Kevin's Korean Apartment

[Kairibaby990]

whats the cost of living there in korea? i most def want to move  there someday :)

[AvidusVinco]

LMao "Huge powdah! I uze dis wen I go too da gym to make myself BIGGAH!"

Very informative vid Kevin. Is it easy to find places that sell protein powder in Busan, and is it expensive compared to the US/Canada/Europe?

Also, what are the gyms like in busan? Just machines or plenty of free weights, squat racks, heavy dumbells etc?

[gymikk]

Oh its a pretty nice room in your place.

[Umba]

haha, are those the scam calligraphy scrolls? At least you put them to use!

[SussenRose]

I am curious if you bought the protein powder overseas or if you brought it from home? also can you get protein shakes and smoothies in korea? I will be having stomach surgery prior to going to korea and will need to be on a liquid / soft food high protein diet. Thanks!

[10comodo]

it's not apartment. it calls officetel. so no bathtub and balcony, just one room

[abecton87]

Great video. I am moving to Korea this week. I have two questions for you. First, did you have a balcony? Are they quite common? Also, I like to workout myself, and I noticed your protein from GNC. Are there GNCs over there?  Is it easy to get a hold of supplements? Thanks.

[10comodo]

@abecton87 no this house don't have balcony. it's for office. anyways what purpose do you come to korea? nowdays so many foreignes full. so many koreans hate to see foreigners. not welcome!!!

[StarAWings]

typical bachelor appartment! XD atually it's bigger than most student rooms you can get here in holland...

[udon890]

Your apartment is not bad, enough for a teacher. Where are your books ?? Are you going to China to teach the children English ?? I think you are a good teacher. My apartment does not have washing machine, I need to do laundry in the first floor with all other tenants in the building. Most people I know like shower, and do not use bath tubs. If you go to China to teach, please show us video of Chinese street food.

[Midnightryder7]

Why don't they have ovens over there?...and why do you have to take your shoes off?

[Ayumura96]

that is one funny looking AC, i've never seen that

[nneuhaus84]

What did you pay per month for that apt in USD?

[Virglol]

Chang beer :) Have you been to Thailand?

[chimetrooper]

I taught in Korea for 2 years and I would have killed for an apartment like this! Money was good though.

[neomysterio]

I have that same singlet, I got it from Thailand.

[cheltenhamjimbo]

Awesome... you've helped me out sooooo much with your uploads (moving to Seoul to teach next week).

[Sasilmin]

That's such a bad apartment. Usual Korean apartments are with bath tubes.

My Father and mother works in korea and they said that the apartments were extremely small but still quite cozy.

[browndog1978]

haha, you seem quite impressed by your own image in the mirror :)

[BusanKevin]

@tnstn this was a VERY nice apartment for English teachers!

[redeyeblues11]

@tnstn his looks much nicer and bigger than my tiny apartment in Japan when I taught there!

[tnstn]

@redeyeblues11 THIS IS WHAT I WAS SAYING EXCACTLY.

i'm trying to say there are other apartments like this in any country in the WORLD.

did you like teaching in japan? :)

i would love to go there

[hot4art]

@tnstn That's actually a very nice apartment for Korea.

[jkirk1626]

@tnstn What's your nationality? Did your culture and parents fail to teach you manners, or did you lack the ability to learn them? Most 5 year olds are able to engage with more courtesy than insulting a person's accommodations and salary. Please tell me you're not a WASP.

[jkirk1626]

@tnstn You mis-understood, Cupcake. I was promoting WASPs. You're the one who was rude and I pointed it out. You meant to write "biased," not bias.

[tnstn]

@jkirk1626 did i not get my point across? wow. i'm so done here.

lmfao you are such a good WASP urself.

[tnstn]

@jkirk1626 This is what i mean by "biased".

you WOULD ask for my nationality. and don't talk about manners to me when you are talking about my culture and especially my PARENTS in that way.

and where did you get the insluting person's accommodations and salary part?

[Bulmer39]

@tnstn I stayed in korea for a month at my gf's mothers apartment and I had no tub either.

[tnstn]

@Bulmer39 my cousin lives in singapore and she doesn't have a tub either.. ?

I'm pretty sure there are many apartments with no tubs not only in korea.

[planningevolution]

Thanks for this video man. I really appreciate it.

[Ayumura96]

0:36, i find that sink very adorable XD!!!!

[hackerbro]

@Ayumura96 Løl

[sweetpea114]

Haha this video is pretty funny, I like the Arnold impression.

[BusanKevin]

haha...gimmeabreak! I was a You Tube newb in these days. If you've seen my vids in the last year or two, you'll notice a HUGE difference....haha

Thanks for the honesty....and I agree with you.....it was too long ;)

[squidgysailor]

dude, it was an awesome vid, the details were great, keep it up

[BShark97]

Yeah, I'm sure he made this video just for you. Gimme a break.

[xjoshyuux]

lol 1:12 was so random

[pogobat88]

Im thai!

[krnx213]

i cant wait to go to korea this winter

[DeeDoubleYou81]

Cool to see the "old-school" Kevin! That is one tiny apartment!

[BusanKevin]

it ws tiny! Old school Kevin means lots of "ums" and "ahs"!

[LifeInShiga]

lol, i can't wait till i can look back at "old" videos and say the same thing!

[GimmeKitty]

@DeeDoubleYou81 This is nice for an apt., there, isn't it? It was small, but ... whatdyawant, eh? Lookin' good, Kev. Love your vids!

[krnx213]

u kinda reminded me of zoolander @ 1:09

[BusanKevin]

haha....I wish!

[42317]

So you lived there alone, March 2007.

When did you get married, if I may ask?

Congratulations on that very beautiful woman.

Hm... if you didn't drink a sip too much that day when you made the apartment tour I would conclude that your communicative and presentational style has become more mature. I find a striking difference in your language between now and then, which is pretty cool from a linguistic point of view.

[BusanKevin]

SImply put, after a few years of doing You Tube, I have gotten a lot better at it. It is quite painful to listen to myself in these older videos. I used so many vocal flllers such as "um" and "ah." I suppose, now I am just far more comfortable in front of a camera and know how to use it better :)

[MajorAddiction]

OH NOES empty beer bottles D:

[treetopteresa]

Ive lived in apts that size in the US; but your kitchen area is ten times better than what I had to deal with.

[sengoku17]

the place looks small, but Comfortable!

[qiranger]

Reminds me of my place!

[abigor315]

ho ho ho busankevbro with hair :D also loved the arnold voice! use it in youre newer videos pleaasseee

[deadcell1]

How much would a average apartment cost in Korea?

[keiyara6]

I notice your clothes. How do I dress? Suits? Casual? I teach in America do I wear the same wardrobe?

[jlnae]

Thanks posting Kevin! I am hoping that I'lll be able to go to Busan next year!

[nothinbutakanekane]

also were there many other western teachers in the schools that you were in?

[BusanKevin]

yep. My last school in Korea only had western teachers. The Korean staff was only administrative!

[nothinbutakanekane]

in south korea, is there much of a social life /nightlife.... is there much to do outside of work? also what are the korean people like generally, are they friendly to foregners? cheers

[jpgkorea]

Korean nightlife is always full-force, even in the smallest city. Friendliness to foreigners is relative and depends on where you are and what you are doing. When I went out at night, I found 2 extremes, people were always staring and curious as to who I was, what I was drinking, or eating. I got free drinks lots of times and people wanted me to eat at their tables. On the other end of that, people would just stare and make it feel uncomfortable. So it just depends.

[BusanKevin]

very good point! I have had kind people offer me rides to places, give me food and beer ANd have also had some people yell at me for speaking english in public. Different reactions at different times in different places!

[buckyhermit]

How many English channels can you usually get on TV there?

[BusanKevin]

Actually, there are quite a few. Koreans are nuts for studying English so there are quite a few...CNN, Discovery, Animal Planet, CNBC, etc.

here in Japan there is almost nothing. My basic cable has only Japanese tv...which I suppose is good if you're studying the language!

[ayanchin]

You have lot of stuff. If I were u I'd get lost. Seems apartments in korea is not bigger than in japan. What is average size of korean apartments

[BusanKevin]

Looked like I had a lot of stuff, but that's just because the apartment was so tiny. It was maybe 4X5 meters! Very small.

[breeeeeeeeze]

@ayanchin. heya. this apartment is specially designed for 1 or 2 ppl who's like students or business ppl. not for normal family size ppl and long residents.

:)

[BusanKevin]

Yes indeed.More for single working people. I never saw families living in my building.

[SmokOwner]

how long have u livid thier?

are you still living thier?

[BusanKevin]

I lived in that place for a year and a half. Nope....don't live in Korea anymore. I left there about 2 years ago.

[blackberrybunny]

Hi Kevin, I like this apartment, esp. the bathroom! Only one things missing: a pet. ;-)

Do a lot of people have kitties for pets in Korea? That would be the first thing I'd want. I see some other English teachers have kitties. But I've seen no dogs yet. Just wondering about that.

[BusanKevin]

I don't think many teachers keep pets. Some have dogs, I once knew one girl who had a cat. Myself, I once had a pet guniea pig. A neighbor in my apartment didn't want it and threw it outside in the garbage (in a tissue box). It was crying outside...I found it...took it inside and cared for it as my pet for almost a year after that. Poor little guy passed away though :(

[Llirya]

"there i am...uh,uh,uh,uh"

funny

[o0oNicolasS12o0o]

is there a way to stay in korea for a long time?

like more than 30 years?

i was looking at the visa so im a little confused, do i need to study something in collage just to go work in korea? o_O

[ajarnfrankie]

Kevin. Do you know how much a small house with yard go for in Pusan? Thanks!

[toshiniru]

hello Sir Kevin, can you say how much is the rental fee? and does that include everything i mean, the electricity, water..?

thanks much in advance!

[BusanKevin]

This apartment was in Busan so the rental fees there are cheaper than in Seoul. I was paying 350,000won a month(about $350.00). That included nothing. There was an additional 80,000 won (%80) for a "maintenance fee" and my electricity and water bills each month were about 100,000won. Overall....everything was a little more than $500.00 a month. Pretty good I think for a brand new apartment :) Much cheaper than in Canada!

[toshiniru]

oh Thanks a lot lot for the response!~

better work hard to get a nice job so i can pay that much in the future! thank you for the information sir! ^_^v

[rockerholic]

Seeing this video....you really remind me of Ben Stiller xP It's a good thing by the way haha xD

[BusanKevin]

hehe...I've gotten that before....not for a long time though! Thanks....not an insult at all :)

[mastertard]

hey man, is that a 1-room or an officetel? the two are different. mind if i ask what the monthly rent is also?

[BusanKevin]

That's an officetel. They all happen to be one room. That was Busan so it was cheap...350,000 won a month. Same thing in Gangnam (when I lived in Seoul) was about 800,000won! Location, location, location!

[Wonton118]

with the cost of rent in Seoul being 800,000 won (wow!), did the school also pay for that or did you have to pay for rent?

[BusanKevin]

Usually, schools pay for teachers, but in the situation I was, I paid my own rent.

[mzcharmingz]

wouldnt that be like, $800?

isn't that super cheap? or is that just compared to nyc?

[ImMovingOverseas]

Kevin,

What's the security deposit requirement for a typical Seoul (or Ilsan) apartment? One month's rent? Also, considering a lot of people seem to take mass transit in Seoul, how do you move new furniture to your apartment if you don't have a vehicle? Lastly, I read that you can only take out 20% of your annual salary out of Korea; is this correct?

[BusanKevin]

Security deposits for a one room apt. are typically $5000, but your school will always pay for it! Normally the school will pay for your rent too! Oneof the great things about teaching in Korea are the standard free accomodations!

[elganch]

nice apartment, i hope the koreans pony up and give me such a nice one

[tamagoten]

hey kevin. i got offered a position at pagoda. i know abt long split hours, but i'll try it out. u worked there before if i rem correctly, so since they don't provide housing, what tips would u give to finding a not craphole, but not ridiculously-priced place?? (listen to the agent they give u?)

[Heveline]

hhiii you have a nice sense of humor.....

[BusanKevin]

Thanks :)

[mr007tycoon]

Wash your dishes!LOL

Thanks for sharing. I plan to teach in S Korea soon and I am leaning toward Pusan public schools. I hope I can get a decent apt but I believe w/ public schools you have to take the apt you are assigned.

[BusanKevin]

Maybe....have no idea. Aside from the dirty dishes...I think I had a pretty sweet pad. Hope you have the same :) Best of luck!

[KoronoXyl]

Small, but it's nice. How are the gyms in Korea? Do they have stuff like power/squat racks? Again, great vids!

[andeanmusic]

Hey Kevin, Great video nice place!

I was wondering, would you recommend getting a job through a company like ASKnow - or contracting by yourself type deal...?

[BusanKevin]

I've used both recruiters and done it myself. I think, if you're already in Korea, it's best to do it by yourself. If you've never been there before and don't know much about the esl industry, a recruiter may be the best way to go.

[dave1cha]

love your korea videos and i just watched you playing sober with your band. keep up the good work

[BusanKevin]

Cool!!! Thanks...

[tdvu]

where in busan were you able to go to the gym? i just started working out again and want to continue building muscle if i go to korea to teach. also, where did you purchase the whey protein cases?

[BusanKevin]

Loads of gyms all over the place. Best place to buy whey protein in Busan is in Nampo-dong. believe it or not, you can buy alll major brands at the traditional market there...GNC, Prolab, etc. It's about the same prcie as in canada

[tdvu]

what do you mean by "Office-tel?" did you have internet access right off the bat when you moved in? im contemplating bringing my wireless-capable laptop.

also, do the local stores in general there accept major debit/credit cards like visa/mastercard?

[togirl2]

you are lucky. I want to move to south korea or japan to teach english to children. but I have to get my degree first.

can you take korean classes there?>

[BusanKevin]

It was a good time for sure. There are tons of places to take Korean classes. I'll be moving to Japan in a few months so I'm looking forward to my new little adventure so to speak!

[razzigirl]

Hey Kevin, did you take Koran language classes while there? If so, is it an easy language to learn?

[BusanKevin]

Yes I did take Korean classes. Is it easy to learn?? Reading and writing hangeul (the written language) isn't dificult at all..understanding Korean grammar and prununciation is difficult. it' worth studying though...it can help you appreciate the culture more and life is easierif you have some language skills!

[Inchon4u]

This is not the typical apt in Korea. This is more like a studio apt or a single guy apt. I have never seen this type of apt, but I think it is pretty spacious for one. This is like 10 times smaller the most of apt. My question is that are these type of apt for foreigners only or for everyone including Koreans?

[Kionon]

Kevin,

I'm headed to Korea to teach. What leverage do I have in demanding an office-tel or the like? I'm probably headed to Daegu.

[BusanKevin]

I suppose you should simply ask them for one. Tell them you "know" people who live in them and you expect no less...be polite about it of course^^ Ask if you are living in a newer or more upscale area of toen. Ifso, you most likely would be living in an offic-tel.

[Kionon]

Thanks, Kevin. I really am glad you did this for all of us considering following your footsteps.

After being very clear about what I what I expected, my position was promptly changed. I'm now being placed in Ilsan, and assured my accommodations will be in a new, high-rise building in the affluent area.

[BusanKevin]

Cool...I lived in Ilsan for 2 years. You'll dig it. I liked Lake Park and the shopping area called LaFesta.

[RPGonline2]

Oh ya, have you seen any roaches or bugs in your apartment? Roaches are my biggest fear -Quivers- O__O

[BusanKevin]

I have seen cockroaches in one of my old apartments in Seoul, but it was an old building in an old neighborhood. The one you see in the video was a brand new apartment...pretty sweet...I miss that place, but I do enjoy the larger size of Canadian apartments!

[RPGonline2]

I LOVE Korea...and I LOVE Korean homes. I want to move there after I go to a nice University in the States ^__^

[ProdiKL]

haha hey kevin

i just started the whole teach-in-english thing, i posted a video of my officetel, too, haha man our videos are so similar

[BusanKevin]

I suppose there's a lot of "korean apartment" videos out there! Hope you enjoy your time teaching...you have a lot of good times ahead!