tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207932011-07-29T04:29:24.260+09:00This blog documents my experiences adjusting to living in S. Korea. This blog will give you tips on what to do and what not to do. You can read about my mistakes so that you wouldn't have to repeat them.Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.comBlogger221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-22705975719159848082008-08-31T00:16:00.002+09:002008-08-31T00:38:10.607+09:00

An easy job for a gyopo to get is a job teaching English. The only criterion is a Bachelor’s degree from a 4-year college or university obtained from native-English- speaking countries such as US, UK, Canada, Australia, etc. Most gyopos that I have come across have come to Korea to teach English for 1 year while connecting with their Korean heritage and then they go back to their home country.

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-75826900091965630992008-01-02T22:45:00.002+09:002008-08-25T13:31:37.859+09:00

A friend of mine who was adopted recommended a link for an organization that helps out adoptees.Here’s the link:http://goal.or.kr/eng/In addition, here's the link that tells how adoptees can get an F-4 Visa:http://goal.or.kr/eng/?slms=room&lsms=1&sl=6&ls=1

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1115821434740801472005-05-11T23:21:00.000+09:002005-05-11T23:23:54.746+09:00

I guess most of my blog entries have shown the bad aspects of life in Korea. However, there are good aspects as well. For example, Seoul offers so many convenience features that I’ll grow to take for granted in not so distant future. I’ll know it when I return to U.S. for a visit and say something like “How come there’s no blah blah blah in the U.S. It’s everywhere in Seoul. Gosh….”The 주상복합

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1115815414873097352005-05-11T21:41:00.000+09:002005-05-11T21:43:34.880+09:00

I was in Kangnam tonight…. Well, I live in Kangnam, so it stands to reason that I’m in Kangnam a lot these days. Anyway, as I was walking down the street, I saw 2 fender benders tonight.The first one was between a car and a truck in front of it. I think the car in the rear bumped into the truck in front during a rush hour stop and go. I couldn’t really see any visible damage. What struck me

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1114681170869950272005-04-28T18:36:00.000+09:002005-04-28T18:39:30.870+09:00

Initially I thought that the smog in Seoul wasn’t so bad and that it was tolerable. After spending a week, I felt that it was bothering me. Some days are worse than others. In those worse days, when I open my window to get some fresh air, I get smog instead. After a month of this, I needed some fresh air. So, I headed over to Namsan. I had visited Namsan a couple of years ago about the same

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1114348926954327162005-04-24T22:14:00.000+09:002005-04-24T22:22:06.956+09:00

In Korea, people are very conscious about recycling. Almost everywhere you see a trash can, there are 2 or 3 different types. There’s one for recyclable cans and bottles, and one for regular trash. In fast food restaurants there are separate trash cans for food trash, regular trash and one for recyclable paper cups as well. The same type of separating trash also applies when you’re throwing

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1114259874399191722005-04-23T21:35:00.000+09:002005-04-23T21:53:22.926+09:00

I picked up my 거소증(Gyopo ID). Actually, it’s been a while, but I’ve just been way too busy to write about it. I went down to Korean Immigration office in 목동(Mokdong) in Seoul. Take subway line number 5, get off at 오목교(Ohmokgyo) station, exit #7 and walk Southwest for about 10 minutes. The documents I needed were:거소증 formMy U.S. PassportCopies of my 호적등본 X 2Copies of my U.S. Naturalization

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1112525260497850812005-04-03T19:45:00.000+09:002005-04-03T19:49:06.473+09:00

You just have to love the fact that there are so many restaurants that deliver in Korea. They deliver everything from Chinese, Japanese, Korean as well as Pizza. On top of that there’s no delivery charge! And, of course there’s no tip—this is Korea after all.When they bring you food, they serve them on the regular plates that they use in the restaurant and wrap them in vinyl wrap to prevent

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1112515799848764752005-04-03T17:03:00.000+09:002005-04-03T17:09:59.850+09:00

I went down to the 출입국관리사무소 (Immigration Office) in 목동(Mokdong) to apply for my 거소증(Gyopo National ID). I dropped off my passport and my application with them for them to process my 거소증. It will take 10 days before I get my passport back. I’ll write more about this later. After I dropped off my passport, I went to 동대문 (Donddaemoon) Migliore and bought some clothes. After this, I sat down on

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1112087983169032252005-03-29T18:14:00.000+09:002005-03-29T18:19:43.173+09:00

There are several different ways of bringing US dollars to Korea. You can bring hard cash, traveler’s checks, or wire transfer. At any rate, if you bring in more than $10,000 USD on you, then you need to declare it to customs when you land. Hard cashCash is the easiest way to bring in money without any fees. But if it’s stolen, too bad. Traveler’s ChecksTraveler’s checks are replaceable if

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1112054930202988032005-03-29T09:08:00.000+09:002005-03-29T09:11:25.386+09:00

Hey, I found a picture of a cute cat!Cute catPosted by Hello

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1112035027511946622005-03-29T03:34:00.000+09:002005-03-29T03:37:07.513+09:00

Well, there I was… at the Samsung Plaza in Bundang at 8 PM. It was about 50F outside. I needed to go south to my cousin’s place where I am staying. I exited Samsung Plaza and went West towards a major road that runs North and South. I saw a whole bunch of cabs drive past me. Most of them were occupied. A couple of them were vacant, but they just drove past me. I’m a California guy and

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1112009600690167832005-03-28T20:31:00.000+09:002005-03-28T21:07:44.650+09:00

Well, I am actually here in Korea now. I have no jet lag because of my careful planning in sleep management but I do have a little bit of a headache. Good thing I packed my Tylenol.Some important things that I’ve packed are:Original USC degree and copiesOfficial transcriptsMy laptop with 220V socket adapterListerineDeodorantsOfficial transcriptsSome hagwons ask for official college transcripts so

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1111600687396563182005-03-24T02:56:00.000+09:002005-03-24T02:58:07.396+09:00

Well, the days are nearing until I get on the plane. Although I’ve been to Korea 3 times already, this time it feels different. This time I’m moving to Korea to actually live there for how long ever that may be. Only time will tell.A new chapter in my life is ready to unfold. I’m both excited to make the jump and a bit apprehensive of trying to blend in with Korean culture. It’s kind of

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1110670917430769742005-03-13T08:35:00.000+09:002005-03-13T08:41:57.433+09:00

Disclaimer: These are my personal interpretations of Korean law through experiences of my 1.5 and 2nd generation friends and relatives. Please use the following information at your own risk and consult an attorney. You have been advised.For official information, visit the Korean Consulate office.The most common types of Visas used by Korean-Americans when entering Korea are:No VisaU.S. citizen

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1110581979159191872005-03-12T07:58:00.000+09:002005-03-12T08:00:50.846+09:00

I was surfing the web and found the following article about a Korean-American born in U.S. who was forced to serve in the Korean military. “Young Jin Chun is an American by birth but he's been plucked by the South Korean army for a two-year stint.”“In Chun's case, it appears a family member -- maybe his paternal grandfather or his father, who is divorced from Chun's mother and lives in South

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1110349438420268862005-03-09T15:11:00.000+09:002005-03-09T15:23:58.493+09:00

Change of plans. I originally decided to fly out to Korea and apply for my F-4 Visa there. But, I’ve read from other people’s blogs that it takes 5 days for them to process the visa in Korea. I didn’t want to spend a week in Korea waiting for the Visa to be processed. I would recommend gyopos to obtain F-4 Visa while they are in the U.S. if possible. There’s less red tape and you don’t have to

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1110076856350331982005-03-06T11:40:00.000+09:002005-03-06T12:09:24.333+09:00

Today I saw 3 kids riding bikes in the parking lot of my Sunny Ridge townhouse parking lot. They all happened to be Korean kids by the way –seemingly recently immigrated Korean kids. The reason why I say that is neither out of any contempt nor condescension, but rather casual observation of how American thinking and Korean thinking differ.In our Sunny Ridge Townhouse complex, riding bikes or

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1109663403771032682005-03-01T16:48:00.000+09:002005-03-01T16:50:03.773+09:00

When I visited Korea in 2000, I had a little funny experience of Konglish firsthand. “Konglish” means a mixture of Korean and English that Korean people use albeit wrongly to communicate. If English was properly used, it might be ok. However, more often than not, it is just bad English. 나는 2000년도에 한국을 방문했을때 직접 콩글리시 를 경험했다. 콩글리시는 한국사람이 한국말과 영어를 합쳐서 쓰는것을 말한다. 그나마 영어를 제대로 썼으면 좋으련만, 이건그냥 bad

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1109472633450567032005-02-27T11:49:00.000+09:002005-02-27T14:59:46.656+09:00

In Korea, areas are referred to as 도시(doshi) meaning urban metropolitan area, or 시골(sigol) which means rural areas. In the U.S., we have something in the middle called suburban. Suburban areas are mostly 1 or 2 story houses, 2~3 story apartments, 1~2 story shopping centers, restaurants, etc. Most of Southern California population live in suburban areas and commute to other suburban areas or

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1109283869044540592005-02-25T07:21:00.000+09:002005-02-26T12:22:10.043+09:00

For the 1.5 and 2nd generation 교포 (gyopo), F-4 Visa allows us to go to Korea and work. Today I got some of my documents ready to apply for my F-4Visa. You can find out all about the F-4 Visa at the Korean Consulate in LA. Also check out Mike's Blog for very important info regarding serving in the Korean military.The only document I’m missing is 호적등본 (hojukdeungbon). And it needs to be

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11020793.post-1109131049495038442005-02-23T12:42:00.000+09:002005-02-23T15:38:52.093+09:00

I was born in Korea and immigrated to U.S. at the age of 11. Growing up in the U.S. as a typical 1.5 generation Korean American, I have gone through the cliché of the 1.5 generation identity crisis of asking myself “Who am I?” Growing up spending Junior High and High school years surrounded by few Korean Americans, I became an American all the while slowly forgetting the Korean language.나는 한국에서

Jonathan J. Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435323695200152434noreply@blogger.com1