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InterNations not only helped me finding great business contacts but it moreover helped my family to quickly settle in. What does it take to relocate to South Korea? It may surprise you to learn that moving to the peninsular country is actually quite simple as long as you have all of the right documents prepared. This relocation guide will help you learn how to relocate to South Korea. For starters, did you know that you will not have to pay duty tax on an imported vehicle as long as it arrives within six months of your entry into the country? What about the required vaccines for yourself, your family, and your pets? Our guide walks you through each step of the relocation process so that you can arrive safe and sound in The Land of the Morning Calm, and focus on starting your new, exciting expat adventure. Discover our welcoming community of expats! Attend online and in-person events that bring global minds together. One of the most important parts of any international relocation is how to move household items and belongings to your new country. Luckily, for expats moving to Korea, you will find that customs and import regulations are very fair. You should be exempt from paying duty tax as long as the items are used, for personal use only, and arrive within six months of your entry into South Korea. To move items and belongings to South Korea, you will need to either send them by plane or by cargo ship. The choice between the two is up to you and your needs. Shipping via air will be more costly, but also faster and your items can even arrive the same day as you do. Sending your items via cargo ship is cheaper but will also take several months. If choosing to send your items by water, you will need to keep in mind the six-month deadline in which your items must arrive in order to not pay duty tax. You will need to list on your customs form when you will arrive in South Korea. When the cargo ship carrying your goods arrives, do not head straight down to the port to claim everything. South Korea imports many items via sea and there is often a backlog of cargo goods to get through. Wait until you receive a notification stating that your goods are ready for pick-up. Wondering what to pack when moving to South Korea? As stated before, your household items and goods should be allowed into the country duty-free as long as they are used so remove any price tags , for personal use, and arrive within six-months of your entry into the Asian country. Large amounts of any item will be subject to inspection. When packing for your international move, be sure to create an itemized list and keep a record of what is in each box. This is not mandatory for claiming your goods from Korean customs, but should there be any hiccups, it is best to have this list. The list does not have to be translated into Korean, but it should be in English. To claim expensive items such as computers, televisions, or other electronics, you will need to present your passport. Customs allowances in South Korea are always subject to change. The Asian country is small and crowded, and prone to infectious disease outbreak if every precaution is not followed. Because of this, it is best to consult the South Korea Customs website to ensure you are still able to bring everything that you want to into the country. Korea prohibits and restricts certain items from crossing their borders. If you are arriving from a country with a recent outbreak of a contagious disease, be prepared to have your goods inspected thoroughly, and possibly not allowed entry. If you are planning to move to South Korea long-term, you may want to know if you can bring your own car or motorcycle into the country, or if you will have to buy one there. Luckily, if you do end up having to buy a vehicle in South Korea, you will have a wealth of options. The Asian country is the fifth largest producer of vehicles in the world, and it is the sixth largest exporter. Hyundai and Kia Motors are two of the largest international brands, but the country is also home to Daewoo and Renault Samsung, among many others. It is possible to import your own vehicle into South Korea. To begin the import process, you must be able to prove that you intend to live in the country for at least one year. This can be proven by an employee contract or proof of a family member who already resides in Korea. You can only import small or medium-sized vehicles; mobile homes, trucks, and cars that seat ten or more people are not allowed. Japanese cars are also not allowed. The car must have been owned for at least three months by the person importing it. If your car arrives within six months of your entry into South Korea, it will be considered part of your household items and therefore not subject to duty tax. If it arrives after the six months, it will be subject to inspection and tests for noise, safety, and emissions. Moving to South Korea and looking for long- or short-term storage? Storage facilities will range anywhere from single locker units to large storerooms that can hold home furnishings from multi-room houses. To keep you and your family healthy, you will want to know which vaccinations are required for South Korea. Korea is a highly modernized country with high-quality healthcare. In general, foreigners coming to the Asian country may not need any vaccinations at all as the ones that are required for South Korean immigration are the same that are required for many countries around the globe. It is also recommended to get a regular flu shot. In addition, expats who think they may spend some time in more rural areas throughout Korea should consider getting the Japanese encephalitis vaccine. Japanese encephalitis is not terribly common, but it is easily spread through mosquitoes. There are no health requirements to enter Korea unless you are arriving from a country that has had a recent outbreak of a contagious disease. Expats who suffer from respiratory problems such as asthma should also practice some caution as the air pollution in South Korea can exacerbate these problems. The tap water in South Korea is safe to drink. You may see foreigners and locals alike drinking bottled water, but much of this has to do with taste rather than health. Can you bring pets into South Korea? Yes, you can bring pets into South Korea, and they will not need to be quarantined as long as you fulfill the necessary requirements before moving to the Asian country. When taking your dog, cat, or ferret to South Korea, these animals will all have to meet similar requirements listed below. This number must by 15 digits and be non-encrypted. The microchip must be implanted before a rabies vaccination is administered. If your cat or dog has not had a rabies vaccination within a year before your relocation, they will need to be vaccinated at least 30 days before arriving in South Korea. Rabies shots that last more than one year are not recognized in South Korea. Likewise, if moving with a puppy or kitten, the animal must be at least three months of age when they receive their vaccine. You will be asked to present a certified veterinary certificate to customs agents showing when your pet received the vaccine. This can only be completed by a certified veterinarian. Pets moving from a non-rabies-free country will need to have a rabies titer test no more than 30 days before arrival. Be advised that pets from these countries will most likely be quarantined for 12 hours. Not completing the rabies titer test before arrival will require a longer quarantine period. Please note, if you are moving with five or more cats, dogs, or ferrets, you will need to apply for an import certificate from South Korean Immigration officials. Getting to know other Scandinavian women was so easy with InterNations. We quickly got connected and became friends. Log In. Join InterNations. Join exciting events and groups for expats. Get information in our expat guides. Exchange tips about expat life in South Korea. Vladimir Rostev InterNations not only helped me finding great business contacts but it moreover helped my family to quickly settle in. Connect with like-minded expatriates Discover our welcoming community of expats! An amazing community is waiting for you! Moving and Shipping Household Goods One of the most important parts of any international relocation is how to move household items and belongings to your new country. Prohibited and Restricted Items in South Korea Korea prohibits and restricts certain items from crossing their borders. Prohibited items in South Korea include: narcotics and drugs; fruit; hay; seeds; plants and plant products require a phytosanitary certificate issued by the plant quarantine office of the country of origin; beef and pork must be declared to Customs agents; items considered to be subversive, obscene, or harmful to national security or public interests printed material, films, records, or cassettes ; products originating from communist countries; foreign currency exceeding 10, USD. Restricted items include: firearms, explosives, and other weapons and ammunition; recreational drugs such as opium, marijuana, cocaine, etc; imported wildlife protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species CITES and products made from these animals, such as medicines, handbags, wallets, stoles, taxidermy, and ivory; in addition to the animals protected by CITES, expats may also not bring items made from elephants, leopards, and alligators; precious metals not including gold rings or necklaces used daily ; goods that may threaten the quality of water sources and the growth of saplings. Importing a Vehicle into South Korea If you are planning to move to South Korea long-term, you may want to know if you can bring your own car or motorcycle into the country, or if you will have to buy one there. Claiming Your Car To claim your car, you will need to present the following documents: original certificate of registration; proof of purchase; passport of the person importing the vehicle; proof of vehicle insurance; completed customs declaration form; work permit or employee contract of the person importing the car. Vaccinations and Health Requirements for South Korea To keep you and your family healthy, you will want to know which vaccinations are required for South Korea. What Vaccinations do I need for South Korea? The CDC and WHO both recommend the standard set of vaccinations before traveling or moving to South Korea: measles, mumps, rubella; covid; tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis; chickenpox; shingles; pneumonia; meningitis; polio. Health Requirements for South Korea Immigration There are no health requirements to enter Korea unless you are arriving from a country that has had a recent outbreak of a contagious disease. Vaccinations If your cat or dog has not had a rabies vaccination within a year before your relocation, they will need to be vaccinated at least 30 days before arriving in South Korea. Rabies Titer Test Pets moving from a non-rabies-free country will need to have a rabies titer test no more than 30 days before arrival. Ansan Metasequoia Trekking 2. I love this Metasequoia trail and used to trek here often with friends, hiking club members, or by myself. Let's take a stroll and grab a cup of tea afterward. I can't stay for meals as I'm still in m. We will hike trek across the Bukhansan Mountain Dullegil Course 8. It will be a gentle, refreshing 2. We can have lunch or tea at Starbucks or a nearby restaurant afterward. Please com. See all upcoming events for expats in South Korea. Our Global Partners. Expats in Seoul. Americans in South Korea. Canadians in South Korea. Brits in South Korea. Indians in South Korea. French in South Korea. Germans in South Korea. South Africans in South Korea. Russians in South Korea. Australians in South Korea. Filipinos in South Korea. Moving to South Korea. Moving to Seoul. Join Now.

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Wednesday, February 29, Bits and pieces. Happy leap year day! Feel like playing soccer inside Deoksugung Palace's Seokjojeon? Apparently in the late s you could sort of : At Seokjojeon, for example, an indoor football field was installed in a second floor corridor, according to an article in the June 4, , issue of the JoongAng Ilbo. That article, titled 'Trouble over Deoksu Palace's beauty being marred by indoor soccer field,' can be found here. A civilian operated indoor soccer field installed on the second floor passageway connecting Deoksu Palace's Seokjojeon hall and the art gallery is compromising the elegance of the old palace. So, it wasn't quite inside Seokjojeon, then. The article says a Mr. Jeong had been given permission since April to operate the indoor field charging won per hour in order to prevent those in attendance from engaging in loose public morals in the area. Hat tip to Hamel. Jon Dunbar has a good article about vintage Korean rock music here. Nowadays, vinyl albums of bands from that era cost a pretty penny, with original vinyl from Shin Jung-hyeon rarely available for less than , won, but back in when Hasegawa Yohei first visited Korea, he claims the same records were available for as low as won. Things have changed since , however: 'Every record store owner would tell me the same thing: Japanese record collectors had long since bought up all the really good records. His recent review of the film Champion , which I looked at here years ago, also links to an interesting article about how the fight with Kim Deuk-gu changed Ray Mancini. Posted by matt at AM No comments:. Labels: Film , Foreigners , Music , Sports. Monday, February 27, SMOE to cut high school and middle school native speaking teachers this year. Or so says this Newsis article from February SMOE to cut high school and middle school native speaking teachers this year. SMOE will cut the number of high school and middle school native speaking teachers it places in schools by this year. This is almost half of the native speaking instructors it supported placing in schools last year. On the 24th SMOE announced plans to cut out of the native speaking instructors it currently supports placing in Seoul's elementary, middle and high schools. This does not include teachers supported by local districts which makes for a total of NSETs in Seoul. The current number of will remain in public schools, but middle schools and high schools will see a significant reduction from to 64 and to 30, respectively. SMOE instead will reduce the number of Korean English conversation specialist instructors only by 67, from last year's level of to This measure follows the results of a research service last year which saw more effectiveness in English education over the long term from Korean language teachers who speak English well than native speakers. The results of a survey looking at the actual level of satisfaction with classes by \[Korean\] English conversation specialist instructors showed positive response of SMOE's plan to gradually reduce native speakers on this basis was announced last year. An SMOE official said, 'Results have found that \[Korean\] English conversation specialist instructors are in general contributing to students' practical English education. This and other measures are meant to alleviate dissatisfaction with the reduction of native speakers in schools: short and long term training for English teachers; student-led speaking, listening, reading and writing classes; expanding the proportion of speaking and writing assessment; by implementing demonstration classes in Middle school grade 1 and High school grade 1 where students are divided into English classes of less than 20 students, and through this reducing the number of students per class; and revitializing after school programs by using native speakers. Meanwhile, according to results of research last year by SMOE on the level of satisfaction with native speaking teachers, the most helpful type of teacher in English class selected by students was 'a Korean teacher who teaches well and has good English conversation skills', which was chosen by This despite the fact that original cuts were to total 9. As for this: The current number of will remain in public schools, but middle schools and high schools will see a significant reduction from to 64 and to 30, respectively. Math time again. If the number last year was , and are being cut, that leaves teachers. Mind you, since the high school cuts were off by 30 teachers above compared to the original SBS report, that almost accounts for the difference. Some more numbers: Out of the total number of foreign teachers in Seoul presuming there aren't cuts by district offices Out of the portion funded by SMOE, So, with a As was reported when the budget was passed , it was cut from A possible answer is that a few teachers will be cut from March, with the bulk being cut in September ie. That could account for these figures. If last year's budget for NSETs was When Yonhap announced the final SMOE budget, a follow up report stated that 'next year native speaking teachers will disappear from high schools, as per SMOE's original plan, but are expected to remain at current levels in elementary and middle schools until at least the first half of next year,' and deleted the following paragraph which appeared in its original article: An SMOE official said, 'Allowances were made for middle school native speaking teachers whose contract periods end next August and the budget was expanded again. I probably would have been less optimistic had I known so many middle school teachers were to be cut. The Korean media has been criticizing foreigners working in public school system since the government starting hiring them en masse in As well, the massive increase between and in the number of foreign teachers placed in public schools occurred almost in tandem with an increase in negative press reports about foreign instructors in general. In fact, the number of foreign teachers working in Korean schools almost doubled during from to , a year that saw the largest number of negative media reports about foreigner instructors around Those last two sentences are worth noting, I think, and I'm glad he asked me that question. Had anti-foreign teacher sentiment been as strong as one might think based on some media reports, they would never have been invited en masse into the public school system in the first place. Posted by matt at PM 1 comment:. Labels: Education , Foreigners , Media. Thursday, February 23, Yonhap: 'It's regretful that English education is entrusted to marijuana smoking native speakers'. As I mentioned in Monday's look at the recent marijuana busts which a commenter said took place a month ago , Yonhap - which broke the story at 9am Friday - was obviously having a slow news day. They published a translation at and then published an editorial at 3pm. Needless to say, the editorial did not focus on the children of the rich or leaders of society, and left out any discussion of the possibility that the hagwon instructors arrested may have been on F-4 visas, though that's par for the course. On the 17th the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Foreign Crime Division arrested 5 people, including native speaking instructor and hip hop singer H 34 , for illegally distributing Canadian and locally grown marijuana. The sellers are charged with distributing grams of marijuana in well known language hagwons in the capital area as well as in the Cheonan area from July last year until recently. Among the dozen or so native speaking instructors who were caught, it's become known that one of them had already received a suspended sentence for the same crime. The problem of native speaking instructors smoking drugs like marijuana is not one which just started yesterday. That these unfit people continue to educate our children goes to show that the system for hiring native speaking instructors to work in private hagwons is in itself greatly flawed. Korean society as well is not presently an area safe from drugs. On the 14th, the Korea Customs Service revealed that the smuggling of drugs into the country is increasing. While the drug problem is not serious compared to other countries, our country, which is classified as a drug-free nation, is being used as a drug smuggling relay base by international criminal organizations. As well, the amount caught passing through our country while being smuggled to another country increased from 3kg to 9. Though authorities are intensifying the crackdown on drugs, steps should be taken to protect youth who are relatively more vulnerable to temptation. If the youth, who are our future, are helplessly exposed to native speaking instructors who smoke and distribute drugs, it would be a great problem. With the English education fever currently raging in Korea, the number of native speaking instructors is increasing. These days children learn English from native speakers from kindergarten. One cannot rule out the possibility that native speaking instructors have spread marijuana or narcotics to youth who study in hagwons due to the belief that studying there is the only way to learn English well. The native speaking instructors arrested at this time did not just smoke marijuana - their multi-tiered ring even smuggled marijuana from Canada and sold it on a large scale. This is almost at the level of a criminal organization. How can the recruiting methods be so lax for the instructors who educate weak children who should be protected, and who are the country's future? There are also statistics showing that during the five years from to , 82 foreign instructors were arrested for smuggling drugs like marijuana and cocaine. The fundamental reason for this problem repeatedly occurring is due to issues with the foreign instructor verification system. Currently, tests which can confirm whether native speaking instructors have used drugs are carried out within two weeks of being hired, but arguments that authorities should introduce more sophisticated new drug testing techniques and carry out periodic testing are gaining ground. Authorities should also significantly strengthen punishments against native speaking instructors who smoke drugs and marijuana, as well as the hagwons which illegally hire them. What a great title. The opening sentence, as well, made me smile: 'After a period of quiet, the native speaking instructors' marijuana problem has once again come to the fore. Which, considering that the number of teachers busted each year would rarely top 0. Anyways, moving on: That these unfit people continue to educate our children goes to show that the system for hiring native speaking instructors to work in private hagwons is in itself greatly flawed. It's true that there has been and still are loopholes in the system - just not for E-2s. Last year's amendment to the hagwon law should - once it's implemented - close the loophole for F-visa holders, but will do nothing for Korean citizens who work in hagwons - as native speakers or not - who have criminal backgrounds overseas, as we saw in December. The statistics released on February 14th from the Korean Customs Service will be covered in a separate post. The concept of Koreans being 'helplessly exposed' or more commonly, 'defenselessly exposed' to manifestations of westerners' moral flaws, whether they be drugs or AIDS, has at least 25 years behind it, but I'll delve into more when responding to another editorial on this topic. One cannot rule out the possibility that native speaking instructors have spread marijuana or narcotics to youth who study in hagwons\[. It was reported in October that the Korean Customs Service had submitted material to the national assembly saying that 82 foreign instructors had been arrested for smuggling drugs since They had smuggled 12 kg of drugs worth million won, with 11 cases in , 22 cases each in and , 17 cases in , and 10 cases in As the only cocaine bust involving a foreign instructor I knew of took place in late , I wondered if the inclusion of cocaine was correct in the paragraph above. As it turns out, it is - there was a bust in January , as well as a large one for various drugs in November which involved cocaine. More sophisticated new drug testing techniques were already introduced a year ago. Did they get everything? As for the idea that arguments for introducing more sophisticated new drug testing techniques and carrying out periodic testing 'are gaining ground,' two articles from Yonhap saying this doesn't make it so, but then it's not uncommon in the Korean media for things which look descriptive to actually be prescriptive. This was not the only editorial on this topic - I'll try to post the other one soon. Posted by matt at PM 2 comments:. The Korea Customs Service report on drug smuggling in I hadn't realized the Korea Customs Service had released its drug smuggling stats until I read this editorial ; the report can be found here. Here are two translated graphs provided in the report: According to the report, in there were seizures totaling Smuggling from China and Africa generally involved international crime organizations smuggling methamphetamine, while seizures from the US and Canada usually involved marijuana or synthetic marijuana for personal use smuggled by people like US soldiers or foreign English teachers. It listed three smuggling trends for African criminal organizations were responsible for 4 cases involving 7. There were also much larger shipments in In there were 2 seizures larger than 1 kg totaling 3 kg — in , there were 9 such seizures totaling A second trend was Korea being used as a relay station for smuggling drugs. There were 5 cases of this in totaling 9. The third trend is the continuing increase in the smuggling of new kinds of drugs like synthetic marijuana 41 cases, 3. Also I should add that, much like recent reports of sentences for foreign teachers, US soldiers tried for drug offenses in July and November last year and January this year also received fines or suspended sentences. Posted by matt at PM No comments:. Labels: Crime , Foreigners. Wednesday, February 22, Filipinos: Nannies, maybe; native speakers, no. Currently, about , middle-aged Koreans and ethnic Koreans from mainland China with H-2 visas are estimated to work as babysitters. Families raising one child pay Korean babysitters up to 2 million won per month and Chinese childminders nearly 1. On top of that, a growing number of middle-aged Korean women are looking to become babysitters amid the tightening labor market conditions. If that's how the labor ministry feels, it's hard to imagine the ministry of justice being very enthusiastic, but they're taking a 'we'll get back to you later' attitude at the moment. Also, I imagine that 'ethnic Chinese babysitters' above is a typo, and likely is meant to say 'Chinese ethnic Koreans'. They could also help my daughter learn English. The plan seems to be a good idea. As a Gyeongin Ilbo article titled 'Native speakers are 'Filipinos? Started in in Nowon-gu for students from elementary grade 3 to middle school grade 3, 1. Last September Suwon made a deal with Nowon-gu and from October students were gathered for an identical system in Suwon. It costs 68, won for two months and four students wearing headsets share conversations with an English instructor via the internet. However, when parents who believed the 'native speaker' label signed up for it, they found out most of the instructors are Filipino, which led to complaints because Filipinos are not viewed as being native speakers and are not included in the 7 countries usually included under that label. While there really shouldn't be a problem using Filipinos for video classes, you'd think YBM would have figured out that billing them as native speakers would lead parents here to feel cheated. Posted by matt at AM 5 comments:. Tuesday, February 21, The hunt for Mr. Via this site , as well as Youtube , is this documentary on Interpol's quest to identify the pedophile known as Mr. When he was found in October to be Christopher Paul Neil, a foreign teacher in Korea, it led to both his arrest and to changes to E-2 visa regulations:. Monday, February 20, A closer look at Friday's hagwon instructor pot bust. On February 17, the Korea Herald reported the following: Police said Friday they have arrested and detained five people, including a Korean man with Canadian nationality, suspected of dealing marijuana in two separate drug rings. Police also booked 31 others, including a year-old college professor from the U. The Canadian national, a underground hip-hop singer working as a native teacher of English, identified only by the initial of his name H, allegedly sold marijuana to fellow English teachers from the U. The suspects are believed to have distributed about grams of Canadian and locally-grown hemp in well-known private English education institutions in Seoul and nearby and southern cities since July last year, according to the police. This was in fact simply a reprinted Yonhap article, which was a translation of this Korean language Yonhap article , published at 9am that morning, and the first to break the story. They're quite similar, except for the last two paragraphs: Police argued that the current tests carried out on native speaking instructors within two weeks of being hired, which make it possible to confirm whether they have used drugs, should be replaced with systematic supplementary measures such as new testing methods or periodic testing carried out after being hired. A police official said, 'We ascertained the routes of distribution by questioning the suspects and hagwon officials we contacted. NoCut News published an article with more information and a slightly catchier title: Again, native speaking instructor drug crime H is charged with selling grams of marijuana for 70,, per gram netting 72 million won. The 5 who were arrested taught English mostly to kindergarten students and elementary, middle, or high school students at well known hagwons in places like Seoul, Seongnam, Cheonan, and Asan and got into the 'pot business' to make money for living and entertainment expenses. The police investigation found that there is a step when hiring native speaking instructors in which the hagwon must receive a medical report' including drug test results, but this is often ignored. Police explained that the \[current tests are\] normally only effective in detecting drug use within the past weeks, making it difficult to catch \[users\], and that native speaking instructors who have used drugs can easily find new jobs. If you're wanting to ask, 'Who would pay those prices? NoCut News seems to be, by stating that current tests are 'normally only effective in detecting drug use within the past weeks,' also pushing for periodic drug tests. I'm not sure I'd take seriously the opinion of a paper in regard to drug policy when it posts photos like this to illustrate a marijuana bust: An MBC report included this shot of the press conference given at Mapo police station on the morning of the 17th: It's hard to read, but it breaks down those arrested by nationality, with 9 Canadians, 8 Americans, and 20 Koreans. It also makes clear that 32 were booked without detention, not Newsis also included some shots of the conference: From here. From here. Posted by matt at PM 4 comments:. Labels: Crime , Education , Foreigners , Media. Thursday, February 16, High school students facing 'first grade stress'. At the top of Naver earlier today was a Hankyoreh report stating that, after a first grade high school committed suicide on Tuesday, it was confirmed that another first grade high school student killed himself and one other attempted suicide in Gangnam at the end of last year. Teachers and students agree that the level of stress for first year students is just as bad as that of third year students. Police confirmed that in December a 17 year old student jumped from an apartment building near his house in Gangnam just like in the most recent case. He'd transferred from a school north of the river and ahead of his final exams got drunk one night and jumped. He couldn't adjust to the much stricter atmosphere in Ganngam schools, his marks went down, and he was penalized many times. Students were shocked by his suicide, the vice principle said, and as the school has more students than other schools who don't adjust well, a counsellor was brought in after the incident to concentrate on first graders. Even more shocking was the story from last November of another 17 year-old first grader who jumped out the window of a fourth floor classroom at school suddenly while class was in progress. Luckily, she only suffered a broken leg, and is living a normal school live now. Labels: Education , Youth. Changes in Itaewon over the years. Until recently, the Korean mass media viewed Itaewon as a place of excretory culture, where American soldiers engaged in hedonism, prostitution, illegal drugs, and criminal activities. But in the globalization process, transnational phenomena have become everyday affairs and the cultural particularity of Itaewon is fading. In the s, foreign diplomatic establishments were set up in Itaewon-dong and Hannam-dong, and in , a group of American army apartments were built as a collective foreign residential area in the firing ranges. Itaewon became a comfort zone for American soldiers. Indeed, Itaewon is still widely regarded as Seoul's American military district to the present day. Throughout the s and s, Itaewon had been developed into a densely crowded commercial area with a large number of recreational businesses, earning it the name 'shopping paradise by day, prostitution paradise by night. It was the general assumption that the U. Therefore, many Korean women regarded marriage with Americans to be an upgrade of life. Much of this is in accord with the Kyunghyang Sinmun article. Things began to change with the Olympics on there horizon. Here is a September 28, Korea Times article pitching Itaewon to tourists during the Olympics: It mostly focuses on shopping, but the post Olympics era brought on changes for Itaewon, including problems with providing cheap, authentic made-in-Korea clothes, which led to knock-offs which were eventually cracked down on by authorities. There were other changes as well: Ms. Yi says that after the Olympics and into the s, there was a change in the consciousness of the women working as waitresses in Itaewon. In the s, female college students working part time in Itaewon preferred to travel to the U. There began a pattern of student employees working for 6 to 12 months in Korea and then leaving for the U. With the liberalization of travel overseas and the rapid growth of the Korean economy, as well as a general change in social consciousness, the dreams of marrying Americans lost a great deal of their appeal. They were angry that the government first behaved as if it were satisfied with earning dollars, but that once Itaewon became famous, the government treated the neighborhood as if it were corrupt. Most of the discourses that exist on Itaewon masculinize the foreigners in Itaewon and feminize Itaewon as a place that provides women and pleasure. The identity of Korean women in Itaewon encounters a clash in the presence of Korean men. The owners of recreational businesses in Itaewon have asserted that Itaewon's clubs should be made into foreigner-only establishments. According to them, Korean men cannot bear feeling like they are being served worse than the foreign male customers by Korean women or watching Korean women leave their table to greet foreigners. They say that it is not hard to see drunken Koreans creating a scene and screaming that it is anti-nationalist for Korean women to provide better service to foreign men in Korea. Such behavior shows the patriarchal and male-centered idea that Korean women belong to the nation-state or are a property of Korean men. The tension around the territory of Itaewon is manifested as a struggle over who owns Korean women, rather than the direct confrontation between the American army and Korean men. Sin and Ms. Yi, both owners of recreational businesses, say that when Korean men come to a bar or club in Itaewon, the night usually ends in a brawl. This indicates an underlying competition over territory in the frontier zone, with women as the medium. Of course, the research for this article is likely more than ten years old, and even by , things were changing, as this lengthy Joongang Daily article from , about how more Koreans were starting to go to Itaewon, points out: John Yoo, a year-old Korean having dinner with his wife at Le Saint-Ex, says that the perception of Itaewon has changed. His wife, who is a few years younger, disagrees. Chong, who has had a tailor shop in Itaewon since , holds administrative positions with the Korea and Itaewon Special Tourism Zone Associations. He recalls that in the s and s, Itaewon was a seedier place, full of bars with strip shows and open prostitution. With the rapes, fights and violence that occurred there between GIs and Koreans during that time, Itaewon got a reputation as a dangerous place. At that time, Mr. Why do you meet a GI? For what? No one thinks that way anymore about Korean women who come to Itaewon because the neighborhood has changed, he says. A friend who had been away from Korea for three years told me he was surprised by the number of Koreans he saw in Itaewon late at night. Perhaps part of the reason for the increase over the last year has been this song and video , though I imagine it both captured a bit of the already-existing move in that direction, and propelled it further. Posted by matt at AM 4 comments:. Labels: Foreigners , Media , Urbanism. Tuesday, February 14, Itaewon in An unfamiliar foreign zone within Seoul. The French foreign language teacher scandal of Prelude 1: The Law 'Limiting Aliens' Residence Period' and banning 'unqualified' foreigners from working. Prelude 2: 'Koreans have a weakness for Foreigners' Prelude 3: 10, illegal sojourners or immigration cheaters The photo is not related to the article. Taken the afternoon of July 21 in Itaewon. If you turn left from Banpo Negeori, where the statue of General Coulter used to stand, you could suddenly find yourself believing that you were in the downtown of some western city in America. On both sides of the street stand shop after shop, all with English signs, where a white women in shorts speaking English bargains with a Korean clerk in a clothing store. As well, a large black man passes by walking arm in arm with a slim figured Korean woman who looks like a university student. Seoul Yongsan-gu Itaewon. To be exact, the streets between Yongsan-gu Itaewon1Dong beonji and beonji make up a 'foreign country zone in Seoul' and an 'Ethnic exhibition within Korea,' where foreigners living in Korea gather. It is a place where street vendors who shout, 'Good Price Cheap ,' a shopping area more advanced than Myeong-dong, and clubs and bars for foreigners' 'nighlife' coexist. Tourist and shopping area Itaewon began to prosper as the foreign village of today in , when the US 8th Army st Evacuation Hospital moved to the 8th army barracks. After that, around 10, civilians, DOD civilians, and hospital employees moved to the area and were followed by merchants, and the shopping area began to develop. In the mid s luxurious houses reserved for foreigners and also high class houses were built at the foot of Namsan above Itaewon-ro street. Itaewon's shopping area exudes a foreign atmosphere. Kim's Variety Shop, U. Kim Tailor, Portrait and Gift Shop, etc. Along the 1. The Itaewon shopping area has become an attraction for famous people who always come to the area when visiting Korea. Last year when President Reagan visited Korea he sent an attendant to U. Kim Tailor to have two suits made, and Secretary of State Shultz personally visited the area to shop three times. Tax authorities estimate that sales in the area total more than 50 million dollars a year 40 billion won. The number of foreign residents that could be identified in the area by the authorities at the end of June were 7, people from 59 different countries. Japanese and Chinese, however, do not usually set foot in the Itaewon shopping area. Residents say this is because of a 'White complex' towards white people. However, of the 7, people, legal sojourners holding resident visas such as resident foreigners, company employees, and USFK family members from 29 countries have been identified. Separate from these are also an estimated 10, foreigners who have overstayed their tourist visa period or are living as illegal immigrants. Foreigners who are long term sojourners on tourist visas game the system by going to Japan for a day or two when their 60 day visa stay is up and returning, extending their stay for another 60 days. There are also many illegal sojourners whose visas expire and who live unconditionally \[in Korea\]. Why do they linger around the Itaewon area and not leave Korea? Vagabonds make a living finding jobs as English translators or earn living expenses by working as English conversation instructors or teaching private lessons. In Thomas 29 finished his service in the US Eight Army and returned home to Illinois where, he said, 'There was no work and nothing going on, so I returned to Korea to live. Also, in his area, he hinted that, 'I also have friends who date and teach English to Korean girlfriends who have lots of money, and they get adequate pocket money. There are many cases where, because American soldiers or vagabond foreigners have been approached out of curiosity or a vague longing by young women, they have enjoyed themselves without spending a cent. Miss Gang 24 , a prostitute who serves foreigners, complained that, 'Because of these kids who spend their own money and chase after them, the money we receive for sex is only dollars, the same as it would have been 10 years ago. There are even teenage girls From January to June this year, the Seoul Yongsan Police station dealt with crimes by foreigners. The police station or local police box deal with one or two incidents of assault by foreigners in Itaewon's Texas alley every day. The cause of most assaults are trifling incidents like when disputes arise over treading on another's foot while dancing, and the inability to understand each other turns into a fist fight. As well, among foreign vagabond criminals there are shameless crimes like taking money from women in their 20s on the pretext of international marriage. There are sometimes violent incidents by uneducated blacks such as the rape of women as well. The night in Itaewon increasingly exudes an exotic atmosphere and changes into an entertainment area. Within a m radius of the fire station are night streets where prostitutes for foreigners engage in pleasure activities like in the camp towns of Suwon or Pyeongtaek. So-called business girls, 'enjoyment tribes' of women and teenage girls, soldiers who have emerged \[from their bases\] and foreign vagabonds engage in revelry there. It's 9pm on the 21st in a club on the so-called Texas Street. In a club which has a sign which clearly says 'foreigners only,' about 30 \[Korean\] women in their 20s shake their bodies to the constant disco music. Women who pay no heed to the \[sign\] restricting entry for Koreans enter and are not stopped at all - only Korean men are stopped. Because it's early evening, there are almost no foreigners on the stage, and only Korean women dance excitedly while foreigners just watch. At the club, Ms Yun 21, D University 3rd year , who was drinking beer with a friend, said, 'When you come to Itaewon, it feels like the sense of freedom you'd get going to a foreign country. Park dreams of does not only have a happy ending. International marriage agency South America Moving Corporation \[? Wearing a bitter expression, he also said, 'When you see the unbearable sight of girls who come from university who fall only for the the appearance of white people who seem to be imbued with 'ladies first' kindness and then marry badly, even one's sense of national pride is ruined. So, Itaewon is an 'ethnic exhibition,' foreigners commit crime and live in Korea illegally, girls following foreign vagabonds around is 'pathetic,' marriage with them for their appearance leaves 'one's sense of national pride \[ Good to know. Note also that one can make a million won from teaching English, and 'date and teach English to Korean girlfriends. Posted by matt at AM 3 comments:. Monday, February 13, foreign crime statistics. The Korea Times published an article titled 'Police to crack down on foreign criminals' you mean they weren't before? Worried about terrorist attacks by foreigners at an upcoming Nuclear Security Summit, Police also plan to deploy more officers to areas highly populated with foreign nationals at night and on weekends to deter possible criminal activities. Ignoring the Discovery Channel-esque quality of that last sentence, wouldn't that be when most criminals are active? Or do Korean gangsters act in broad daylight because of their 'special relationships' with the police? The Times didn't publish all of the statistics from this story found in the Korean language press. Using the Hanguk Ilbo's article , let's break down the stats: In , 22, people out of 1,, foreigners in total were arrested - a crime rate of 1. In , 26, people out of 1,, foreigners in total were arrested - a crime rate of 1. As the article notes, the number of foreigners arrested went from 22, to 26, - an increase of The foreign population at that time grew from 1,, to 1,, - an increase of And, for the more pertinent figure, the crime rate among foreigners went from 1. The article lists Itaewon, Daerim-dong in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Garibong-dong in Guro-gu, and Wongok-dong in Ansan as as 'the four main areas where foreigners are concentrated. It should be noted that those arrested there in made up It also said that out of a total of 3, people arrested for violent crimes, , or The Times didn't bother to mention the four areas, describing them only as ' Itaewon and other districts. I haven't seen any statistics for the Korean crime rate last year, but in previous years the foreign crime rate has been about half that of the Korean crime rate. As for Itaewon, I'll be delving into a bit more of its history, and Korean perceptions of it, tomorrow. Labels: Crime , Foreigners , Media. Chungcheongnam-do to require teaching certificates for all NSETs. On February 8, Daejeon City Journal published the following article : More than half of Chungcheongnam-do native speaking teachers do not have teaching certificates. Accordingly, the Chungcheongnam-do office of education plans to have all native speaking assistant teachers placed in the province have teaching certificates by the end of the year. Posted by matt at AM 1 comment:. Thursday, February 09, 'Koreans have a weakness for Foreigners'. Its subject, Mr. Hadkyn, is mentioned in two articles here and here that make up part of the reaction to the ' French foreign language teacher scandal of ' I've reorganized the links at the top of that post, and will later add this to the 'preludes' section. He was managing to follow the questions detectives asked in a mix of English and Korean, and he was obediently answering in a mix of English and Korean. A handsome man with a slim figure, his name is John Hadkym. He's 37 this year and his crime is embezzlement using lost property, document forgery, and accompanying charges. Hadkym picked up off a street in Itaewon 5 credit cards including a 'Diner's Card' lost by Mrs. He continued his criminal acts of posing as someone else until the 7th when an employee at the Korea branch of 'Diner's \[club\]' received a theft notice from the main office and contacted the police, who caught him. Hadkym, who dropped out of university in his hometown of San Francisco and had nothing better to do, eventually ended up in Korea last May for the purpose of 'tourism. For one year he had no job and lived and ate for free. However, instead of looking shabbily dressed, he looked impressive and robust. His secret was simple. Hadkyn added, 'I know that there are hundreds of foreigners in Korea like me. I like how the writer indirectly asks that important question at the end. Before any of this can be considered, however, one must stand up and have some self respect. These same themes worship of English as a sickness, being overly kind to foreigners, the need for self respect would come up again 21 years later during the response to the English Spectrum incident. Newer Posts Older Posts Home. Subscribe to: Posts Atom.

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