only language. I don't remember my score on the SAT, but I got a 28 on my ACT. I've checked out Dave's ESL Cafe, WorknPlay, and other recruiting websites, but there is just an overwhelming amount of information.

-ginger

don't do anything less than 2 million a month (lots of other hakwons offer more..just have to find them..also, the exchange rate from won to dollars is in your favor right now...so 2 million won is about $2,140US). make sure you airline ticket, housing, insurance, severance pay are being offered. don't take split shifts...they suck. get an F-4 visa. figure out if you wanna teach kids or adults...if kids, what ages you would prefer teaching etc.


some more info in this soompi thread.

scores don't matter. All they want is a resume, a picture, a diploma and a transcript

there's plenty of stupid people in korea who somehow got a real degree (or fake ones) that have been teaching here for a good while
or they became stupid by drinking themselves into that lifestyle

the thing that should concern you the most is places that will accept
you'd be lucky to get something like an F-4 visa, you'll most likely get an E-2 like the rest of us.
word of advice, if you teach kids, stay away from Wonderland. it's the worst franchise in korea as far as treating it's employees go
try to find jobs that are not in gangnam or jamshil. there's much better jobs north of the river and the students are generally better behaved

im going there this summer and would like to rent something clean and furnished for 3 months.
i prefer something near 명동 (myeong-dong). private entry and kitchen access prefered. anyone with leads let me know. thx.

man i miss korea.

btw, sat score is important if u want to teach sat ...hella kids want to go to college in america anyways... i did it a couple hours a week way back when, got 10 man won an hour. but yeah, i'd guess u would need at least 1500 on SAT to pull in 7 man won an hour.

yeah, i mean 1370 is 99th percentile and all, but a korean kid with 1370 will probably barely get into UC Irvine or Boston College nowadays, but yeah.

I'm pretty sure BC is a better school. US News and all...

im sure it is, but i was talking about admissions standards for asian americans, not the school itself.
but as long as we're on tangents, as far as sciences are concerned, im not sure bc is better than uci...

also, us news is a statistically flawed ranking, it doesn't use uniform methodologies across all schools.

You are right all rankings are flawed. Higher ed is overvalued and way over priced.

well i wouldn't say all rankings are statistically flawed. flawed, probably, but not statistically flawed.

damm! ur not bad at going off tangents.

btw i would have been a red sox fan if they gave hee seop a chance, and if they didn't so blatantly leave byung hyun off the playoff roster!

I'm coming to Seoul on Sunday and will be there until June 7th. My host is a friend of mine living in Sinchon (not Sincheon) who will still be working all day, so I will be scared to spend all day alone in Seoul when I'm still learning Korean. Does anyone have time to spend with me or show me around? I'm an American living in Germany and would be happy to have visitors here too since I'm a foreigner and thus don't have too many friends. If you want to meet just check my profile for more info and send me an e-mail.
I'm also going to the Infected Mushroom show on May 12th at the W Hotel in Seoul. Anyone else going to be there? A 6-hour concert will be quite enough time to say hi!

my only suggestion is that you don't hang around itaewon too much. there's a difference between foreigners who go to korea to have a fulfilling cultural experience versus those who go to try and sleep with as much korean tail as possible and start bar fights every other night.

the infected mushroom show sounds great though; the W Hotel has a lot of fun events throughout the year. the last one i attended was the dj emma/paris match rave, and it was pretty fun. sinchon and hongdae have a lot of excellent clubs and cheap drinks so find some friendly folks and just have a good time socializing.

I've been in Seoul a week and it is a blast! Korean people are so much friendlier than Germans. I went to the 1st Seoul International DJ Festival last night and even met two of the guys from Lotus Productions who are organizing the Infected Mushroom show and danced with them until 5 a.m. Great times!
Yeah, I stopped in Itaewon once and it was a bunch of Koreans trying to hit on the white girls by wearing their mothers' kitchen towels around their heads in a sad attempt to imitate do-rags. Prostitutes were also posing for me in the doors. Not a very comfortable place, honestly. But, like you said, Sinchon and Hongdae are both really cool and I've been improving my Korean a lot. I still need more speaking partners, though! If anyone feels like it, come meet me before I leave (I'm here another 5 weeks).

I'm in Bupyeong teaching at CDI. Got here in early Feb.

I'm not much of a clubber or bar hopper. More of a quiet person.

Here is to 10 more months on my contract!

Hm..so far I've been to Yongsan, Itaewon, Pyeong Chang, and that is about it. I really want to take a korean language course (like KLI at Yonsei) but it is too far for me to commute everyday.

Does anyone know a good place to listen to live classical music? I really am itching to hear an orchestra.

I don't know about the classical music, sorry...Sunday nights in front of the Hyundai Bekwajeom (shopping center at the Sinchon subway stop) there are some choir types who sing late at night sometimes. It's pretty odd, but free. It's interesting to see.
How are you liking CDI? I was looking at the website thinking about applying. I would like to hear your impression of it. Do they give you teaching materials? I've been making my own for the last 2 years (I teach English in Germany and translate English/Dutch/German/Spanish...working on my Korean), and it is a lot of work. I would love to find a place that just has teaching materials available so that all they need is an enthusiastic teacher to present it and conduct the lessons.

There are classical concerts in Daehakro and in that area. There are usually ads that promote concerts.

good to see another atlantan staying in seoul. did you grow up there, or just go to college?

anyhow, for anyone interested, there's a paul van dyk concert at the W hotel tomorrow. tickets are 70 dollars at the door, 50 if you reserved ahead of time. the W hotel is located not too far (about a four dollar cab ride up into the hills) from technomart in east seoul.

also, there's going to be a party in circle this upcoming saturday so any of you looking to hit up apgu, you should stop by. the entrance fee is always pricey (around 20-30 dollars), but the atmosphere and company are bomb. uh, i guess i should also mention, circle is notorious for turning down ugly girls and guys. so... take a shower and dress well? i don't know what more i can say about that, haha. i suppose it's a way of preserving the essence of the business and it's high-class status.

and for poker lovers, there are poker tourneys every wednesday and sunday at the W hotel as well.

well, that's about it... everyone in Seoul post here and keep everyone else updated about what's going on.

check out youloveit.com or the koreaherald.com forums

there are furnished apartments and furnished residences

it all depends on ur budget

I've been traveling back and forth to Seoul pretty often over the past five years. I'm going back this summer and using Seoul as a departure point to travel all around Asia.

This isn't in Seoul perse, but I'm considering checking it out:
06.09 - Dolby Dance Revolution @ Dolby in Busan
b-boy competition w/ Busan City Breakers, Oshare Crew, Max Crew

I'm flying in on the 7th, and all the parties for that weekend look like crap. Makes me want to stay in.

i was actually asking more along the lines of georgia and if you went to school in georgia, but whatever works.

im going to korean in march/april 08!! and i guess i dont need to plan for it yet but id like to know where all the good partys are. american hip hop music with a cool crowd. not really into the "booking" thing... i guess we're looking for locals and fellow tourists to party it up with.

i'm going in around early february 08 as well to study abroad for a semester! what are some places that you guys recommend I go that's not really a touristy area? I've been to coex, dong dae moon, myung dong, gang nam areas so anywhere else i should go? I know that working at hagwun's without a bachelor's is illegal but is tutoring as well? Thanks! i'm exciteeed! how's the weather during feb-june?

I'm going in August! Wheeeee~~~

Now, hopefully I don't get lost around there since I am already bad with directions in the states...
How much are the bus fares and subway tickets usually?

900Won, or roughly $1 US.

i am going to study abroad in seoul for fall 07 at Chung Ang University. i found a website to apply for an internship at Arirang TV but i can't find it anymore and there is nothing on thier website. do anyone know where i can find information on it? i really want to intern there or at a magazine company in seoul. i've searched online but i can't find anything useful. can anybody give me any information? i also wanted to know on average how much does going to the sauna would cost in korea?

was wondering if anyone here is up for a get together. go drinking and/or clubbing meet new people and network. my friends here in seoul don't like to socialize and don't like to do these activities because they all have girlfriends. so i'm tired of being the third wheel. anyone interested?

sure, a get together sounds great. however, what i am not exactly too fond of is getting together with a bunch of gyopos and drinking to the point of being loud and obnoxious. native koreans stereotype us negatively for good reason, so i'd like the group i am a part of to be an example that not all of us are american-influenced snobs.

but hey... that doesn't mean we can't get some alcohol in our system, yeah? i know some great places in gangnam (lived there last year), hongdae (gf lives around there), sincheon (not sinchon), and apgu if you want to go classy for a night.

hey guys.
i didn't know if i was allowed to start a topic or where to seek advice.
is there anyone here that can assist me in finding a recruitment agency or any website where i can find information on working in korea?
origninally i was planning onmoving to korea next year to teach english, however i have been thinking about other options that can ustilise my degree and experience. all the sites i've searched on the inernet tends to be about teaching english. i haven't found any recruitment agencies or any other information on looking for jobs other than teaching.
do anyone know how hard it is to find a job other than teaching in korea? also where should i be looking to star off? agency? inetrnet site? etc.

any advice or help would be much appreciated. thanks!

^Dave's ESL cafe. Google it. Very resourceful. Take everything you hear with a grain of salt. A lot bitter expats over there Some are quite unfriendly


I'll be teaching English in Korea this Aug in gyeonggi do province!

hanging out sounds interesting. i'd be more into exploring what i can't find myself though, so if people know good places or little tidbits about certain areas... classy could be intriguing ;) and as dorky as it is, i find star-watching highly entertaining.

i'm not into getting wasted either -_- it's not my thing and i do not want to be dragging someone's butt around late at night.

My mother lives in Korea and I visit quite a bit. I'm going back in November hopefully.

I want to see the night life of Korea but it sucks when all my cousins are either underage or are working so they never have time. I've been to a club in HongDae once, but had to leave early because I had to take the train back home. (My mother lived in Pundang at the time... long train ride =_=^)

I don't speak much Korean but I can read and understand a little. What can I do by myself there?

Yeah I would love to meet up with people while I’m over there! I’ll be heading to Seoul at the end of the month. I’ll be there from the 28th December – 8th February. I haven’t been to Korea before and I’m cramming in the Hangul so hopefully I will be able to say things like “Can you pass the ketchup?” and “Where is the supermarket?” and not make a fool of myself.

I’m going to be there for New Years and was wondering if anyone new of places to go? I’m by myself while I’m over there so I don’t really have anyone to ask about these things. I guess I could just go out and follow the sound of fireworks? Kkkk

But if you want to meet up for a drink or something, send me a message!

By yourself? I can only think of shopping. Sightseeing and going to museums is okay, I guess. For nightlife and drinking? You should have a partner to have fun with.

Moving to Korea in November. =O

Where can I find Korean language classes?

http://www.fulbright.or.kr/eta/english/eta...e-programs.html
http://english.tour2korea.com/02culture/ko...summer_main.asp

The university programs are insanely expensive. Like 1,500,000 won. And I heard they're really intensive. You need to study a lot and do a ton of homework to keep up. People say Sogang is really good, though. Better than Yonsei. The language institutes appear to be a lot cheaper than the university programs. Like around 100,000~300,000 a month.

There are a few free Korean classes you could go if money is an issue. Or for extra practice.
Sookmyung offeres free Saturday classes from 3-5.
http://kongbubang.wo.to/ This one is on Saturday 4:30-6.

Hey. i was planning to go to korea perhaps in the summer maybe sooner to stay for about 1-2 months. anybody know where i can find a place to stay besides a hotel for not too expensive and without curfew?

I'm going to Seoul this summer for a week. Can you suggest some must-see places that are relatively not too expensive.

Planning on moving there after summer.
If I have two jobs, teaching job at Hakwon, Arirang TV Job, other "entertainment/media" related job, how many visas would I need?

Do most studios require KEY MONEY for deposit?
I was thinking about living in the Guesthouse, until I find myself a studio.

What festivals are there?
Dongdaemun have live events every Friday nights, or so I heard from my experience in the tourist to Seoul back last summer.
I am actually wanting to perform there, how and where do I sign up?

Besides teaching English, what jobs for a non Korean speaker, to get without long term contract?
I thought about more professional business jobs, besides "dishwashing"..working a in restaurant so I do not have to worry about buying food, cooking the food, etc.. anyways, the LOWEST/EASIEST job title, what can I get?
Taking care of children, housekeeping, dishwashing ---- a job that does not require a long term contract.


Where do the (locals) high schoolers / families mostly hang out at night? I ask this in relationship to my need of performing in the festivals. My target audience is high school students and family...

shinchon, gupabal (for the mountain), idae, go skiing, and maybe travel outside of seoul like: at myun do, ilsan, incheon, soraksan etc.



free:

han river
city hall (outdoor ice skating is cheap if u go in the winter)
namsan park
shopping sections (just walking around having a good time)
- coex
- i park mall in yongsan
- myong dong
- dong dae mun
- any baekhwajum (dept. store)
- new core outlet store (cheaper korean brand name)
- insa dong
- idae
- kangnam jiha sanga (underground shopping very cheap)
- and shopping around uni's are more affordable (i.e. sookdae)

most historical sights are very cheap, museums are not pricey either. nightlife and clothes are most expensive...just eat food to your heart's desire because it's so cheap.

im in korea!! just moved baq after leaving for a couple monthes....its finally starting to be spring...soo nice outside