Korea Life Blog - One Car

Whether it's a luxury automobile or a sports car you want, there seems to be only one of each kind to aspire to among Korean brands. Equus, a car with a look and a name that is strikingly similar to Toyota company's Lexus, is the luxury car associated with success. If you have this car, you've conquered Korea. It's the ultimate domestically made status symbol. On the sport's car side is the rather humble in price, Tuscani, also known as Tiburon. It seems to be the only sport car made by a Korean auto company and therefore, seeing as it's affordable, it is very common here. It's a nice looking car actually. One of my adult student's has the newest model. He took me for a ride in it one day, something I will never do again. There's really no point in having a sports car in Korea with the traffic and dangerous back roads. I really thought I was going to die as he took me full throttle around Nowhere-dong. It was one time I prayed to get pulled over. However, there seems to be a lack of traffic enforcement here. We zoomed all over the place without hassle. I was never so happy to get out a car in my life.



Sexy promotional girls show off the latest Hyundai Tuscani model. Yeah, I need to get me one of these. (Car or girl, you be the judge). Maybe they come hand in hand.

Korea Life Blog - Technomart



This is a nice shot of Technomart in Seoul. It's located next to Kam Byeon Station, stop 214 on Line #2. Inside this building is every electronic item available in Korea at the cheapest prices you will find except in the Yongsan area. Why anyone would purchase a computer or TV in a department store when you can get it for so much less is beyond me, either here in person or ordering it online. The same computer I saw for sale at a department store in Suwon was 400,000 Won less here at Technomart.


There is also a movie theater in here and a food court, if I remember right. The tall part of the building is for offices only. What I don't understand about Technomart is that they have store after store after store selling the exact same brands and models for the exact same prices by way too many salespeople. Seems to me if they cut out the extra stores, salespeople, and display models, they could lower the prices considerably. The day I went it, a Saturday, it wasn't busy at all. I mean on a given day, how many people are lining up to by 3,000,000 won notebooks and 8,000,000 won TVs? Yet Samsung has at least 20 stores in here selling the same items and hoards of salespeople standing around doing nothing and display models being wasted.




If you can dream it, you can do it. Hmm, I just dreamed I can get a Samsung X15 notebook by snapping my fingers. Huk! Foiled again.




Promotional girls hanging out front. I'm not sure what they're promoting, but they don't look too enthusiastic.


Here's the Samsung X15 computer I've been dreaming about:







I've also considered the new Hyunju notebook that came out this month, which is much cheaper and has pretty much the same specs and looks just as cool.

Korea Life Blog - Examination Suicides


I was going to write a piece about the growing number of suicides after this week's national university exams, but everyone else is already doing it on their blog. Click here to see Jeff's write-up.



A girl jumped to her death from this building shortly after running away from the exam.


Click here to read other reactions.


To read an interesting article on the problems of the Korean education system click here.

Korea Life Blog - Seaweed Chips!



Bringing the wonderful taste of the sea to your potato chip, it's new Seaweed Chips! If I had seen these a few years ago I would have cringed but I picked up a bag today, almost eagerly so. I love processed seaweed; I buy it every week. But this is the first time I've seen seaweed chips. At first I thought the idea is a little strange, especially seeing those two rolls of kim bap there. Then I realized seaweed is mostly salt anyway, so why not? Well, I was disappointed when I tried them. They taste just like ordinary everyday potato chips. There's not even the slightest hint of seaweed flavor. How frustrating!

Korea Life Blog - A New Poll (4)

There's a new, exciting poll to vote on. Here are the results of the last pole, now deleted.


what makes you happiest?

pay day at last! assa! 26 (22%)
no tipping 12 (10%)
my korean lover/spouse 21 (17%)
my job 0 (0%)
korean food 6 (5%)
im not in my home country 5 (4%)
korea 8 (6%)
im never happy 3 (2%)
im only happy when im drunk 10 (8%)
korea life blog updated! assa! 27 (22%)



It was a pretty tight race between pay day and my blog updated. It's nice to know that an equal number of people feel just as good to see my blog updated as they do to get a huge wad of Korean won! Thanks everyone.