Tourism in Korea--The 63 builing (part 1)

The 63 building was once proclaimed the largest in Asia in the mid 1980s, but is now a mere memory of what used to be. It still remains a very popular tourist attraction within the city of Seoul. Although I feel Seoul is somewhat lacking in tourist attractions, the 63 building is well worth the visit if not for its lovely views over the capital city of South Korea, for its mediocre aquarium in the basement levels. Today, the 63 building no longer boasts the title as the tallest. It is currently the 3rd largest building in South Korea.To get to the 63 building, get off at Yeouido station (purple line 5) exit 4. Or take Yeouinaru station (purple line 5) exit 5. There will be signs at each exit pointing you in the right direction. I suggest walking on a nice day to see the coporately sponsored sculptures in this business district, also known as 63 city. Unfortunately, the site is funtioning on and off, but if you happen to catch it on a funcitoning day : 63 building homepage. Otherwise, this site is a great reference for information on the building and what there is to do and/or see there.

The particular day that I chose to visit the 63 building, there was a temporary exhibition on the Skydeck that overlooks the city. It's quite vast and was armored with an Asian clichee...Hello Kitty! Ranging from Robokitty to B-boykitty, Hello Kitty was portrayed like you've never seen her before!
Not only was there a cornucopia of Hello Kitty art/scultures, but the 63 building is one of THE places to go to see some breath-taking views of the city.

Out and about in Seoul--Yeouido

Yeouido is known as a very modern business district and is the home to a few attractions including the 63 Building, a water park (for those hot summer days) and the Han River park. Before the end of summer and the unpredictable fall weather approached, some friends of HSK made the trek to Yeouido to enjoy the lovely weather and a picnic. The afternoon included a potluck picnic, bike riding around Yeouido park, and a nice stroll along the banks of the Han. Enjoy the pictures!

To get to Yeouido Park, take the subway to Yeouido Station (purple line 5) and go out exit 3 towards the National Assembly, AKA the Roman style building with a big green dome.
Renting bikes at Yeouido park is pretty inexpensive. Expect to pay about 8,000 KRW for a tandem bicycle and a locker for one hour. There are bike trails that weave through the park and offer grassy knolls to pop a squat and enjoy some ice cream or just the company of your tandem bike partner.
To get to the Han River in this part of Seoul (Yeouido), take the purple line 5 to Yeouinaru Station and exit at gate 2 or 3. Directly upon exiting you will see the river!

A survey for expats in Korea

A well-known blogger, Stafford Lumsden (aka the Chosun Bimbo), has created a survey in conjunction with other Korea bloggers to gather some information together in order to get a better idea of how to serve the expat community in Korea.

If you'd like to participate and voice your questions/comments/concerns, please visit the link below!

Click here to proceed to the survey

A Korean apartment part 2

In an earlier post, you read about and saw pictures of an example of a Korean apartment. Here is another example of a Korean apartment in Seoul, a little larger in size and...with a balcony! :D
It's still a studio (meaning the bed/living room/dining room/kitchen are all one), but it's a lot more spacious then the first apartment you saw. This particular studio is about 14 pyong in size (about 500 square feet or 46 square meteres.)This is a Korean balcony. It isn't open air like a balcony that you might find in western countries. They are typically a bit smaller and equipped with a drain and faucet to hook up a washing machine. They're also quite convenient as they sometimes provide a good space to hang your laundry out to dry and much more!

Getting a custom-made suit in Korea

As an English teacher, you may or may not be required to wear formal, professional attire to work. Even if this is not the case, for all you men out there, you might be interested in getting a tailor made suit at an affordable price. There's several stores offering this service, but as a foreigner who doesn't speak Korean, you may be somewhat limited if you can't get a Korean to go with you as your interpretor.

In Itaewon in Seoul, there's a great spot called Hahn's suits. It's just at the entrance of Itaewon coming from the direction of Express Bus Terminal. (Right around the corner from McDonald's, walk straight out of Itaewon station, exit 4 until you come to the end of the street. The boutique is on your lefthand side.) Mr. Hahn comports himself with the utmost professionalism and makes the greatest effort to cater to your needs.

Hahn's Suits has got a wide variety of materials and textures to choose from along with multiple style selections. His English is impeccable, so any miscommunication about what you want is unlikely. He offers an initial consultation during which you let him know what you're looking for in color and style. He'll take your measurements and then about 1 week later, you can come back for a fitting and alterations. A week or so after the first fitting, Mr. Hahn invites you back to pick up the final product.The approximate cost for a 2 piece suit and 3 tailor made collared, button up shirts is about 450,000 KRW, which is well worth the quality and service that you receive at his store. Mr. Hahn also offers tailor-made items for females!!!

Cafes--Angelinus

You'll notice upon arrival that Korea is littered with coffee shops. You may even see a Starbucks on top of a Coffee Bean or 2 Ediyas within a one block distance of each other. It's true, Koreans love their coffee and cafes are hotspots to hang out with friends, meet a significant other, or just get some blogging in (one of my personal favorite past-times.) One cafe among many chains here in Korea is Angel-in-us...because coffee is the nectar of the heavens???

Pretty much anywhere you wander, you're likely to come across an Angel-in-us. They offer the standard espresso blended beverages and teas along with cafe treats such as muffins, cakes and other various pastries. When you step into one, you'll notice its cutesy interior and angel adorned decor.
One thing you may notice about Korean cafes in general, is their lack of house-brewed coffee. On the occasion that you do find a cafe that offers brewed coffees, the pickin's are usually slim. Sometimes, the Yirgacheffe, French and Italian blends can be found in small Korean cafes that also serve alcohol.

The Korean Alien Registration Card

While communicating with someone from HandS Korea, you may have heard talks of a certain Alien Registration Card, or ARC. No need to worry about it too much prior to your arrival to Korea. It is something that all long-term staying foreign nationals in Korea are required to have. All client schools of HandS Korea will help you obtain this final part of registration as an temporary citizen here in Korea.

Here's a break down of how it'll work :

- You'll arrive in Korea and within the first couple of weeks that you begin working, you'll make a visit to a Korean hospital/health center to get a general physical to get a public health statement. (It's required in order to get the actual ARC.) You should expect a blood and urine sample, vision exam, and chest x-ray. This costs approximately 50,000 KRW and your school may or may not pay for this.


- A representative of your school will take you (or go for you) to the Korean Immigration office nearest to your school. For this visit, you'll need the public health statement (that you got at the hospital), an original university degree/diploma, 2 passport photos (you can get them in the subway at a photo booth for about 5,000 KRW), passport, your school's business registration number/certificate (your school will provide this). *Optional--10,000 KRW : Your school may or may not pay for this fee.

- Once these documents are processed, anywhere from a couple of days or a week later, you'll receive a happy little credit card-sized card that will serve as a means of valid, Korean identification for you! (Some nightclubs/bars and all casinos will ask you for your ARC or passport.)

HSK Restaurant Review--Star Chef

When starting off as an English teacher, you may find yourself consuming just as much (or more) ramen than you did in college. This may be because Korean ramen (ramyeon 라면) is awesome or your budget is tight in the first few weeks. Once the apartment deposits are finished being deducted, you may be ready to treat yourself to something other than the beloved ramyeon that you've slowly, but surely gotten tired of. If you're looking to treat yourself, Korea's got loads of gourmet restaurants that are moderately priced to extremely over priced. Kissmykimchi had been suggesting that we try this new highly touted fusion restaurant near Maebong station (orange line 3, exit 4) to put to the test the rants and raves we had been hearing through other Korean bloggers.
The interior of Star Chef was simple and inviting. The decor consisted of random posters advertising what I assumed to be the products used in their menu. The seating itself wasn't the epitome of comfortable (wooden picnic tables and benches), but what they lacked in decor, they made up for in the food!Despite the trouble we had finding this out of the way gem, we were not disappointed in the least. We arrived somewhat early before the customers who had RSVP'd for later dinner times. The hostess was very accommodating and offered us a quiet table before the dinner rush arrived. She kindly offered us an English menu, which was of great relief to our tired brains. The menu was quite extensive and included Western as well as Eastern dishes. We began with a complimentary appetizer of blanched broccoli with bacon bits. The three of us opted to order 3 dishes and share amongst each other. Our plates of choice were : Bulgalbi and Grilled Mushroom Organic Vegetable Salad, "Orgasm" Sausage and Potatoes with Sauerkraut, and Million Won Samgyeopsal Jjim with Stir-Fried Aged Kimchi. All dishes were perfectly balanced with an ample amount of each ingredient and without too much of any one ingredient to overpower the dish. My personal favorite was the "Orgasm" Sausage and Potatoes with Sauerkraut; a German-inspired dish that really hit a homerun in my book.

Bulgalbi and Grilled Mushroom Organic Vegetable Salad

"Orgasm" Sausage and Potatoes with Sauerkraut

Million won Samgyeopsal Jjim with Stir-Fried Aged Kimchi

*Dishes range in price from 20,000 to 40,000 KRW. If you're interested in paying a visit to Star Chef, I would highly advise a reservation! 02.529.8248