Daejeon is one of the most important city of South Korea situated to the north of Seoul. It is mostly famous for many research labs and universities. I was in Daejeon for one and half month as post doctoral research fellow at KAIST during Sept-Oct, 2018. My traveling and living experience during this short stay is mentioned in this blog. These information may be helpful for expats to settled down in Daejeon. Most of the foreigners in South Korea are either English teachers, students or research fellows.
VISA Process:
E3-VISA is required to work in South Korea as researcher. VISA requirement may vary according to the nature of stay. Necessary documentation for VISA process was taken care by my employer and ISSS of KAIST. Application for VISA issuance and health check up form is required for the VISA. Health check up form depends on the country of residence. The VISA was processed by ISSS at the Daejeon immigration office. After getting the VISA issuance authorization number, I proceeded to the visa application center at India along with the certificate of visa issuance number and health certificate from designated hospital. The visa processing fee was 7800 INR and it was issued after 1 week of applying in visa application center. My flight was on 12 Sept, 2018 in Air India from New Delhi to Seoul. It was very exciting to travel to a different country to explore a different culture, language and people. Currency and Cash: The most important part of the journey is the currency exchange. Currency in Korea is Korean Won. It is very essential to know the Korean rules and guidelines of currency conversion and cash withdrawal limits before flying to Seoul. The ATM withdrawal limit in Korea is KRW 1000000 per transaction and KRW 6000000 per day. In case of foreign card, the limit of the country is also be considered and the minimum limit is applied while withdrawing cash. It is difficult to find Korean currency in many Banks in India. So I carried 2000 USD with me for initial settlement in Korea. There is a limit of currency import. For non residence, the limit is KRW 8000000 in won and foreign currency equivalent to USD 10000. It is advisable to check the customs regulations of home country and Korea before departure from home country. After arriving at Seoul airport, I withdrew KRW 200000 for traveling expenses to Daejeon using my Indian debit card.
Finding Accommodation and settling down:
On the day of arrival at KAIST, I met with new senior friends from India who are working in KAIST as researchers. They helped me a lot to find accommodation and to get acquainted with the Korean life. There are different accommodation type in Daejeon. The best option for a single person is one room studio apartment. There are many one room apartments around the KAIST in Gung-dong which is a place between KAIST and Chungnam National University. Most of the house owner can not understand English. It is better to take help of Korean friends to contact the owner. My friend arranged the contact of a house owner and got an one room studio apartment within 3 days of my arrival at Daejeon. The house owner was very nice and speaks English very well. The initial deposits was KRW 500000 and monthly rent was KRW 270000. The contract was made for 6 months and could be extended after 6 months. The apartment was close to the west gate of KAIST and it is in the best location where KAIST and market are nearer. Best way to find accommodation is to take help of friends who are already there for a long time. There is a facebook group called Daejeon Peeps which is a page for foreigners working in Daejeon. There are regular posts in this page where people want to transfer their house contract to others. Essential documentation after arriving in Korea:
A receipt is given by the immigration officer after the immigration check. It is the most important document required for issuing SIM card, opening bank account, issuing ARC, and many more official documentation. If someone intended to stay more than 90 days in Korea, then he/she need to issue ARC (Alien Registration Card) card at the Daejeon immigration office. It is required to report the immigration office and apply for the ARC card within 3 weeks of arrival at Korea. Employment contract, house contract , Korean mobile number, passport, immigration receipt and KRW 30000 in cash is required for the ARC card. It usually takes approximately 2 weeks to get the ARC card. A certificate of ARC application can be obtained from the immigration office during the application by paying additional KRW 2000. The certificate of ARC application works temporarily as a substitute of ARC. Initially, the VISA is a single entry VISA and it is converted to multiple entry after receiving the ARC. After getting the ARC, it is required to enroll in the Korean national health insurance plan. A small amount is deducted towards health insurance from the salary along with tax. There is a yearly complete health check up which is mandatory for all residence (both Koreans and non-Koreans). Internet and mobile SIM card:
A Korean mobile number is very essential for any official documentation. It is desirable to get a SIM card as soon as arriving in Korea. Mobile charges is comparatively costly. SK telecom and KT telecom are the mostly used service provider in Korea. Both have almost same price for call and data rate. I was using KT SIM card. I got the SIM card with the help of my lab members from a mobile shop located in N13 building of KAIST at a price of KRW 30000. This was valid for 1 month. Passport, immigration receipt and employment offer letter is required to get a prepaid SIM card. For long term use of SIM card, ARC is required. The SIM card need to be charged with the same plan as that of the plan fixed during the purchased of SIM card. There are other plans also. It is good to buy a low cost plan only to run the mobile number as the call and data rate are very costly. Wifi is available in most of the area. It is useful to use kakao talk for message and call using wifi. It is better to buy a SIM card from a shop in Lotte mall in Gung-dong. Internet is very cheap in Korea. Most of the house owner provide internet with free of cost. Banking and Transactions:
Opening a bank account in Korea is very simple and quick. I opened the Bank account in the Woori bank inside the KAIST. A Korean bank account is required for salary deposits and all transaction. Passport, immigration receipt, Visa, employment contract and Korean mobile number are required to open a bank account and to get a debit card. ARC is required for internet banking and credit card. Use of Internet banking in Korea is comparatively tedious and unusual. Card payment is widely used in Korea. There is no need of any OTP and card pin number during transaction. Only ATM pin is required while withdrawing cash from ATM. It is required to close the Korean bank account while leaving Korea permanently. Food and shopping:
Lotte and home plus are the best place for shopping. Vegetable, all cooking materials are available in the lotte mall. lotte is comparatively costly. Home plus is the best mall for shopping everything at good price. Home plus has also a shop where all brands of drinks are available including Souju. There are many other shops in the Gung-dong area where all required materials are available. Daiso is another best option to buy cooking utensils and many household items. Most of the restaurant and shops are closed after 8 pm. 7eleven shops are opened 24 hours. Gmarket is the best online shopping site mostly used in Korea. Vegetarians may have difficulty in food. However, cooking may be best option for vegetarians. There are many vegetarian Korean dishes which is awesome in taste. Beef, pork, sea food and chicken are very common in Korea. People with food restrictions can choose food selectively. Korea chicken dishes are very delicious. Chicken Dak Galbi is very famous and one of my favorite Korean dish. KAIST has many restaurants which provides breakfast, lunch and dinner. I used to go for lunch and dinner with my lab friends. Tap water in Daejeon is drinkable. However, people buy water bottle for drinking.
Language:
English is rarely spoken in Korea. It will be the most toughest part to communicate in Korea. There is no problem in communication inside universities. Outside the university/ office, it may be little uncomfortable to communicate. Still there will be no problem in living as everything is systematic and people are helpful. It is better to install google translator app in the mobile. Most of the signboards are in Korean and google translator will be helpful in finding the meaning and also in shopping. For the initial few days, it may be little uncomfortable. After that everything becomes normal and comfortable. Korean language is the most toughest language to learn. There are weekly free Korean language class organized by Korean government inside the KAIST campus. Some of the words which are very useful and commonly used: Hello/Goodbye – 안녕하세요 – An-nyeong-ha-se-yo Thank you – 감사합니다 – Kam-sa-ham-ni-da How much is it? – 얼마예요 – ol-ma-ye-yo (Used in shopping) Transportation:
Bus is the most convenient way of transportation in Daejeon. Also subway is available to travel long distances inside the city. For single ride of bus costs KRW 1250 and the payment is done through card payment in the bus. Before using the bus or any taxi service, it is required to activate the ATM card for transportation in the bank. Once it is activated, the card can be used in any transportation system in Daejeon. KakaoT app is useful for booking kakao taxi. Frequent taxi are available on the road and can be booked. If you are changing bus with in next one hour after your previous bus ride, it does not deduct any charges from the card. Gyejoksan Mountain:
There are many places in Daejeon which are worth of visiting. Gyejoksan mountain is famous for red clay trail which has 14 km trekking route. We started the journey from KAIST main gate. It is at a distance of 8 km from KAIST. Frequent bus is running between KAIST and Gyejoksan mountain. After reaching the foothill of the mountain, we walked to the starting point of red clay trail. Before starting the journey, we removed our shoe and washed our feet. Then we walked on the red clay for few kilo meter. After a long distance of walking, there is a water facilities available to wash feet and place to relax. Regular cultural show is displayed at this location which is interesting to watch. After this point, we again proceeded to the rest of the trekking. There was a steep path to climb to the hill top which has a small fort. We spent one hour at the hill top. Then we returned to the foot hill and traveled to KAIST by bus. It is said that walking on the red clay has many health benefits. Gyeryongsan National Park:
It is a famous tourist destination and good place for trekking. There is a famous Buddhist temple at the foothill of the mountain. We visited this place on a weekend and started the journey at 10 am by bus from the KAIST west gate. We purchased the entrance ticket at a price of KRW 3000 per person and proceeded towards a Buddhist temple located after 1 km from the entrance. Both the sides of the road are filled with restaurants, souvenir shops and shops for trekking equipment. We spent some time at the Donghaksa temple which is dedicated to lord Buddha. It is very beautiful and we spend approximately half an hour at the temple. Then we proceeded for trekking. Hiking in this mountain is very tough and difficult and the path is very rough and steep. After completing the trekking, we returned to Gung-dong by bus. National Science Museum:
Science museum is at a distance of 1.5 km from the main gate of KAIST. It is very worth of visiting specially for the children. It has also a planetarium and maglev train. It displays different fossils of ancient animals, meteorites , recent developments in robots etc. Night Life:
Bar and clubs are the best place to make new friends. Daejeon has a good number of bars. Lots of bars do not allow foreigners. There are many foreigner friendly bars in Daejeon. Santa Claus Bar and The Ranch Pub are located in Gung-dong area nearer to KAIST and popular among foreigner. Santa claus bar is very common among international students/scholars of KAIST and Chungnam National University. Santa claus bar usually remains less crowded and remains open from 5 pm to 4 am everyday except Sunday. It is a good place to hang out with expats staying in Gung-dong area. There are many other bars located inside the city of Daejeon. Thursday Party and Yellow taxi are very common and have a mix crowd of Koreans and foreigners.
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About me
Tapan Kumar Pradhan Post Doc Researcher, IIT Kharagpur PhD, IIT Kanpur http://tapankp.weebly.com Currency Conversion:
1 US dollar = 70 INR 1 US Dollar = 1178 KRW 1 INR = 16.83 KRW South Korean Visa:
Processing time: Approximately 30 days. Essential app:
1. Kakao talk 2. Google map 3. Google translator 4. KakaoT |