korea :: seoul :: general

[xpaulinabearx]

yeee son!

where u going??

i'm going on july3rd for about 2 weks.

hittin up busan for a week then gyeonju for a day or two and then seoul!

going on june 23rd and coming back on july 13 or 14! i'm going to jeju for 3/4 days, then seoul for a week and then staying with my relatives in chuncheon for the rest of the time. probably going to be going to seoul a couple more times since it only takes around an hour to get there with KTX

[eddyz]

Going to Seoul this fall to study a semester, so psyched

I'm training kinda hard here in Sweden, mostly running. Are they any good places to run in Seoul? Like a big park or something. Appreciate any tips!

How's the weather in fall/winter? Do I have to bring boots and winterjacket? Only staying to late december. Cheers

yoeido park if you want long distance flat roads next to the park.

bring a coat + boot for sure in winter. I froze my dick off in December cause I only had a sweater and jeans. layering is key in Korea for winter time.

[Liam123]

Thanks for the response guys. I be living at Korea University or nearby. Hope I will find some good places to run there. I'm kind of addicted to long distance

Just another thing. My unlocked iphone 4 will not work in Korea right? I read about this a couple of pages back. Thats sucks

[thomas_highstreet]

i dont know the KU area that well, but the whole of seoul is surrounded by mountains (pretty much) and all of them have trails. i jog on bugwak san these days as i got a bit porky over winter lolz

as far as i understand the iphone4 wont work.. alot of people try to sell there US or euro phones on seoul.craigslist to buy a korean one.. and alot of people leaving will try to pick up a US one (and trade you there korean one) etc. - might be a good way to get the phone sorted [?]

good luck

[Boardish]

I'm looking at some korean website to try to see prices for apartments/officetels/studios, but since I can't read hangul it's kind of... hard.

anyone can tell me how it works? Let say something like this? http://www.officetel114.co.kr/article/detail.asp?seq=29515&kind=twtroom

What's the deposit? What's the monthly rent?

Thanks a lot

[JDM]

9000만원

1000만원/78만원

$90K US for jeonsae

or

$10K US deposit $780 a month

[JDM]

the pictures arent of the actual place though

[dismalfuture]

yeah, LOL. I think they forgot to take pics of the closet, because that's what you're gonna get for $10K down and $800 a month in Yeoksam-dong.

[Boardish]

Thanks a lot for the info guys! Kind of strange that they don't show the real pictures tough, haha.

I've heard Gangnam was really expensive, so yeah 800$/month doesn't make any sense. At least now I know what to look for in hangul to get the price.

I will probably end up doing a student exchange next year at Yonsei U. I really don't want to stay at the dorms (I need spaaaaaace), and probably looking to get a 2-bedrooms. How much do I need to pay to get something decent?

[dismalfuture]

space? that doesn't exist here. If you want two bedrooms and want to live someplace where your people will bother visiting you (ie not Guro or Itaewon), you can probably get some place in Hongdae that is about ten stacks down and a stack and a half a month. It won't be terribly nice, but it'll be livable.

[thomas_highstreet]

you can get cheaper than that, but you'll need to get a korean budy to find you a place with korean agents.

id reccomend staying in the dorms for a couple weeks whilst you hunt a proper place.

you need a fairly big (compared to uk) deposit to rent anywhere here.

inmho 800$ a month + $10k deposit will get you a place that will certainly be 'adequate' for a single person.. a room + a living room, seperate kitchen etc. but it really depends on what your standards are. if you want something really nice, youll pay for it, just like in any other big city.

[Boardish]

Thanks again!

I've been to Seoul for a short period of time in the past, so I know I won't get something really big. When I said I needed space, I meant a place bigger than an actual dorm that you have to share with someone else. If I go it's going to be for 2 semesters, so it's mentally impossible for me to stay in a tight room for one year. I'm sure I will be able to get some korean help through the university or something.

[aeglus]

I paid 5 mil down and 570 a month (some utilities are automatically paid for) to get my balcony kitchen and somewhat large single room in the Hongdae/Shinchon area. I could have done better but I wanted a quiet place that was clean and well maintained.

[thomas_highstreet]

Thanks again!

I've been to Seoul for a short period of time in the past, so I know I won't get something really big. When I said I needed space, I meant a place bigger than an actual dorm that you have to share with someone else. If I go it's going to be for 2 semesters, so it's mentally impossible for me to stay in a tight room for one year. I'm sure I will be able to get some korean help through the university or something.

if your not too much of a cock ill help you out.

if you just want a private space, you could get somewhere for 400$ a month with 10k jonsei. if i was you id aim to spend somewhere around 500-600$ which will give you a fair balance of cost~-~niceness.

[eddyz]

Thanks for the response guys. I be living at Korea University or nearby. Hope I will find some good places to run there. I'm kind of addicted to long distance

Just another thing. My unlocked iphone 4 will not work in Korea right? I read about this a couple of pages back. Thats sucks

Tons of places to run in Korea, but the shitty air quality makes it unpleasant sometimes.

Your iphone won't work unless you do some registration which is a pain in the butt and is all in korean. I brought my iphone 4 here just to use it on wifi + the subway/bus apps.

At SNU they sell used prepaid's for 50,000 won with 20,000 won of credit, maybe KU has a similar store.

[Boardish]

I paid 5 mil down and 570 a month (some utilities are automatically paid for) to get my balcony kitchen and somewhat large single room in the Hongdae/Shinchon area. I could have done better but I wanted a quiet place that was clean and well maintained.

if your not too much of a cock ill help you out.

if you just want a private space, you could get somewhere for 400$ a month with 10k jonsei. if i was you id aim to spend somewhere around 500-600$ which will give you a fair balance of cost~-~niceness.

It's really appreciated guys. At least I have an idea.

Anyway, if I ever go as I said it's probably in at least a year, probably like 2. So I guess I have a lot of time to think about it. I might even come with one of my friend, so might decide to look for a 2-bedrooms.

Thanks!

[dismalfuture]

my building is pretty good if you're gonna go to Yonsei, it's about a 10-15 reasonably pleasant minute walk if you're gonna go to Yonsei. Most of the people in my building are Ewha or Yonsei students who room two to a room (though it's nicer to live on your own in this place) - loft over a living room/kiitchen/bath, so it's about as much reasonably new living space as you can expect for 10 mil down/1 mil a month. The other places are only 100 less per month or so; they are single floor and don't have the loft so you either sleep in your living room basically, and I don't like that so much. If you see your bed all day you're more likely just to lay in it and rot. lol

[PREV]

Anyone have an honest opinion on the Jukjeon area? Got a job offer out there and I'm seriously considering it.

[dismalfuture]

Well, it's Bundang - figure on drinking beer with your fellow teachers every single weekday night and then hauling it to Seoul with the same people for the weekends. Same as most other ESL situations unless you're some lone wolf, but the location will definitely preclude much partying unless you just want to see Gangnam-yuk all the time and spend $30 to get home per night. I'd personally hold out for something within Seoul city limits at least, with some population density.

[PREV]

Thanks dis. I'll take that into consideration. Not really all about partying everyday of the week but It would be nice to have a ton of options when it comes to shopping/eating out.

[thomas_highstreet]

Well, it's Bundang - figure on drinking beer with your fellow teachers every single weekday night and then hauling it to Seoul with the same people for the weekends. Same as most other ESL situations unless you're some lone wolf, but the location will definitely preclude much partying unless you just want to see Gangnam-yuk all the time and spend $30 to get home per night. I'd personally hold out for something within Seoul city limits at least, with some population density.

solid advice. bundang is gay.

[kcsnacks]

any events happening in seoul + busan between july 3rd - 21st??

got my gf figuring out places to stay though i want to know of any good things to check out during that time that she probably won't know about

cheers.

[JDM]

anyone ever work a part time job at a cafe or bar?

i asked my friend who works at a cafe in hongdae to ask her boss, but he said i had to have exp making coffee and shiz

hopefully they not all like that lol

[ruach]

They aren't. My girlfriend worked at a rather popular place in Hongdae with no experience at all with any of that stuff. Having a good relationship with the people owners/staff is probably a big boost, though.

[ubersaladin]

korean baristas are terrible at making coffee

[dismalfuture]

+1, judging by the quality of food and drink around here, you don't need any training or previous experience.

[Scais]

SUFU SEOUL MEET UP on the 25th-30th? =D

[dismalfuture]

I'm gonna be in America

[kcsnacks]

denim shops in seoul or busan anyone?? or any other store guide? i'll be going to the big markets as well but i'm keen to check out some nice boutique stores

[aeglus]

SUFU SEOUL MEET UP on the 25th-30th? =D

I'm down for that