Extending a hand to foreigners
Published: 26 Oct. 2009, 20:23
Just two years ago, many expats in Korea had to navigate the complexities of life here on their own or plead with a colleague for help.
As a newbie in town, it’s not exactly easy figuring out how to pay - let alone read - the gas bill, get a cell phone, sign up for Internet and cable service and obtain a T-money card, especially if your Korean vocabulary is limited to kimchi and maekju.
Then along came the Seoul Global Center, which launched last year to help foreigners adjust to life in the city.
Shortly after it opened on Jan. 23, 2008 in the Korea Press Center downtown, five more branches cropped up in neighborhoods with a high concentration of foreigners: Yeonnam, Yeoksam, Itaewon-Hannam, Ichon and Seorae.
With the opening of these organizations, it’s become a lot easier to be an expat in Seoul. Each center serves as a powerhouse of information, tips and guidance for foreigners in a variety of areas, ranging from signing up for a cell phone to finding Korean language classes. The directors of these centers have lived in Korea for at least three years and have firsthand knowledge of the difficulties expats face when they first arrive in Seoul.
Each center is located in a neighborhood with a large concentration of foreigners from different regions, so the organizations cater their services to the makeup of their expat population.
In the case of Ichon-dong, where there are numerous Japanese expats, many visitors are mothers who want advice on local tourist attractions and information on Korean language classes.
“Japanese residents here have a high interest in learning about Korea,” said Yukiko Ishihara, head of the Ichon Global Village Center. “They find that residing in Korea presents a window of opportunities to learn about the country.
“Of all the programs that the Ichon Global Village Center offers, Korean language classes and events focused on making bojagi [a traditional wrapping cloth] are very popular among Japanese mothers. The bojagi class, in particular, sees high demand, as Japanese mothers want to learn how to make the cloth for their friends back home.”
Ishihara met her Korean husband in England while earning her master’s degree in English education. The two married in Busan in 2004. After living in the seaside city for two years, the couple moved to Seoul.
The Seorae Global Village Center, run by Marie-Pierre Allirol, attracts a large number of French expats. Allirol, who is also married to a Korean, said the Seorae center received over 240 inquiries last week alone.
“Our main clients are French expats but many people from English-speaking countries visit the center as well,” Allirol said. “The most frequently asked questions in our center revolve around how to book accommodations while traveling in Korea and how to get tickets for upcoming concerts and exhibitions. There are still plenty of Web sites that don’t offer information in English, and many of them are not capable of accepting reservations using foreigner registration cards or foreign diplomat identification cards.”
Alan Timblick, a British native who came to Korea in 1977 and heads the Seoul Global Center, said his organization receives many inquiries from expat business leaders who want to set up their own companies in Korea.
“Our center tries to make systemic changes” in the infrastructure here, Timblick said. “Expats ran into problems a couple of years ago when Korean banks stopped letting foreign customers use their ATM cards overseas. We helped find an agreeable solution, and the Foreign Ministry changed its regulations so that banks were able to resume the service [in June of last year]. I’m very happy about that.”
Cristina Confalonieri, a native of Italy who heads the Yeoksam Global Village Center, has become a familiar face in Korea after appearing on the popular KBS-TV show “Minyeodeuleui-suda” (Chatting Beauties).
Confalonieri said she applied to run the center because she wanted to give back to Korean society. The organization primarily attracts English teachers, foreign students who came to study in Korea and foreign corporate workers.
The center also attempts to provide events and services not found at other expat organizations.
“We offer movie night every third Friday,” said Confalonieri. “We show famous movies from around world. There’s no problem with understanding the movies because every one has English subtitles.”
When asked to name the most rewarding parts of their jobs, the expats who lead these centers pointed to the feeling they get when foreigners express their gratitude.
Timblick said one visitor who was extremely satisfied with the help his center provided even broke out his wallet and offered to pay.
“I had to convince him that our service was free, and he was amazed,” Timblick recalled.
Ishihara echoed his sentiments.
“Before returning to Japan, some expats carve out a little time to visit the center in person to say thank you,” Ishihara said. “I can’t find the right words to express my feelings in these instances. I’m very glad to play a role at this center. Many expats have told me that before the center was established in Ichon, the only way to solve living problems was to consult with someone from the Japanese community who has lived here for a while. And even that was difficult, because it was hard to find someone to help with minute details, such as reading a Korean manual for an electronics product.”
The heads of these centers say there are some light-hearted moments as well, particularly when people come in with unusual questions.
“One time, an expat visited our center and asked our staff if there is a way to stop his son from going to PC cafes because he believed it distracted his son from schoolwork,” Allirol, who heads the Seorae center, said. “He asked if our staff could write letters to the owners of the PC cafes in Korean, requesting that they bar his son from visiting.
“His son’s photo and full name were attached to each letter. He visited every PC cafe that his son regularly visited, handing out the letters to the owners.”
The center heads say other regions in Korea should establish similar organizations to meet the needs of expats.
“I’m aware that it will take some time to develop such expat help centers nationwide,” Allirol said. “We are helping where we can. We send newsletters to French expats in Ulsan about concerts and other cultural events going on in Korea.
“We also helped a French expat in Daegu who inquired about Internet and cable TV connections. We were glad that we were able to help someone who lives far from Seoul, but we are limited in this respect. More support centers for expats are needed.”
By Kim Mi-ju [[email protected]]
As a newbie in town, it’s not exactly easy figuring out how to pay - let alone read - the gas bill, get a cell phone, sign up for Internet and cable service and obtain a T-money card, especially if your Korean vocabulary is limited to kimchi and maekju.
Then along came the Seoul Global Center, which launched last year to help foreigners adjust to life in the city.
Shortly after it opened on Jan. 23, 2008 in the Korea Press Center downtown, five more branches cropped up in neighborhoods with a high concentration of foreigners: Yeonnam, Yeoksam, Itaewon-Hannam, Ichon and Seorae.
With the opening of these organizations, it’s become a lot easier to be an expat in Seoul. Each center serves as a powerhouse of information, tips and guidance for foreigners in a variety of areas, ranging from signing up for a cell phone to finding Korean language classes. The directors of these centers have lived in Korea for at least three years and have firsthand knowledge of the difficulties expats face when they first arrive in Seoul.
Each center is located in a neighborhood with a large concentration of foreigners from different regions, so the organizations cater their services to the makeup of their expat population.
In the case of Ichon-dong, where there are numerous Japanese expats, many visitors are mothers who want advice on local tourist attractions and information on Korean language classes.
“Japanese residents here have a high interest in learning about Korea,” said Yukiko Ishihara, head of the Ichon Global Village Center. “They find that residing in Korea presents a window of opportunities to learn about the country.
“Of all the programs that the Ichon Global Village Center offers, Korean language classes and events focused on making bojagi [a traditional wrapping cloth] are very popular among Japanese mothers. The bojagi class, in particular, sees high demand, as Japanese mothers want to learn how to make the cloth for their friends back home.”
Ishihara met her Korean husband in England while earning her master’s degree in English education. The two married in Busan in 2004. After living in the seaside city for two years, the couple moved to Seoul.
The Seorae Global Village Center, run by Marie-Pierre Allirol, attracts a large number of French expats. Allirol, who is also married to a Korean, said the Seorae center received over 240 inquiries last week alone.
“Our main clients are French expats but many people from English-speaking countries visit the center as well,” Allirol said. “The most frequently asked questions in our center revolve around how to book accommodations while traveling in Korea and how to get tickets for upcoming concerts and exhibitions. There are still plenty of Web sites that don’t offer information in English, and many of them are not capable of accepting reservations using foreigner registration cards or foreign diplomat identification cards.”
Alan Timblick, a British native who came to Korea in 1977 and heads the Seoul Global Center, said his organization receives many inquiries from expat business leaders who want to set up their own companies in Korea.
“Our center tries to make systemic changes” in the infrastructure here, Timblick said. “Expats ran into problems a couple of years ago when Korean banks stopped letting foreign customers use their ATM cards overseas. We helped find an agreeable solution, and the Foreign Ministry changed its regulations so that banks were able to resume the service [in June of last year]. I’m very happy about that.”
Cristina Confalonieri, a native of Italy who heads the Yeoksam Global Village Center, has become a familiar face in Korea after appearing on the popular KBS-TV show “Minyeodeuleui-suda” (Chatting Beauties).
Confalonieri said she applied to run the center because she wanted to give back to Korean society. The organization primarily attracts English teachers, foreign students who came to study in Korea and foreign corporate workers.
The center also attempts to provide events and services not found at other expat organizations.
“We offer movie night every third Friday,” said Confalonieri. “We show famous movies from around world. There’s no problem with understanding the movies because every one has English subtitles.”
When asked to name the most rewarding parts of their jobs, the expats who lead these centers pointed to the feeling they get when foreigners express their gratitude.
Timblick said one visitor who was extremely satisfied with the help his center provided even broke out his wallet and offered to pay.
“I had to convince him that our service was free, and he was amazed,” Timblick recalled.
Ishihara echoed his sentiments.
“Before returning to Japan, some expats carve out a little time to visit the center in person to say thank you,” Ishihara said. “I can’t find the right words to express my feelings in these instances. I’m very glad to play a role at this center. Many expats have told me that before the center was established in Ichon, the only way to solve living problems was to consult with someone from the Japanese community who has lived here for a while. And even that was difficult, because it was hard to find someone to help with minute details, such as reading a Korean manual for an electronics product.”
The heads of these centers say there are some light-hearted moments as well, particularly when people come in with unusual questions.
“One time, an expat visited our center and asked our staff if there is a way to stop his son from going to PC cafes because he believed it distracted his son from schoolwork,” Allirol, who heads the Seorae center, said. “He asked if our staff could write letters to the owners of the PC cafes in Korean, requesting that they bar his son from visiting.
“His son’s photo and full name were attached to each letter. He visited every PC cafe that his son regularly visited, handing out the letters to the owners.”
The center heads say other regions in Korea should establish similar organizations to meet the needs of expats.
“I’m aware that it will take some time to develop such expat help centers nationwide,” Allirol said. “We are helping where we can. We send newsletters to French expats in Ulsan about concerts and other cultural events going on in Korea.
“We also helped a French expat in Daegu who inquired about Internet and cable TV connections. We were glad that we were able to help someone who lives far from Seoul, but we are limited in this respect. More support centers for expats are needed.”
By Kim Mi-ju [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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