So I'm sure anyone who reads my posts know, I live and work in South Korea. I've lived here for ten years now and my wife and children are Korean. Therefore, one might conclude that I really love it here. Truth be told that's exactly what the point of today's post. Yes, in some ways I do like living here, and in other ways this place really makes me go Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs.
So I thought I would share with you some of the Pros and Cons of being an expat or foreigner in Korea, and let me take a moment and quantify what I mean by "foreigner".
When I say Foreigner I'm talking about educated/professionals from Western nations. There are many foreigners from Vietnam, China, Laos, Bangladesh, Nigeria etc. here, but there experience is different than what mine , so I can't write too much about them.
The Pros:
Easy to make money and save. As I've written in my previous posts English teaching is in high demand here so an educated person from an English speaking country can somewhat easily get a job here, that will allow them to work and save, as just one example.
It's easy to travel to other countries: Do you love traveling? If so, you're in luck. Korea is surrounded by Japan, China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, etc. Most of these places are cheap to fly to, and can are only a couple an hours away.
You'll get a New Life Experience: South Korea is a 5000 year old civilization. It's language and traditions are the opposite of the Western World. Plus, it also has it's own spin on Western items such as pop music, hamburgers, baseball, soccer (football), etc. Not to mention you have North Korea next door. They always make sure it's never boring here.
Entrepreneurship: Have you ever wanted to own your own business, but you weren't sure what business to start, or maybe the costs of operating a business is too expensive in your own country. Well then I have good news for you. Starting a business in South Korea is a lot less regulated and cheaper than most if not all Western countries. Also, it's easy to find a business idea that'll work in Korea. Many foreigners start up their own restaurants, pubs, English schools etc. here.
It's a high tech modern economy. South Korea is a wealthy, technologically advanced nation. If you love gadgets and convenience then you'll love being here. South Korea is a country that continues to modernize quickly, so every few years you'll see major technological advancements developing here, and be quickly be implemented here.
The food is good. While some of the food here is obviously an acquired taste, other foods such as LA Galbi (Beef Ribs), Bi Bim Bop (Rice with mixed vegetables), and Mandu (steam or fried dumplings) are easy foods for most foreigners to enjoy. Koreans also have their own version of fried chicken that I do like.
You're special. South Koreans still are some what inexperienced with foreigners and thus many are curious about them (especially English speaking ones), and if you can learn a little Korean or in some cases none at all you can make it as a model or TV star here. In fact, one of my friends in the U.S. Army Reserve did part time TV acting in such shows as Secret Garden and Athena: Godes of War before going back to Active Duty. Heck, myself and my family have found ourselves on radio and TV. My youngest daughter, who is mixed was on a local commercial in Yeong Yang this past summer.
Medical treatment is much cheaper here: Medical treatment and many other services such as barbershops, hair salons, messages, auto care etc. are much cheaper than other Western countries. In fact, the medical care here is so much cheaper here, and good that medical tourist packages are available. You can literally take a vacation to Korea, and stay in nice hotels,and such along with getting medically treated for a fraction of the cost of getting the same treatment in America. It's something worth considering, if you have any major surgeries coming up. This also includes plastic surgery, which South Korea is famous for.
Pictured below is a Col-Pop. It cola and chicken together. The cola is on the bottom, with the chicken on the top. It's a popular snack I occasionally like also.
The Cons:
Since no place is perfect it's necessary to cover the cons of living here.
North Korea. This one is easy. The good news is that despite all the talk of war that goes on over here, there hasn't been any serious action over here for decades, although we do experience skirmishes along the border and other shenanigans such as cyber attacks from North Korea.
It's really small. South Korea is only about 100,000 square km with about 51,000,000. There are no great wildernesses to get lost in. Almost every forest is on a mountain that is no more than a kilometer or two from civilization. This also means that land is expensive and cities are crowded. For an outdoor enthusiast like myself who wants to own his own land, this makes me go nuts sometimes.
It's really expensive here. Due to a variety of reasons such as high sales taxes/tariffs, lack of resources, the What Are You Going To Do About It Tax, the Status Tax, etc. shopping here is way more expensive than America and many other countries. For example, it's cheaper to buy most Korean branded electronics in America than the same version in Korea, even though it's made in Korea or next door in China. To be honest this makes enjoying life here more difficult sometimes. You either save up more money to buy something, or just do without. On the other hand services are generally cheaper here than America and other countries.
A low ceiling. Here's the truth about teaching or working in a Korean firm here. The ceiling is low. While it may be easy, and enjoyable teaching at a university or working as a proofreader for some Korean company the truth is you will not advance beyond that level. Most of those jobs are designed as a "tourist" job, which in Rob speak means it's designed for someone to do for a year or two than move on to something else. Therefore there is no career progression, but you can get pay raises before hitting the ceiling in a few years and then it's time to move on.
Well that's all for now. This list can't cover everything and it's somewhat subjective, but I would love to hear your comments.
What do you think?