December 15th, 2021
So, after living in Korea for almost 3 years, I have decided to put together reasons why I like it here - things that make life better.
Health Care
I love that I have affordable health care. I do have to pay about $130 US a month to have this coverage. They will remind via messages and paper notices when it is time for regular check ups. I had mine this year and in total spent about $80 out of my own pocket. This covered many tests, like blood work, an ultrasound, a mammogram, a pap, x-rays, urine and fecal samples, and an endoscopy.
I've also had a severely sprained ankle that cost around $50 US which included multiple x-rays, a boot, bandaging, and a prescription. I can get my birth control over the counter without a prescription and it is less than $10 a box.
The doctors are all specialized in their field so you just go to a "hospital" that coordinates with the area of the body that you need checked. You can go in for most things without a prior appointment and you can easily be in and out in 20 minutes or less. One of the best things is that they will also tell you up front how much any procedure will cost with or without insurance. Plus, most doctors have some level of English so it is helpful that you will likely find someone in any office that has some English skills.
Banking
I am impressed with the way that the banks and financial institutes run here - at least for a nobody with little money. All transactions are immediate. If you make a purchase using your bank card, it is deducted immediately. There is no more waiting a few days to see if/when your account will be charged and risk that pesky overdraft fee.
This also works the other way - receiving money. When someone does a refund or sends you money it is received and available immediately. There is no waiting for funds to clear as the funds have already been guaranteed.
I am assuming they must have some of the most secure banking practices as bank account numbers are offered to people like a phone would be in the US. Anyone can send/transfer money to and from any bank. If your friend uses their card to pay for a meal because it's easier than splitting it at the register, just jump onto your banking app with ABC Bank and send your amount to your friend at XYZ Bank. No fees, instant transfer, and easy (of course AFTER you have maneuvered through the challenging installation, installation, and security to set up the app).
I have not yet encountered any banking fees here even when I was not receiving an income for a month. My US bank charges me $15 every month because I don't have a set amount of direct deposited funds.
Transportation
You can go to almost every corner of this country using public transportation. I take a bus every day to work which costs me less than $3 US round trip. A 10-15 minute taxi is usually about $8 US. The best thing about these is that there are apps for the city buses, the intercity buses, to hail a taxi, to take a train, and even the subway. You will get times and prices for all of these on your handy dandy phone. If you have a bank account here, you can connect your bank card to use for all of these modes of transportation. Otherwise, you just purchase and load a card at a local convenience store.
Most of the city buses run fairly regularly and often there are a few buses that are going in the same general direction. I rarely have to wait longer than 10 minutes to catch a bus. Almost every bus stop is equipped with a reader board that tells you how long until your bus comes. Taxis are literally everywhere and when you can't find one, use the app. Probably safer than Uber or RideShare services in the US - except they sometimes drive like they are Mario Andretti.
The subways are also usually every 5-10 minutes depending on the size of the city that you are in. I have not ever seen one that is dirty really but I have heard occasional stories of the homeless or drunks that have their moment on the carriage.
One of the most interesting things about the public transportation experience is that people are often very quiet while riding. There is some cultural rule that it should be a calm and quiet ride. I have even seen people yelled at by the bus driver because they were talking even at a low voice.
You can take various speeds of trains across the country to many cities or towns. Depending on the distance that you are going, it can be a fast and inexpensive way to travel. A fast train from Seoul (north) to Busan (south) is usually $50 US and the slower trains can be around $30 US. The trains and subways are easy to navigate and almost always on time.
WiFi
The internet here is not exaggerating when they claim that it is the best in the world. Yes, it is a small country but very mountainous. I have been on FaceTime while in the middle of a hike in the mountains. I can honestly never recall a time that I have ever not had signal on my phone. You will still experience occasional issues but often it depends on the model of your phone and the phone plan/company that you chose. My monthly unlimited phone plan is $70 US which is not really cheaper than back home, but a whole hell of a lot more reliable.
The wifi service for a residence is usually just as good. Some buildings will combine the wifi for all residents and this can pose some issues for slower or more patchy services but it costs less than $20 US per month. Amazing! Your cable can be included and still pay under $30 US monthly.
Plus, the majority of businesses provide customers free wifi. Most will have a password but once you have set it up, your device should remember it unless they change it - which is rare. Many people have very limited data on their phone plans here because of how easily they can access wifi.
Safety/Security
Still baffled by this. You can 98% of the time leave your cell phone or computer sitting on a table in a public space while you step away to go to the restroom or order something more. If someone drops money or a card, people will usually leave it there and not touch it in the event that the person returns for it. I have left my cell phone in a taxi a few times and they driven back and returned it to me (often for a small fee to cover their lunch or a coffee).
As a single woman, you can walk around most places at any time of the day or night with little concerns. There are cameras everywhere, even on parked cars that are recording while they sit. You can be drunk or sleep anywhere in a public place and you are usually left alone and your items will still be with you when you come to. There are codes to enter most houses, apartments, and buildings and more cameras.
The only thing that I've really ever heard stolen with high regularity here is bicycles. Definitely a good place if you are looking to travel alone. As a female though, never let your guard down too much as there are still many sexual predators here.
Office/Business Placement
Nearly every building you pass by will have at least one business located within. Many of them will have a business or two downstairs and apartments/living space upstairs. This means that you are hardly ever far from anything. And then there are buildings with multiple floors that have many businesses. Just in the building that I work in there is a grocery store, multiple academies, a Starbucks, restaurants, various doctor's offices, a hair salon, pharmacy, bowling alley, gym, cell phone store, and that is all that I can think of. Some business have vacated leaving empty spaces all over but it's difficult to tell.
Just on my way to work I can visit a bakery, a butcher, a choice of many coffees/teas, grab donuts, have ice cream or a fast food meal, visit a store similar in price to a family dollar yet almost as convenient as a Walmart, see a doctor or dentist, get a nice hotel room with tub, go to a singing room, exercise in various ways, do my banking, stop by a convenience or stationary store, or even drop in at one of the many beauty supply/make up stores. The convenience of having everything so close is amazing and I feel like I have been in a dark hole my entire life.
Cafes!!
This is probably one of my most favorite things here. I am not a coffee drinker so I was surprised to find myself collecting new cafes to visit as time allowed. The cafe culture here is often a place for taking photos, great aesthetics/scenery, and if you're really lucky - good food and beverages.
There are cafes specifically for kids where parents can drop their kids off for a couple of hours and they will be supervised by the staff while mom or dad runs errands or has some quiet time. There are so many kinds of animal cafes, mostly cat and dog cafes where you can go pet or play with the animals. One that I visited had meerkat, raccoons, cats, and even a deer just roaming around together. Book cafes, themed/color cafes, cafes that specialize in a specific dessert or beverage, cafes set up like a time/place in history or in the world. I always go mainly for the atmosphere and occasionally I get lucky and get one with something amazing to eat. I will travel far and wide to visit cafes here and I mark everyone of them on my map in case I want to go later.
Cuteness
You can find cute things to buy and see everywhere. You can find a cute place nearly everywhere set up for you take photos - even in the middle of the mountains or a ghetto. There are museums or places to take cute pictures. Stores galore that sell adorable plush toys, phone cases, pencils, even adorable foods. I buy more pointless crap here than I should. Even the Daiso (the local store like a Family Dollar) is amazing!
Drinks are cute, animals are dressed in cute clothes, little babies and toddlers have squeaky shoes and are super cute. Couples are more cute with each other than handsy like you may see in a western country. The ice cream cakes at Basking Robbins are way too cute as with most cakes or desserts here. Even when receiving a delivery order you may receive a cute little handwritten note asking you to enjoy your food. Heck, most Korean appliances will talk to you or sing to you in a cute little voice. It is literally cuteness overload but I don't hate it.
Customer Service
This is usually very good here, unfortunately the reasoning is more of a dark one. Koreans hate to lose face or be looked down on. Don't dare give a bad review online because there are actually defamation laws that could be used against you.
Example of good service. I accidentally placed an order for what I thought was for a delivery meal when in reality I selected pick up. I am a cool 20 minute subway ride from the restaurant. Well, I ordered at 9:45pm and the store closed at 10pm. The store stayed open waiting for me (one solo person) to came pick up my food. At 10:30 the store decided to call me to see where I was. Even though the conversation was only in Korean all 5 times they called, they were willing to talk to a friend who would call them then call me to tell me the situation. This continued for about 15-20 minutes. Finally, around 10:50pm, it was decided that because I still wanted the food, they would call a delivery driver to have it delivered. Something like this would NEVER have happened in the US. after 10 minutes max they would have closed up, trashed or taken the food home, and not refunded or offered any further assistance.
This country is also big on giving you extra stuff at stores. I have received a cute umbrella for free when buying donuts at Dunkin' Donuts, calendars and cups at coffee shops, even a handkerchief and canvas bag at a book store. The "free", "service", and even "plus one" (buy one, get one) culture is always abundant. Again, the whole goal is that a company or business is always trying to be better and save face - as long as you are the consumer it is almost always guaranteed. Heck, I even liked an ornament on a tree at a donut shop and they took my phone number so that the store manager could message me with the location that she purchased it. Over the top - but I don't hate this either.
Technology
Most of the things using technology is pretty amazing. You may encounter robots at a museum or at the airport. Self ordering kiosks at fast food restaurants or self checkouts in various languages. The Korean cars, even the cheaper Kia, are equipped with cameras and many standard features that would cost an arm and a leg in the states to "upgrade" to. Their digital Covid system is pretty efficient. Heating the floors in winter instead of centralized heat from a vent. The hotel key cards that will turn off all electronics once the card is removed and often saves your settings when you return. I haven't had the opportunity to use many things based on the lack of need or finances for home technology.
Beauty Supplies
This culture is super obsessed with personal image and aging well - and slowly is definitely important. There are so many stores set up just for this like the beauty supply section of a Walgreens. These products are often very good if they are Korean made. Even the lotions from the cheap Daiso are often good quality. While some products are a little pricey you will likely get a plethora of samples when you purchase something. The cleansing and moisturizing face masks are also something to be sure to try. Be prepared, you may become addicted to a certain item and it may not be easily available once outside of Korea.
Fruits/Vegetables (Select)
The best apples and strawberries that I have ever tasted in my life - plump, juicy, and sweet. Even their gigantic grapes are delicious and I am not a huge fan of grapes. These can be very expensive but these fruits especially may be well-worth the occasional splurging.
The carrots also never seems to rot as quickly or easily. I have had carrots in my refrigerator for 2-3 weeks and never became soft or started to go bad. I would say 3 weeks is probably about the longest you may want to risk it though. They are also large and rarely bitter. Not sure if they are genetically modified or not but I really enjoy the carrots here.
Free or Inexpensive Museums
I love museums and almost every museum in this country is free or less than $5 US. You may find something like the Trick Eye Museum which is a more interactive 3D art piece that is more expensive but if it has to do with Korean history or culture, it's likely super cheap. There are museums EVERYWHERE! I have been in a small isolated village and there was a museum. Often these are dedicated to some person that was famous at some point in history. One thing about Korea, there is always a "famous place" or "famous person who lived here" everywhere you go.
Many Things to See and Do
Even with Covid and some restrictions being in place, there is always something to do or see here. From museums to amusement parks to street markets. The river is a 5 minute walk from my house and the ocean (which can be seen every day) has a nice beach 15 minutes away by subway or taxi. There are historic buildings, malls, and food markets everywhere. Pre-covid, there were festivals which you can occasionally find even now. People busking in some shopping districts. There are game cafes (with board games or PCs), sports/activities, karaoke (noraebang) rooms, apple picking events, a German and American Village, cherry blossoms in spring and colorful foliage in the fall. You have to not like to go out and be a hermit if you can't find something to do here.
Culture
There is Korean culture in every corner. I guess that happens when you have a country and people that go back longer than a couple of hundred years. You can see rebuilt structures from hundreds of years ago and occasionally original ones that are hundreds of years old. You can see the traditional Korean style dress either at tourist sites or in shop windows. You will see people bowing to each other in greeting or leaving. If you are open to it, you will learn more Korean history and culture than you would ever really want to know. If it's your thing, then yay. Otherwise, it could be a boring and repetitive experience.
I do believe at the end of the day, these are the things that I really do enjoy about being here and definitely things that I will miss when I leave. I did the good first because I don't want to sound like I am complaining and because I wanted to focus on this "merry" time of year. At another date and time, I will fill you in on the things that I really dislike here.
Until then - Find the things in life that make you smile. Toodles!
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