Korea Vs. Thailand?

[Tyree D.]

I tried SEARCH and found nothing. And seeing like the numerous los vs. Philippines or Vietnam threads, I'd like to give it a crack.

I was in Thailand 2004-06 and have been in South Korea for 1 1/2 months. My first impression is I like how I can walk around without people asking me "where you go?" and of course "do you like (the local) food and lady?" and they correctly ask "Where are you from?" as opposed to "Where you come from?" then walk away. Here I haven't noticed any taboos like showing your foot to someone. If I make a cultural mistake they calmly say, "Don't do that next time." instead of "stupid farang!" Speaking of which, I never hear myself called foreigner in their language. When I am shopping, the workers are very helpful while in LOS they said, "Sorry, I no English" then run even though I'm fluent in Thai. I love being out at night being blinded at the lights without some lady pulling on me.

With that said, the food does suck but in my apartment I have my own stove, and a ultra-fast internet that always works! As for teaching, I don't feel like I'm babysitting and I make more money than I ever did coming from a Thailand foreign teacher's salary and part time work in Los Angeles. The Thai massages here are mad expensive but at times they make me feel better than the Thai massages in Thailand and they are done by Koreans that don't speak Thai (aww).

Of coarse I'm comparing two years to two months but at my two month mark in Thailand I would've still had the same opinion except the farang comment didn't disturb me until I moved to the rural part of the country and my name became Farang.

The women are less attractive but don't ask for money. I do like how here they are less barish and the guys are less feminine. The people here spit lugis a lot but so do I.

Anybody in the know have any experiences they would love to share?

[Crossy]

Korean food sucks??? you're not eating the right stuff, although kimchi is definately an aquired taste (but difficult to un-aquire)

If you want lights and ladies try the hill in Itaewon (assuming you're in Seoul) any taxi will know where you want to go

Listen out for 'mi guk' (American), you'll hear it a lot, not so much as Thailand, but it's still there.

Phrase of the day 'sarang hae, chagi-ya!' (I love you darling)

Edited October 24, 2008 by Crossy

[AlexLah]

I love Korea.

The women not pretty, are you kidding?

They are 100 times better dressed and for sure are very friendly and a lot also look good.

Food is great, although after a few weeks it gets a bit boring but I have that everywhere.

The language is a bit difficult but they say it the most easy in terms of grammar.

And right now it is High Boots season again, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh

[Tyree D.]

ha ha...I said food not as good, women not as pretty. Oh wait, I did sound negative. I just eat in since the food in the grocery stores are cheaper than America while the restaurants are more expensive. It's all good. I thought this place was gonna be the bullocks wishing I would be back in Thailand if they increased my salary 5 times but this is the life.

[lifeisrandom]

women are just as pretty but have economic options so bad news for you old guys

[Los78]

Having lived in both countries for a certain period of time I would say it is very close between the two. I would say it is a draw to be fair. Kimchi and Somtum are both my favourites.

[jackr]

Korean intonation is like nails on a chalkboard... bad enough seeing the pair on Lost when reverting to their tongue for a scene. Couldn't imagine it 24/7, let alone people on the street walking into you on purpose?

[junki3korean]

Korean intonation is like nails on a chalkboard... bad enough seeing the pair on Lost when reverting to their tongue for a scene. Couldn't imagine it 24/7, let alone people on the street walking into you on purpose?

mai kor jai ?? i dont understand??

[junki3korean]

As a Korean born in Australia, I still love Korea but hate it at the same time. People are judgemental......i have tattoos on my chest and arms and I automatically get labeled as a criminal. I am not allowed into Gyms, Steam rooms, and swimming pools.

If i`m wearing a singlet some restaraunts won`t even let me look at there menu`s. I once walked out of a convinience store and bought nothing the shopkeeper started yelling i`d stole ciggarettes police came and hand-cuffed me,i was so pissed off i started swearing in english and they looked so confused. lol it was a scene!

I love thailand cause everything is mai pen rai! I have freedom and nothing to judge me by....also love the fact i`m korean in thailand....chicks dig it

andy

Edited October 24, 2008 by junki3korean

[innovator]

Korea is not for me.

Edited October 25, 2008 by innovator

[junki3korean]

Korea is not for me.

why did you edit your whole post??

[think_too_mut]

As a Korean born in Australia, I still love Korea but hate it at the same time. People are judgemental......i have tattoos on my chest and arms and I automatically get labeled as a criminal. I am not allowed into Gyms, Steam rooms, and swimming pools.

If i`m wearing a singlet some restaraunts won`t even let me look at there menu`s. I once walked out of a convinience store and bought nothing the shopkeeper started yelling i`d stole ciggarettes police came and hand-cuffed me,i was so pissed off i started swearing in english and they looked so confused. lol it was a scene!

Same will happen to you in Japan + extra delicacy - when a policeman stops you because of your tatoos and discovers you are a Korean....yummm

[Tyree D.]

As a Korean born in Australia, I still love Korea but hate it at the same time. People are judgemental......i have tattoos on my chest and arms and I automatically get labeled as a criminal. I am not allowed into Gyms, Steam rooms, and swimming pools.

If i`m wearing a singlet some restaraunts won`t even let me look at there menu`s. I once walked out of a convinience store and bought nothing the shopkeeper started yelling i`d stole ciggarettes police came and hand-cuffed me,i was so pissed off i started swearing in english and they looked so confused. lol it was a scene!

I love thailand cause everything is mai pen rai! I have freedom and nothing to judge me by....also love the fact i`m korean in thailand....chicks dig it

andy

You would probably also have more luck than me in L.A. Everywhere loves an international stud. Here I can't do wrong. And I really came here thinking I would have to suck up some bull. I remember when Koreans starting owning everything in the hood starting in the late '80s and most of them weren't cool. But then I started teaching international Koreans and Japanese adults in L.A. but could only get substitute work. My life became the thing overnight. And I've never felt like an outsider here. I didn't feel that way in Thailand until I moved to Phayao at my 11 month mark. We'll see what happens when I start traveling. I'm in Daejeon, the third biggest city in the country in the heart of downtown. I never need transportation.

Speaking of transportation, in Thailand I would take a bus 25 kilos from downtown Chiang Rai to Mae Fah Luang. Occasionally the cops would raid it for illegal immigrants. One time they looked at my wrong expired visa and tried to take me off until I showed them the current one. The girl sitting next to me was all scared screaming "MAI DAI!!" (I don't him rant). I was calm.

Hope that was readable and understandable. I have been known to rant and this is the first time I've ever spaced my paragraphs.

[PhilHarries]

Well I've worked in Korea (Seoul, Pusan and Ulsan) and am due to go back there (Seoul) for about 4 months and I am dreading it.

The south of the country ain't bad but Seoul is the most misnamed place on Earth as it is completely devoid of any hint of soul.

Korean food is quite good although they could do with learning how to serve it hot (apart from the Korean BBQ's which you have to cook) but Koreans are probably the most disgusting people to share a dinner table with. All this exaggerated slurping and lip smacking turns my stomach. Passed off as the way to get the most out of the food merely serves as a smoke screen to hide the fact that they are two legged pigs.

To compare Korea with Thailand is like comparing sh1t with sugar. I would far rather face a barrage of "hey you farang" in a market than the blank face Korean automatons.

Is it just me? Possibly, but my Vietnamese lady friend also hates them with a passion as there are a few around here at the moment because a Korean company is setting up a low cost production facility in the locality.

Anyhow the client wants me to go there and kick the sh1t out of the contractor (my mission from God ) so I will endure it for a few months then it's back to civilisation.

women are just as pretty but have economic options so bad news for you old guys

Are you on drugs? Faces like a smacked ar5e. From your "economic options" comment I assume you associate with prostitutes so that explains in part your "pretty" illusion (see, the beer goggles really do work).

Korea is not for me.

Nor me but I have to serve my time in the Gulag Archipeligo to earn my time in paradise.

[think_too_mut]

Of coarse I'm comparing two years to two months....

or another post:

scottish people do where quilts

reveals an excellent English teacher.

And bragging about salary 5 times higher than in Thailand reveals you were a street urchin on 500$ a month in LOS and now reached the sky while scrapping 2500$ in Korea (could be closer to 2000$ but never mind).

Girls not pretty? Not well dressed?

Why do they ignore old-fat-bald foreigners? Someone said "economic options".

Sure, like their Japanese, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong brethren, they chose men of their liking and do not believe in farangs' "women like older man to provide guidance and protection".

[Seizhin]

As a Korean born in Australia, I still love Korea but hate it at the same time. People are judgemental......i have tattoos on my chest and arms and I automatically get labeled as a criminal. I am not allowed into Gyms, Steam rooms, and swimming pools.

If i`m wearing a singlet some restaraunts won`t even let me look at there menu`s. I once walked out of a convinience store and bought nothing the shopkeeper started yelling i`d stole ciggarettes police came and hand-cuffed me,i was so pissed off i started swearing in english and they looked so confused. lol it was a scene!

I love thailand cause everything is mai pen rai! I have freedom and nothing to judge me by....also love the fact i`m korean in thailand....chicks dig it

andy

Korea sounds like a place where the people dare to stand up for something based on the appearance.

Unlike Thailand, people generally doesnt have guts to say things straight out your face.

Annoying in a different way.

[junki3korean]

women are just as pretty but have economic options so bad news for you old guys

Are you on drugs? Faces like a smacked ar5e. From your "economic options" comment I assume you associate with prostitutes so that explains in part your "pretty" illusion (see, the beer goggles really do work).

every country has there pretty women and ugly woman so i don`t think you can label korean ladys as smacked ar5e faces....

BUT sounds like you have deep hatred for S korea....

The funny thing is Korea is one of the most popular countries by Asian people. All asians watch korean Dramas,listen to korean music and love korean food....some have such a passion for koreans that they even learn the language....especially in LOS...

thai people love korean dramas the most, even more then koreans do... also korean pop music is big in thailand with the teens....Koreas big in Asia.

I hate the fact that they love to eat dogs though....not all koreans........

[Tyree D.]

Of coarse I'm comparing two years to two months....

or another post:

scottish people do where quilts

reveals an excellent English teacher.

And bragging about salary 5 times higher than in Thailand reveals you were a street urchin on 500$ a month in LOS and now reached the sky while scrapping 2500$ in Korea (could be closer to 2000$ but never mind).

Girls not pretty? Not well dressed?

Why do they ignore old-fat-bald foreigners? Someone said "economic options".

Sure, like their Japanese, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong brethren, they chose men of their liking and do not believe in farangs' "women like older man to provide guidance and protection".

yawn. you would break down my posts three years ago. and yes I do realise I didn't capatilize my letters and misspelled realize and capitalize. when did I brag about my salary. I made $500 a month in L.A.

and yes, I did end a question with a period. who really things too mut? and the edit was just this last paragraph. my first mistakes were deliberate.

Edited October 25, 2008 by Tyree D.

[edwardandtubs]

I prefer Korean food as there are more non-spicy options, especially the noodle dishes like nam myeong which are prepared with care not just thrown into a bowl like in Thailand. People in Korea are more educated and civil and the women (decent women) are generally more willing to talk if you're a handsome young man. As for the money, have you checked the exchange rates recently? If you're sending money home I don't think you'd earn very much in Korea right now.

Edited October 25, 2008 by edwardandtubs

[wileycoyote]

I was 3 months in South Korea 1985,I couldn't wait to get back to Thailand

Sorry,Thailand gets my vote on :Food,Warmth of People,Logistics and Ability for a farang to live happily there.

[edwardandtubs]

I was 3 months in South Korea 1985,I couldn't wait to get back to Thailand

Sorry,Thailand gets my vote on :Food,Warmth of People,Logistics and Ability for a farang to live happily there.

A lot can change in 23 years...

[Gary A]

I had the misfortune to work in Seoul for six weeks November and December. It may have been the longest six weeks of my life. It may not have been so bad if I had come from the US but I was living in Thailand at the time. I was VERY happy to get back to Thailand and declined any more work from Korea.

I actually liked the kimchee and the KFC was much better than Thailand's. I couldn't believe how expensive everything was.

[Tyree D.]

I prefer Korean food as there are more non-spicy options, especially the noodle dishes like nam myeong which are prepared with care not just thrown into a bowl like in Thailand. People in Korea are more educated and civil and the women (decent women) are generally more willing to talk if you're a handsome young man. As for the money, have you checked the exchange rates recently? If you're sending money home I don't think you'd earn very much in Korea right now.

The rate works for me! It's the other way around. I have dollars to spend and it's at the highest I can trace back (1999). While I was in Thailand the last time it was 40/1 and the yen is at a 12 year low and we know the Euro rate. It's gonna be a problem when I have to turn the Won back to dollars since my card is only domestic. Other than that I have been the right place at the right time when it comes to the currency rate. And I think the food her is not spicy enough! I come from a Mexican food background. At least here nobody says, "No, that's too spicy!" or make my food unspicy assuming I'm gonna get red faced. Also, I've been known to drink while eating constantly and I was tired of the Thais watching assuming it was because of the spices.

[PattayaParent]

I lived 1 year in Soul and found it to be better organised, cleaner and easier to get around in than Bangkok. The people are friendlier and the girls better looking and WAY better dress sense than Thais. A better quality of life there than here.

I found it too expensive though but saying that I spend twice as much of my salary here than I did in Seoul!

[jackr]

I lived 1 year in Soul and found it to be better organised, cleaner and easier to get around in than Bangkok. The people are friendlier and the girls better looking and WAY better dress sense than Thais. A better quality of life there than here.

Perhaps, but whatever floats your boat. Seems like Asia with a Western head on to me

[RakJungTorlae]

Korea is not for the faint hearted. Fast paced like Japan and a still a little bit shy of the world but they have improved over 10 years. I like Korea and Thailand at the same level. I would chose to live in Korea when retire then thou, that’s still a long way to go for that. But a lot of my western friends don’t really like it there and it’s understandable.

[Tyree D.]

Korea is not for the faint hearted. Fast paced like Japan and a still a little bit shy of the world but they have improved over 10 years. I like Korea and Thailand at the same level. I would chose to live in Korea when retire then thou, that’s still a long way to go for that. But a lot of my western friends don’t really like it there and it’s understandable.

I could see that. In 1999 I was on an abroad program. The first place we went to was Indonesia. There people always came up to us asking for our address. Then we went to Hong Kong where people would run away from us and all walked with cellphones (remember this is 1999). I still loved it seeing how I don't like being bothered and still had more luck with ladies than I ever did in L.A. and they didn't ask for money. The students were missing Indonesia or started getting homesick. I've never gotten homesick.

I could see a tourist preferring Thailand.

I wonder if I left any grammatical mistakes somebody will point out and question my teaching abilities

[Gravelrash]

Worked in both Korea and Thailand with my former company. The Korean girls admittedly were very sweet. Interestingly though, where would you expect to get ripped off, Korea or Thailand?

The Koreans (Sheraton) screwed us and didn't pay the money properly (said renegotiate the contract or try to take us to court in Korea, ha, ha), the Thais (small company) paid everything as per agreement no problems whatsoever. I have met others who didn't get paid properly in Korea as well, seems it wasn't just us.

As such don't have any fond memories of those b_stards. If you like it then fine.

[johnsurin]

I have worked in Ulsan, the few bars that were there were OK, the beer was palatable and there was some excellent wester food.

The people, I thought were very friendly and professional.

However, I would still choose Thailand every time, as I find it far more relaxing.

John.

[PattayaParent]

I lived 1 year in Soul and found it to be better organised, cleaner and easier to get around in than Bangkok. The people are friendlier and the girls better looking and WAY better dress sense than Thais. A better quality of life there than here.

Perhaps, but whatever floats your boat. Seems like Asia with a Western head on to me

Exactly. The best of both worlds