Seoul, South Korea

Working in Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea, is not for the faint-hearted. South Korea is very mountainous, but less rugged than the communist North, which is only 50 miles away. Over 15 million people live in and around Seoul, which has an excellent subway system.

Job prospects Korean industry is dominated by a few large conglomerates, such as Hyundai and Samsung. Korean companies prefer to employ natives, and only look for foreign workers to start the leading-edge projects they can't tackle. Your best prospects would be to get a job with a US company based there - try Andersens, Coopers & Lybrand, and EDS.

Drawbacks Seoul was devastated during the Korean war of 1950-53, and 30,000 US soldiers are still stationed around the country. Most locals still don't speak English, though the many students at Seoul's 16 universities are changing this. Apartments in expatriate areas cost over #3,000 per month while houses in Korean areas cost about #65,000 to buy. The way Koreans 'rent' them out is peculiar. According to Andy Baker of Glotel, you have to take out a loan for the full value of the property. You hand the cash over to the owner and pay interest on it while you're there. The owner will return the entire capital sum to you at the end of your stay.

Attractions On the social side, beer is cheap and the embassies throw parties every Friday night. Meat is expensive, but there is a McDonald's.

Climate The winter is incredibly cold, with temperatures plummeting to -150C. In summer they soar to 320C to 350C. And it rains a lot.

Links
Seoul information
Korea Job Expo jobs database