Welcome to Korea II

By Deauwand Myers

"I Seoul You" has been roundly criticized as a rather trite slogan for the city's tourism sector. I'm non-committal about it.

The expat experience in Korea is as varied as those within the community. However, consensus has formed in a few areas, and like the last "Welcome to Korea" column, I'll distill some practical information for those new, (and not so new) arrivals to Korea.

Work: The vast majority of expatriates from Western countries working here are in the educational field: private institutions (hagwon), secondary education, or tertiary education. As I have written previously, research the location, reputation, and contract of your new employer long before you accept a job in Korea, or any country, for that matter. But even with all this preparation, let's just say, things don't always go as planned.

Examples: Wages are not paid or withheld, activities far outside the parameters of the contract are expected by the employer, and coercion is used to force the employee's hands, and housing isn't appropriate, or vastly different from what was advertised. Further, discriminatory practices, even after being hired, happen. It can be a daunting task addressing these issues, and being a foreigner without a handle of the Korean language or the legal system can seem impossibly challenging. Regardless of the profession or the situation, there are plenty of tools at your disposal to aid you in the unfortunate case of employers behaving badly. You can seek redress.

The Ministry of Labor is a good place to start: http://www.moel.go.kr/english/main.jsp. Legal aid, pro bono no less, is also available: http://www.korea4expats.com/article-legal-help-korea.html. Further, the website http://www.korea4expats.com/ and the brick and mortar Seoul Global Center and its website, http://global.seoul.go.kr/ are useful resources. Many of these institutions have multilingual services, so foreigners whose first language isn't English can still receive help. Hopefully, a fair airing of differences between the parties will settle most disputes. The aforementioned resources can be sought when all amicable means have been exhausted.

Culture: The Korean government has done an admirable job in getting Korean culture and the treasures thereof properly recognized by UNESCO and the like. Being a country older than the Roman Empire, Korean history is sometimes sad, rich, interesting, riveting, and altogether fascinating. Did you know that Korea is the first country to publish printed books?

My favorite museum in Korea is the National Museum. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has a great site all about the National Museum and its regional affiliates. More importantly, all major (and some minor) festivals, palaces, ''hanok'' stays, artwork and major museum exhibits, cultural performances such as traditional music, song, dance, and Korean plays can be found in one spot: http://www.mcst.go.kr/english/index.jsp. For those in and around Seoul or the Gyeonggi Province area, Seoul has its own official travel website: http://www.visitseoul.net, and a national hotline for travel and tourism and everything in between in multiple languages at 02-1330.

Entertainment: I'm not for drinking or eating to excess, but to each his/her own. Eating in Korea is easy and can be fun. Korea has one of the highest concentrations of eateries of any nation, proportionate to the population. "Hofs," traditional bars that often serve Korean versions of fried or spicy and sweet chicken, dried seafood, and hor d'oeuvres offer endless opportunities to try the local cuisine. Street food, for the braver soul, is also available, even in rural areas. A word about street food: most of it is boiled or heavily fried. Instances of stale or bad food are rare because of this. Other traditional restaurants serving grilled fish, beef, or pork, rice pot dishes, stews and soups, and pizza are also plentiful.

And for the less adventurous, Korea has a large assortment of Western franchises. The usual suspects: McDonald's, Subway, and Burger King are everywhere. But Pizza Hut, Dominoes, Papa John's, Popeye's, KFC, Bennigan's, TGIF, Auntie Anne's (my favorite), Jamba Juice, Starbucks, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and strangely, to great expat fanfare, Taco Bell, are just some of the other restaurants you'll find throughout the country. Many of these restaurants have websites in Korean and English. McDonald's even delivers. Seriously.

There's a Korean-Mexican fusion chain I like started by Korean-Americans: Coreanos, found in Apgujeong Rodeo and Itaewon. And I'm not even a Mexican food fan, but I dig this place. Reach them online at www.coreanoskitchen.com. Further, there's an extensive and comprehensive website dedicated to all foreign food, bars, and the like in the Itaewon/Yongsan/HBC area: www.onlyitaewon.com.

If dancing and romancing is your thing, Hongdae, Itaewon, and Gangnam are great places to research. Itaewon and Hongdae have a variety of bars and dance clubs catering to the expat community. Expect large crowds and lines, particularly during Western holidays. Halloween was insane this year.

You've settled down into a new job. You have a phone. You have friends. Go out and play.

Deauwand Myers holds a master's degree in English literature and literary theory, and is an English professor outside Seoul. He can be reached at deauwand@hotmail.com.