Be kind to yourself and have grace for yourself when you first arrive in South Korea.When you arrive in South Korea, you may find yourself scrambling to acclimate. That’s ok and that is normal. You are dealing with a new language, new culture, new customs, new foods, new co-workers, and often-times a new career. Culture shock is a very real and often painful experience. Taking the time to inform yourself about the world around you will couple perfectly with having grace for yourself and others.
We have also struggled through that pain as well and our mission is to help minimize the struggle as much as possible. That’s why South of Seoul volunteers put together this list of blogs that each shares something we wish we had known in the first three months of our arrival in South Korea. We recommend revisiting these blogs regularly over the first three months because each time you read them something new will stand out.
Information you wish you had? Please leave a comment or message us at southofseoul@gmail.com and we will add it to our list of blogs to post.
Here’s a blog recap for the Pyeongtaek Living 101 Workshops for 2024! We hosted 3 sessions of the Pyeongtaek Living Workshops, each session included 4 different workshop topics over the span of two weeks. Here is how they went. Pyeongtaek Living 101 Workshops Recap The Pyeongtaek Living 101 Workshops were a fantastic opportunity for our … Read more
Feeling pressured to use Naver Maps (네이버 지도) instead of Google Maps while living in or visiting South Korea? Many valid reasons exist for this pressure. Time to explore the differences between these two map systems that provide different levels of access to information in Korea. Culture Shock Around Map Apps in Korea During our … Read more
As a public school teacher in South Korea, I’ve learned that the echo chamber of English language information about Suneung lacks detail. In fact, the English language research and information about the Suneung was so misleading I could find no ethically viable sources for my Master’s thesis. Therefore, I would like to reveal some misconceptions … Read more
Trying to use the Naver Maps app with the English interface? Struggling to find information? Noticing a weird lack of parking or Korean restaurants? English speakers in Korea encounter several common issues when using Naver Maps. In this post, we will talk about Naver Maps and how it handles English UX/UI and the data you … Read more
Did you know that there are two types of realtors in areas near the US Military bases in South Korea? In such areas, some realtors focus on US military-affiliated people while the majority focus on Korean residents. In the following blog post, we will provide a few areas of comparison between the realtors and rental … Read more
Want to arrive in Korea ahead of the game? Take the Pyeongtaek Living 101 Course before you arrive and then sign up for workshops once you are here. It’s a great way to make the most of your time living in South Korea. Keep reading to learn more about the online course for integration in … Read more
Looking for short-term rentals in South Korea? Maybe you want to ski for the season, spend a month at your favorite beach, or need a place to stay between work contracts. Consider renting a dalbangs (달방) / wolbang (월방) (these terms literally translate to monthly rental). You can rent a hotel, pension, or apartment for … Read more
Do you need to register for your personal customs code to order from overseas vendors while living in South Korea? Have you tried to obtain your personal customs code online and experienced difficulties? Do you live in Pyeongtaek? If that’s the case, then you have the option of going to the Pyeongtaek Customs Office in … Read more
Did you know that Pyeongtaek City offers Parking Ticket Alerts via text message for some parking violations? If you register for the Parking Ticket Alerts, you will get a text message (in Korean) from the Pyeongtaek Parking Authority saying something to the effect of, “Move your care in the next (number of minutes) to avoid … Read more
Do you live in Pyeongtaek? Would you like help learning more about the community? We recommend registering for a PIEF (Pyeongtaek International Exchange Foundation) Pyeongtaek Living 101 Courses available in 2024. This year’s curriculum is all new and heavily focused on the Pyeongtaek area. Who Should Register We recommend the Pyeongtaek Living 101 Courses for … Read more
