Shopping in Korea

Shopping, pretty much everything that you can purchase at home will be available in Korea but it will probably be cheaper, this is true especially for electronics. The exception to this rule applies to purchasing brands from your home country, will you pay over the odds, this mainly applies to food and alcoholic beverages.

Food shopping, for fresh fruit, meat and your main food shopping visit your local street-market or supermarket depending on where you live. It is not usual to haggle at these markets as items are mostly tagged but if you do, be sure to do so with a smile. Koreans are by and large honest people so even if you don’t have clue about prices, you’re pretty safe as they tend to be very fair when charging you. The only thing you have to worry about are the shopkeepers or staff that can be a little over-baring as simply browsing won’t mean that you will be left in peace.

Local bakeries, supermarkets and 24-hour stores are widespread across Korea, so there will always be somewhere open for a late night snack or beer. The main chains of supermarkets are Home Plus (Tesco), Wal Mart and Carre Four, there is sure to be at least one of these in your area and they stock a lot of items you will familiar with at home, so be sure to find one quickly. In the case of deodorants we recommend teachers bring enough for at least the first month until you figure out where you can purchase more in your locality.

Restaurants are very cheap in comparison to what you will be used to so, it’s more common to eat out and often works out cheaper than cooking pricey western food at home.

You’ll find everything you’ll need clothing wise, it won’t be exactly the same fashion as you’d get at home but then where would be the fun in that. You will only run into difficulty if you are blessed with having extra large feet or extra long legs.

Korea is a good place to buy electronics as both Japan and Korea are the power-houses of the industry. New products generally go on sale here months before their release around the rest of the world. Cameras, laptops, mp3 players, i-phones all fall under this category, but be careful as instructions and warranties will be in Korean and power cables will fit Asian plugs so adapters and volt regulators may be required if you eventually move home. Seoul has a technomart in Yongsan, where all these goods are on sale but are cheaper than you would buy elsewhere in Korea.

What not to buy in Korea
Drugs are illegal and not widely used by Koreans which make the targeting of drug users relatively easy for the police. If you are caught taking, supplying drugs or with drugs in your system you will be punished severely. It can involve prison, fine or deportation or all three. The Korean government has zero tolerance for drugs.