Informational handbook

Safety

One challenge you are less likely to face in Korea is any threat to your personal safety. You may read about muggings, rapes and other crimes involving personal assault in the newspaper, but they are actually very rare. True, the incidence of these problems in Korea has increased in recent years, but starting from a very low base. Compared with any American city, Seoul is a very safe place - and that's even truer of the rest of Korea.

All the same, it is best not to wander alone late at night, particularly for women. In particular, you should be careful in nightlife districts (Itaewon, Shinchon, Hongdae) where you might encounter someone who is drunk and more aggressive than normal. Otherwise you don't need to worry about whether a given neighborhood is "safe" or not.
While violent crime is rare, theft and pick pocketing are more common. It is important to take normal precautions with your passport and wallet or purse whenever moving around the city, but especially on the subways and buses or in the market places. The best way to safeguard your passport is to leave it at home. Wallets should be kept in front rather than back pockets. Purses also should be hung in front where they are in sight. All grantees are required to make sure that the cell phones they are issued are carried with them at all times, charged, with emergency numbers pre-entered.
Some grantees may feel a bit uneasy because of past media coverage of political unrest or student riots. While student demonstrations have declined dramatically in frequency and scale in recent years, even at their peak most of the 'riots' and the police response to them were confined to a small area. All that is necessary to avoid trouble is to avoid that area. Given the traffic congestion usually created by a significant demonstration, it might be impossible to get anywhere near the action even if you wanted to do so!
As most of the action takes place on campuses, however, there is a chance that a Fulbright grantee will witness a demonstration of some kind. Apart from some minor inconveniences, you normally need not worry. Even tear gas has not been used for the last several years. Your safety certainly will not be at issue.
Some grantees worry about the threat of North Korea. While North Korea is certainly an armed and hostile state not far away, it has very little impact on the daily lives of people in South Korea. Media coverage may imply a tense environment, but most people in South Korea are less worried about North Korea than about finding a parking place.

Cost of Living

Tourist advertisements about a “shopping paradise” to the contrary notwithstanding, Korea is not a cheap place. The Fulbright stipend, especially for student grantees, is designed to support a minimum though adequate standard of living. You will not be able to spend freely without running short toward the end of the month. While most Koreans also need to budget, there are many other affluent Koreans who engage in conspicuous consumption.

In the past, some Fulbrighters have commented on the difficulty they have had in "keeping up with the Joneses" in their entertainment activities. For example, some Korean contacts invite Fulbright grantees to very expensive restaurants. Reciprocating at the same level may be out of the question on a Fulbright stipend. Awkward though it may be to do so, you may need to make your financial situation clear to your contacts.
Accept the fact that your Korean host is not going to be outdone in the area of hospitality no matter what. Chances are that you'll have an opportunity to reciprocate the hospitality some day back in the U.S. If not, perhaps your friendship and company is deemed sufficient compensation. Remember, you are in Korea as a scholar, not a representative of Wall Street.
Here are some prices of common items in Seoul, mostly food. As of March, 2006 $1 is almost 1,000 Won.
Newspaper: Korea Herald, Korea Times - $.50

International Herald Tribune with Joongang Ilbo $1

Magazines (Time, Newsweek): $4

Haircut, male: cheap $4; average $8; can be $20 and up

Haircut, female: cheap $8; average $20-$25

Lunch, Korean food, cheap: $4

McD's Big Mac set $4

Pizza at local joint: $12

Pizza at Pizza Hut: $16

“Italian” main course pasta entrée $8

Western restaurant entrees $10 and up

Beef: $15/lb or more

Pork: $5/lb or less

Coffee beans at Starbucks: 1/2 lb for $10

Cup of coffee or latte: $1.30-$2.00

Beer: 16 oz bottle $1.80 at a grocery store

Bottle of coke (1.5 L): $1

Milk: quart $1.20

Orange juice: about $1.30

Baskin Robbins Ice Cream: scoop $1.50

6-pack of 2-liter bottles of drinking water: $4

20 liter bottle of drinking water: $4

Garbage bags for 10: $4

Gasoline: $4.00/gal

Books, paperback reading: $10

Toilet paper, 18-roll pack: $10

Monthly cell phone bill: $25-$60

Printer paper: $2 a pack

Seoul vs. Provincial Lifestyles

Your lifestyle will be influenced to a significant degree by the location of your host institution. Most of you will be affiliated with an institution located in Seoul. For those who are not accustomed to the noise, crowds and pollution of a major urban center, the quality of life in Seoul may seem especially poor.

Even for those who are accustomed to urban life, your lifestyle in Seoul will leave something to be desired. These days air pollution in Seoul is a serious problem due to automobile emissions, dust and other contaminants. Some areas of the city are worse than others, and the problems are more severe at certain times of the year. Naturally, the effects of pollution are felt more acutely by those with respiratory problems. Those who wear contact lenses may also experience problems.
Those few who are affiliated with institutions in provincial cities such as Busan, Daegu or Gwangju will not have the same problems, though both traffic and air pollution in such cities are rising alarmingly. On the other hand, the provincial lifestyle has its own drawbacks. For example, you may feel somewhat isolated from the mainstream since so much of the governmental, commercial, cultural, and particularly international life of contemporary Korea is strongly focused on Seoul. In any case, as a Fulbright grantee, you will be living in a basically urban setting whether it is Seoul or a provincial city.
Although no place in Korea is really far from Seoul in these days of expressways and modern transportation facilities, those of you who are assigned to provincial institutions will have to be more self reliant. We will do everything possible to assist you in settling in and handling any problems that may arise, but our personal contacts with you will be less frequent than with those Fulbrighters residing in Seoul. Fortunately, with the universality of email and cell phones and the ease of travel, no one on this peninsula can be truly isolated any more except by personal choice. You should feel free at any time, however, to seek our assistance as needed.