Korea Vs. Thailand?

[Tyree D.]

i asked thai people what do they think about the kimchee people, some say they are rude during visit in thailand. While the other group of thai think the korean are hot and sexy. For me i find the korean ugly and rude. Korean culture like any other seemed to be into plastic surgery. I think the stupid thai kids just stupid too be drooling over the korean pops star,being pale and narrow eyes..The korean eyes figure is just not my taste.

These days the asian seemed to dig into much of western culture which i really disappointed. Look at japan, the country 90% percent of the culture is very westernized that they rather be buying LV and gucci then preserving their culture. Soon or later or now, thai girls is already westernized.

maybe one day I'll have some knowledge to make a Korea vs. Thailand vs. Japan thread. But for the people I've talked to in the know, Japan is the most westernized, most un-nationalistic place in Asia. The men work all the time and don't raise their boys. The students never speak because they don't want to stand out. However, NOBODY complains about the women!!

[chuck6660]

lived in Thailand for 3 years, and I have now lived in Korea for two years... heres my opinion..

Food

Thai food is nicer, but there is a bit more variety in Korea (of local food that is).. if you are into raw fish (as i am) Korea is a great place for it.. a lot of my friends really like the BB Q's but they don't excite me too much. Seoul is very disappointing for foreign food - even in Itaewon the quality is poor compared to bangkok. Outside Seoul you may find average and expensive pasta places, Korean version of Chinese food and Japanese food.. but very little else other than local food.

nightlife

Korea is excellent for night life, bars never close, all Koreans (except some of the numerous weirdee Christian folk) drink to excess regardless of age and sex - beers not great but palatable and local beer is almost as cheap as in Thailand. Hongdai in Seoul is an excellent night out. Also there generally is a good mix of expats, too many Canadians sadly (met 3 or 4 that were OK), but a younger crowd and generally not the weirdos we have all come across in Thailand - though there are a few

Women

At first i was blown away by Korean women, but after a while you realise a lot of it is very professionally applied make up, a lot of plastic surgery and the fashion... having said that there are many many many stunners here (especially hongdai).. and the short skirts in summer are just.. well , anyway! I think more Korean women wear high heels on a day to day basis than anywhere else. As for getting a girl friend, i have to say its easier than any where else Ive known - but thats coz I'm hitting on the right demographics - late 20's/early 30's.. Koreans are obsessed by marriage and are getting desperate by this stage... also as a foreigner u r seen as less traditional than the often sexist attitudes that still pervade Koreans ideas of marriage/relationships. Blind dating in Korea is very normal and easy to set up through colleagues, mates or online... and Koreans are sexually permissive as anywhere else... although one problem is girls/women tend to live at home until married - even into their 30's.. and parents often give night curfews to their adult children! but Korea is full of 'motels'!!!

men

The downside to Korea, and this is a sweeping generalisation, is the male Korean company can be hardwork - maybe because of the army. they are generally more patriotic and insular, and will bore you to tears about the correct way to drink soju (a disgusting chemical drink!!) and what is Korean culture - far too many social rules to relax when out with male work colleagues! a bit different in more informal gatherings.

culture and other stuff

As has already been said, Korea is quite a soulless place - destroyed after the wars, rebuilt and now obsessed with the economy - in fact the only news you will find in the English language newspapers is about LG, Samsung, daewoo and the strength of the won. There, apparently was a serial killer in Seoul a few years ago - his tally reached over 20 and it barely made the news. Saying that Korea is easily the safest place Ive ever lived - there is simply zero fear of crime - no graffiti, no gangs of kids.. nothing (although i think 4 women maybe a different story)... and no kids gangs coz they spend all day in school and academies - literally all day, high school kids will arrive home after midnight - studying the whole day. Korea is an incredibly regimented and controlled society - really predictable, you never really see anything that surprises you - where in Thailand you can see something interesting virtually anywhere at anytime. Koreans are also a lot more abrupt, very few 'thank yous' a lot of pushing and shoving in crowded areas - much less charm than Thailand. Thailand is certainly a more attractive country - BKK much prettier than Seoul. but away from the cities there are nice places - jeju island is nice, as is the east coast and skiing in winter is good and cheap.

Language

Ive tried learning both. Thai is much easier in my opinion. Reading Korean is easy and there are many english or Konglish words used - but apart from that everything is difficult - the grammar especially. Reading thai is much much harder, and the tones are a bit of a problem, but listening and speaking is suprisingly far easier, after 2 years in thailand i was about on basic conversational level - no where near that in korea (korea is apparantly rated as one of the hardest languages to learn) - but reading korean menus, timetables etc is very easy.

overall i miss Thailand, i prefer it - but the money is much better here and Korea is not too bad.. lots of good (expat) friends here and Korean women tend to make me forget about most of the negatives. and i get 4 months holiday a year so easy to take a short hop back to Thailand.

(sorry, drunk writing this so a bit incoherent!)

After living on-off in Korea for a total of 13 years and having a house and family in Bangkok, I find your post mirrors my findings exactly!

I couldn't have summed it up better, sober or not!

As I stated earlier, and for all the reasons you stated, there are many things I like in Korea, especially the $$ I earn; however my plan is to retire in LOS!

[PhilHarries]

Well I've been here in the gulag three months now and can say I've enjoyed it more than I thought I would but still do not rate the place at all.

The food can be quite good but even a simple meal for one person tends to be a bowl of spicy cabbage soup, some sliced pork, a small bowl of rice and at least four bowls of either kimchi or various pickled vegetables, fish, salad etc etc. These people must just love washing up! As for the rice the Koreans are the tightest wads in Asia when it comes to rice. You are lucky if you get a saucerfull of it which would be okay if the rest of the meal was a belly filler but it tends to be mainly various vegetables and salad leaves and all cold. Nothing wrong with cold food but when it's minus ten outside and the wind cuts straight through your thickest clothes you need a hot bellyfull. The one thing that makes the food bearable for me is that I do quite like kimchi.

The women can be very attractive but, as has been said, it is mainly paint on beauty. They are a hel_l of a lot more fashionable than the Thais and will often turn up for work dressed up to the nines. One thing I will say about Korea, and Seoul in particular, is that it is a great place if you are a leg man. Don't matter what the temperature many women parade the streets is VERY short skirts or shorts. Okay many wear thickish leggings but it is a far more pleasing on the eye than baggy jeans.

The local beer generally isn't bad, OB being to my mind the best but some of it is pure pishwater. The good thing is that many bars sell a good range of import beers although the price tends to be a fair bit higher. 3 Alleys pub in Itaewon has a range of nine different draft beers and gawd knows how many bottled. Priced range from 2,500 Won (65 Baht) for 500ml of OB to 7,500 Won for a pint of draft Guinness (same pint in Hard Rock though would set you back 17,000 + 10%, that's getting on for 500 Baht ). Someone mentioned the Korean drinking rituals which can be a pain in the ar5e and mean you can only have a truely relaxing drink on your own or with other westerners. When Koreans drink they don't muck about and a simple stop off after work only ends when they are totally blooted. They don't get violent or arguementative, they just get loud.

Travel around Seoul is great and the subway is one of the best I've travelled. You can get a T Money card that is rechargeable and can be used to pay the subway, buses and most taxis. A single journey on the subway anywhere around the centre costs 900 Won (25 Baht) plus 100 Won if you change lines. Only problem is that the subway shuts down between 11pm and midnight but that's usually plenty late enough for me and taxis are easy to come by in the city centre.

Surprisingly, for a capital city, English is not commonly spoken nor understood unless you are in Itaewon which is, as said before, like the KSR of Seoul. Most hotels have a printed card in Korean to present to the taxi drivers not to avoid their guests getting ripped off but to ensure they get back with minimal hassle. Most taxis are equipped with satnav as most taxi drivers seem not to have a clue where anything is in Seoul except for the major hotels and landmarks. Even then a simple journey is often taken via a bit of a scenic tour.

Someone has mentioned the xenophobia, well that is inevitable given their neighbours but also there is always a heavy police presence around the streets. I have rarely encountered squads of riot police but here they are out in force all the time. Walking around I often see ranks of police buses parked up with the riot shields propped up alongside and the men lounging around. But then I've never been in such a city for protests, there is one going on every day somewhere or other. Usually good natured, if a little loud, but then they know the police are just itching to crack a few skulls.

Did I mention the weather? It is <deleted> cold! Generally bright sunshine but minus too many degrees for my comfort. The knock on effect of that is that many bars and restaurants tend to be underheated and it's not uncommon to see Koreans tucking into a meal with their coat on and buttoned up. Having said that it is the middle of winter, apparently it's a fair bit warmer in summer, some would say too hot.

Enough for now, in two days I'm off on R&R back to Thailand :jerk: with a return trip to the UK to try and rescue the shredded remains of my sterling assetts. Thank god I've managed to diversify most of my financial backing.

btw my Thai friend who I will be visiting asked me to bring back some ginseng for her. No problem I thought, get a few boxes as I'll be travelling light. Reality check time! A 600g box of 6 year old dried roots cost the equivalent of 160 USD . It says "Good" on the box, it <deleted>' well better be. Oh well, there are no pockets in a shroud.

[mittheimp]

wait till the summer - as hot and humid as Thailand but you notice it more coz inevitably you have to do a bit more walking (no motorbike taxis for that 200m trip down the road)..

one more thing i should have added in my summery was about price. Ive seen lists putting seoul second or third in the most expensive cities in the world for expats. This in my opinion is nonsense, and must only be determined by the cost of housing someone in the most expensive hotels. Transport here is really cheap - subways and taxis, eating out is very affordable as is drinking unless you hit the imported bottles or cocktails (or expensive hotel bars - $16 for a small bottle of korean beer anyone?).. rent is also not expensive depending on where u choose to live, (although buying property here is expensive)... obviously Thailand is a lot cheaper, but if you are working then Korea is usually the much better option for affordable lifestyle and saving money -

a downside of Korea that i hadnt mentioned is that fans here are very dangerous and should not be left on at night under any circumstances

[aehn]

Have you ever been to Sweden? Females not asking you where you are going? Swedish women tend to have massive control. If you have a Swedish girlfriend you are not able to even make the slightest movement without her saying "where are you going?" Everytime. It is like they have a motionsensor. Besides, most of them (who are bellow 30) have a character that reminds me of Paul Gascoigne

I would love to experience Korea though.

Yes, i know Sweden very well, and have experienced Korea

Edited January 22, 2009 by aehn

[BugJackBaron]

wait till the summer - as hot and humid as Thailand but you notice it more coz inevitably you have to do a bit more walking (no motorbike taxis for that 200m trip down the road)..

one more thing i should have added in my summery was about price. Ive seen lists putting seoul second or third in the most expensive cities in the world for expats. This in my opinion is nonsense, and must only be determined by the cost of housing someone in the most expensive hotels. Transport here is really cheap - subways and taxis, eating out is very affordable as is drinking unless you hit the imported bottles or cocktails (or expensive hotel bars - $16 for a small bottle of korean beer anyone?).. rent is also not expensive depending on where u choose to live, (although buying property here is expensive)... obviously Thailand is a lot cheaper, but if you are working then Korea is usually the much better option for affordable lifestyle and saving money -

a downside of Korea that i hadnt mentioned is that fans here are very dangerous and should not be left on at night under any circumstances

I don't think it's JUST housing. The fact is that most expats in korea don't have the huge key money needed for a place

so wind up living in the Ghetto near Itaswon. Eating out affordable? Well if you are happy with kim bop (rolled rice and some ham or veggies) sure. But Western food cheap? Reread my post. Even the diplomats on the hill complain about the "50 Buck specials" western restaurants often charge. I gave up on Western food because of this expense and the fact that it is usually

so-so at best. Even good Korean food often winds up costing 30 bucks or so in fancy places. But Koerans don't care because they think they must pay much if they eat out. Go figure.

Transportation is not bad but try taking the fast train to Busan for a day and check that 80 buck return fair!

Yes a few cheaper trains still exist and are booked solid for weeks.

[submaniac]

At least one plus for Thailand...the folks in Bangkok don't have to worry that the Chiang Mai folks will invade and drop nuclear bombs from their insane dictator leader.

[chuck6660]

wait till the summer - as hot and humid as Thailand but you notice it more coz inevitably you have to do a bit more walking (no motorbike taxis for that 200m trip down the road)..

one more thing i should have added in my summery was about price. Ive seen lists putting seoul second or third in the most expensive cities in the world for expats. This in my opinion is nonsense, and must only be determined by the cost of housing someone in the most expensive hotels. Transport here is really cheap - subways and taxis, eating out is very affordable as is drinking unless you hit the imported bottles or cocktails (or expensive hotel bars - $16 for a small bottle of korean beer anyone?).. rent is also not expensive depending on where u choose to live, (although buying property here is expensive)... obviously Thailand is a lot cheaper, but if you are working then Korea is usually the much better option for affordable lifestyle and saving money -

a downside of Korea that i hadnt mentioned is that fans here are very dangerous and should not be left on at night under any circumstances

Mittheimp, I am not sure where you live in Korea, but I live in Seoul and rent is very high, the price of lodging is why Seoul ranks as the 3rd most expensive city. Vicinity of where I live an average 3 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom apartment goes for @3.4 million Won (@$3000) for monthly rent.

Also you are quite right about the fans...it is well known that Korean fans are indeed deadly !!

[chuck6660]

Well I've been here in the gulag three months now and can say I've enjoyed it more than I thought I would but still do not rate the place at all.

The food can be quite good but even a simple meal for one person tends to be a bowl of spicy cabbage soup, some sliced pork, a small bowl of rice and at least four bowls of either kimchi or various pickled vegetables, fish, salad etc etc. These people must just love washing up! As for the rice the Koreans are the tightest wads in Asia when it comes to rice. You are lucky if you get a saucerfull of it which would be okay if the rest of the meal was a belly filler but it tends to be mainly various vegetables and salad leaves and all cold. Nothing wrong with cold food but when it's minus ten outside and the wind cuts straight through your thickest clothes you need a hot bellyfull. The one thing that makes the food bearable for me is that I do quite like kimchi.

The women can be very attractive but, as has been said, it is mainly paint on beauty. They are a hel_l of a lot more fashionable than the Thais and will often turn up for work dressed up to the nines. One thing I will say about Korea, and Seoul in particular, is that it is a great place if you are a leg man. Don't matter what the temperature many women parade the streets is VERY short skirts or shorts. Okay many wear thickish leggings but it is a far more pleasing on the eye than baggy jeans.

The local beer generally isn't bad, OB being to my mind the best but some of it is pure pishwater. The good thing is that many bars sell a good range of import beers although the price tends to be a fair bit higher. 3 Alleys pub in Itaewon has a range of nine different draft beers and gawd knows how many bottled. Priced range from 2,500 Won (65 Baht) for 500ml of OB to 7,500 Won for a pint of draft Guinness (same pint in Hard Rock though would set you back 17,000 + 10%, that's getting on for 500 Baht ). Someone mentioned the Korean drinking rituals which can be a pain in the ar5e and mean you can only have a truely relaxing drink on your own or with other westerners. When Koreans drink they don't muck about and a simple stop off after work only ends when they are totally blooted. They don't get violent or arguementative, they just get loud.

Travel around Seoul is great and the subway is one of the best I've travelled. You can get a T Money card that is rechargeable and can be used to pay the subway, buses and most taxis. A single journey on the subway anywhere around the centre costs 900 Won (25 Baht) plus 100 Won if you change lines. Only problem is that the subway shuts down between 11pm and midnight but that's usually plenty late enough for me and taxis are easy to come by in the city centre.

Surprisingly, for a capital city, English is not commonly spoken nor understood unless you are in Itaewon which is, as said before, like the KSR of Seoul. Most hotels have a printed card in Korean to present to the taxi drivers not to avoid their guests getting ripped off but to ensure they get back with minimal hassle. Most taxis are equipped with satnav as most taxi drivers seem not to have a clue where anything is in Seoul except for the major hotels and landmarks. Even then a simple journey is often taken via a bit of a scenic tour.

Someone has mentioned the xenophobia, well that is inevitable given their neighbours but also there is always a heavy police presence around the streets. I have rarely encountered squads of riot police but here they are out in force all the time. Walking around I often see ranks of police buses parked up with the riot shields propped up alongside and the men lounging around. But then I've never been in such a city for protests, there is one going on every day somewhere or other. Usually good natured, if a little loud, but then they know the police are just itching to crack a few skulls.

Did I mention the weather? It is <deleted> cold! Generally bright sunshine but minus too many degrees for my comfort. The knock on effect of that is that many bars and restaurants tend to be underheated and it's not uncommon to see Koreans tucking into a meal with their coat on and buttoned up. Having said that it is the middle of winter, apparently it's a fair bit warmer in summer, some would say too hot.

Enough for now, in two days I'm off on R&R back to Thailand :jerk: with a return trip to the UK to try and rescue the shredded remains of my sterling assetts. Thank god I've managed to diversify most of my financial backing.

btw my Thai friend who I will be visiting asked me to bring back some ginseng for her. No problem I thought, get a few boxes as I'll be travelling light. Reality check time! A 600g box of 6 year old dried roots cost the equivalent of 160 USD . It says "Good" on the box, it <deleted>' well better be. Oh well, there are no pockets in a shroud.

Phil, you mentioned 3 Alley Pub, the original proprietor, Gunter now lives in Pattaya.

I am usually there 5 nights a week, next time you happen to in there, ask for cigar Chuck from Thailand and I'll buy you a fresh OB or Jaeger.

kumbae!

Edited January 22, 2009 by chuck6660

[mittheimp]

Chuck6660

Mittheimp, I am not sure where you live in Korea, but I live in Seoul and rent is very high, the price of lodging is why Seoul ranks as the 3rd most expensive city. Vicinity of where I live an average 3 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom apartment goes for @3.4 million Won (@$3000) for monthly rent.

Also you are quite right about the fans...it is well known that Korean fans are indeed deadly !!

you live in Gangnam? I think you tend to pay for the area you live in Korea, even though as far as i can see there are no great advantages to this - korea hardly has dangerous ghetoes to be avoided.

People I know who rent, tend to live in one bed, living room, kitchen apartments costing between $400 - $700.. some of them very nice indeed. Friends living in 2 or 3 bedroom places put the key deposit down at around $60,000 - 100,000 - pay no rent and live in some excellent apartments (this in incheon, not seoul). This money is returned at the end of the contract, of course they miss out on the interest (perhaps now a dangerous thing to do considering the weak state of the won)... but compare that to living in London, which i think was listed 2nd in the most expensive city list and there is no comparison.

As for eating out, i wasnt meaning western food when i said it was easily affordable. The quality of western restaurants is pretty poor anyway i wouldnt really consider it an option. Good food and plenty of drink in a decent but no thrills korean restaurant over a 2-3 hour strectch rarely comes to much more than $15 per person.

Edited January 22, 2009 by mittheimp

[Sabum]

Kimchi and somtum are delicious... <deleted> you talking about?

The opposite of what your talking about. Deal with it.

When did you turn into a jerk? Thought you were an ok guy but saying that certain foods are so horrible is just about the most ignorant thing you can say. Just because you cannot expand your mind and tastes doesnt mean the rest of us are so closed. If its not hamburgers and pizza its no good? Geeze.

[mittheimp]

Kimchi and somtum are delicious... <deleted> you talking about?

The opposite of what your talking about. Deal with it.

When did you turn into a jerk? Thought you were an ok guy but saying that certain foods are so horrible is just about the most ignorant thing you can say. Just because you cannot expand your mind and tastes doesnt mean the rest of us are so closed. If its not hamburgers and pizza its no good? Geeze.

i doubt he was being serious!

[bkkjames]

Kimchi and somtum are delicious... <deleted> you talking about?

The opposite of what your talking about. Deal with it.[/size]

RJT, where have you been hiding, in Korea? welcome back.

[PhilHarries]

Phil, you mentioned 3 Alley Pub, the original proprietor, Gunter now lives in Pattaya.

I am usually there 5 nights a week, next time you happen to in there, ask for cigar Chuck from Thailand and I'll buy you a fresh OB or Jaeger.

kumbae!

I'll take you up on that but I'm off on R&R Saturday so it will have to be after February 11th.

Nrmally I'm in there Saturdays and/or Sundays as well as the Scrooge pub over the road. A short walk back to the subway avoiding the "charms" of the Purring Cat .

As for housing costs many of our guys have found quite reasonable serviced apartments but the company sorts out the key money.

Korean food varies from about 6,000 Won (restaurant price - street food is cheaper) to whatever you want to pay for it and isn't bad. Western food starts around 15,000 and goes as far up the scale as you want and more.

Sure Seoul isn't cheap but it is not as expensive as some would have it.