Getting bigger and better, now with more than 2000 copies printed every month Vol. III Issue VII the Ulsanwww.ulsanpear.biz PearJanuary 2007 Getting Around Taking the KTX Catching a Taxi Hopping on the Bus and more inside... Taehwa Rotary Check out our Website! lots of back-issues everything you ever needed to know about living in Ulsan Cover photo by Bennett Ho FREE A Guide to Living in Korea’s Industrial Capital 무료 2 THE ulsan Pear Dear Pear Readers, By the time you read this, another year will have started, hopefully with a great holiday season behind all of us. New Year's is a time for resolutions, setting new goals and dreaming big. Now is the time to think of all the things you'd like to experience during your time in Emergency Contact Numbers Korea, and make the most of the mostly dry, sunny winter weather. speak very slowly, and clearly. One thing we should all endeavour to do is see more of the country we are living in. This issue provides lots of information on how to get around Ulsan and Korea, so get out and explore! Do not panic, ask for English We’re also taking a look at the possible future of Ulsan. I hope you all enjoy the trip through the looking glass. Ambulance 구급(Gu-Guep) Happy New Years from all of us at the Ulsan Pear! 119 Fire 화재 (Hwa-Jay) Kevin Forman 112 Police 경찰 (Gyeong-Chal) Editor-in-Chief 1366 Women Emergency CAll 00799 International Operator ™ THE ULSAN PEAR ESTABLISHED 2004 1330 Tourist Information CREATOR: Joel Burslem H Ulsan Hospital Emergency 052-259-5000 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Kevin Forman EDITORIAL BOARD/ STAFF WRITERS: Deirdre Madden Korean Legal Aid 052-257-4676 Fin Madden Law Jim Saunders Jason Teale Tax Office 052-259-0200 Labour Board 052-272-0009 CONTRIBUTORS: Helen Clayton Adamo DeFazio December 24th was the Ulsan Pear’s Christmas Formal Chris Devauld Andrew Fawcett We’d like to give a big Thank You to everybody who helped make this the best Christmas Shawn Hines Chris Linton Formal yet! Troy from Benchwarmers for the fantastic dinner, the organizing committee, Matthew Murray the setup volunteers, Gino and Dan for the music, the Tombstone boys for their donation, Katie Peavler Santa Jeff and his Funny Elf, to everyone who came out and supported the event, and Jason Pratt Rick Ruffin most especially, thanks to the Ulsan International Volunteer Centre for the use of their space and for the lovely poinsettias. Without everyone’s support to make events like this happen, Ulsan wouldn’t have such a strong, active ex-pat community. Thanks for COPY EDITOR: Deirdre Madden helping to make this a better place to live. PRINCIPLE PHOTOGRAPHER: Jason Teale LAYOUT/DESIGN: Kevin Forman Write Fin Madden for Jim Saunders The VOLUNTEER: CLEO-RA KIM Ulsan Pear! ADVERTISING: 011.9528.1934 [email protected] email VISIT OUR HOMEPAGE FOR BACK ISSUES info@ web: www.ulsanpear.biz ulsanpear. email: [email protected] biz for more info We don’t bite. THE ulsan Pear 3 Speed and Style on Korea’s KTX Service Jason Pratt make everyone feel comfortable. you to. As corny as that sounds stop after a certain period of time. to the KTX website at http://ktx. Contributor The ride is so smooth and it is nothing but the truth. It is a Also, it is equipped with the latest korail.go.kr and, luckily for most everything outside passes by in a feeling rarely felt on any kind of braking and impact absorption foreigners, it has an English option Finding the best transportation sort of slow motion as the train public transportation service. technology that contributes to make things easier. option is always hard. Questions continues it’s journey at an amazing greatly to the overall safety of the of time, cost, and availability speed. On board speedometers The train runs quietly without the KTX. It is also energy efficient The KTX is a great way to get are ever present in a traveler’s let you see how quickly the train noise pollution that is a normal and, because it runs on electricity, around the country quickly and mind. However one need look no further than the Korea Train Express or KTX. The KTX high speed trains and lines took approximately 12 years to build and both lines opened in April 2004. Ever since then, travelers have been taking advantage of everything it has to offer. The KTX is in good company with the high speed trains in France, Japan, and Germany to name a few. All trains are comprised of 20 compartments, 16 of which are for passengers. It can reach speeds of 300km/h, with plans to surpass that on higher speed rails in 2008. Currently, for people in Ulsan, the station is Busan and that can take you to Seoul in roughly two and a half hours. The fare from Busan is 45 000 won and the ride is worth every bit. It doesn’t matter if you travel in groups Photo by Jason Teale or solo, the KTX is something everyone can appreciate. Staring Inlay Photo by Fin Madden out the window and watching the beautiful scenery with music accelerates and decelerates. A part turn-off for travelers. This is truly a is very environmentally safe. in style. It is an experience that from an Ipod playing in your ears of you just can’t look away from it, marvel for a machine that runs on The easiest way to purchase tickets anyone can have and should be is almost surreal as the sun shines until settling into the comfortable 18,200 horsepower. Technology for the KTX is to get them at the considered. Have fun riding the upon your face. The friendly staff and spacious seats that are easy to is a wonder on this machine. If ticket counters in the stations, but rails! pass by every now and then to fall asleep in. However, the sheer anything happens to the operator you can also reserve tickets over check on their passengers and to sense of adventure that floods and he/she can’t drive safely, the the internet and through travel offer food and beverages to help through your body won’t allow train will bring itself to a complete agents. For more information go [email protected] 4 THE ulsan Pear (a huge train station that takes areas around here, but I didn’t you to many other places in stay too long seeing as my body The Busan Subway Korea) and Seomyeon (the most was starting to shut down and it popular nightclub, restaurant, even started snowing. Chris Devauld a fabulous temple and a fantastic reminding me that this next stop and shopping place in the city). Contributor hiking experience that starts was a line transfer. Anyways, I fell Heading east on Line 2, I decided Back on the subway, I noticed that behind the temple and works asleep . and woke up at the very that the best destination would be a bunch of elderly people looked I’m rather used to being stared at, its way over the surrounding end of the line! Haeundae beach. at me with disgust as I sat and but for some reason whenever I relaxed. I didn’t really know what ride Busan’s subway I feel like I’m Obviously the most popular was up until I remembered that naked with a neon sign flashing foreigner spot in the city, I was in the “Aju” seating. Stay above my head. What’s worse Haeundae has some good night away from the seats at the very is that this time I’ve forgotten clubs (definitely check U2), an end of each subway car because, to brush my teeth and there’s a assortment of restaurants (even like the yellow seats on the buses, suspicious stain on my shirt. No, Outback!), and an interesting these are only for the eldery and I’m not a creep—I’m just a hung- underground aquarium right disabled. over ESL teacher . on the beach. But my reason for going was a delicious hot dog Other than that, I would say I Thankfully, Busan’s subway is stand called New York Hot Dogs. had a very successful unplanned designed so just about anyone It’s right across the street from the subway trip. There are 91 stops in can find their way. This subway aquarium. Don’t miss it! total, and about 90 km worth of has seen a lot of changes over the area covered by the subway line, years: from the recent addition of And then back on the subway I so yes—you can really traverse a a third line, to the massive, World went. This time, I decided to lot of ground in a very short time. Photo by Jason Teale Cup “Englishing.” But don’t travel back down line 3 to check So wake up early, finish off your worry, you won’t get lost. Unless out the Sports Complex stop. This beer or grab a coffee, and do some you try. mountains. Yeah right—too cold! Taking a reverse direction on was a surprising area. Nice and exploring like I did. Maybe you’ll Instead, I decided that some Line 1, I noticed some popular clean and if you are into baseball meet a movie star . I decided to explore the “intricate” Starbucks (I am a sucker for stops: Nampo-dong (like a little or soccer this is where you want to network of rail lines, bird noises spending money needlessly) Seoul in Busan), Busan Station be.