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Yongsan Electronics District, Seoul Korea - You've got to see this!

They have some very nice restaurants, a sports complex, more traditional mall type department stores, escalators, elevators, cinemas, and a whole lot more.
In the basement level they have stores that sell electronic components.
Quite the scene!

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1414620360.963408.jpg
 
The only disturbing thing in South Korea is realizing that the Korean War was never settled and the chance of hostilities remains.
Occasionally I would come across solders at major train stations standing guard with weapons.

And then there was this in the subways:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1414620624.238601.jpg
 
trhee said:
Yongsan E-land is the newer, bigger and better version of the famed Akihabara strip of Japan, which has become just a glimpse of what it used to be.

I moved to Seoul last year and E-land is just one of many discoveries.

In many ways, the quality of life here is so much better than when I was living in the U.S.
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that's sorta opposite of what I hear from people there...:smoke:
 
OUCHIE WOWCHIE! My brain hurts from looking at that stuff! I'd conservatively estimate about four quadrillion USD of deliciousness in those photos.
 
I would also like to know what the prices are like on some of that gear. Is it cheaper over there or about the same as compared to the US???
 
Fascinating thread, pictures and opinion! My gratitude to trhee for sharing his opinions based on a genuine living experience.
 
I've sold things on Craigslist and had Asian guys pay over market value for broken gear. They said they didn't care since it'd all be packed into a shipping container and restored in Korea or Singapore.
 
I spent an afternoon in Yongson one Saturday. Lots and lots of stuff but not what I was looking for (a good table radio.) The prices were higher than what I could get in the States or on Amazon, even with shipping. For example, a Tivoli table radio was about $250 in Yongson and $160 off Amazon. There were some Grundig and Telefunken tube radios, nice and clean, for $450.

So I ordered off Amazon a Sangean table radio and find I have to get a personal importer number from a Korean government website that is only in Korean and requires all sort of cookies and add-ins to my computer. Looks like government protectionism to me! I cancelled my Amazon order.

So I went shopping at a Lotte department store and they had some appropriate gear but it was 50% over Amazon and US list prices so I passed. A Yamaha table music system is $400 in the US and $600 at Lotte. Even tried a Costco in Seoul which had nothing either.

Maybe I'm just too cheap.
 
Not sure exactly how much of what's in those photos is for the export market, but assuming that it's for the locals I have some very sobering news for those in North America:

http://www.adaptelec.com/index.php?main_page=document_general_info&products_id=159

220V mains in South Korea, meaning you'd have to convert anything you bought for 110V or use a transformer - a major no-no with most audio gear. As luck would have it, I leave for Seoul and Tokyo in 2 weeks time - relatively short flights from Bangkok - and I reconciled myself to the notion that most of the toys I hope to see in Akihabara will be of no use in a country with 220v mains. Seems like the worm turns when you leave Tokyo for Seoul, although I'm not sure that my wallet will thank me.
 
You just need a friend to hand carry it over from the states.
There's little doubt in my mind that most of the prices in Korea are higher than in the USA.
In fact I suspect nearly everything is cheaper and more available in the states.
With globalization the only thing worth buying overseas is a local souvenir.
I bought a V8 Supercup shirt In Australia and some Vegemite to pay my boss back for my hell trip.
 
My hotel room in the Gangnam district of Seoul has several 120vac outlets that take standard US plugs. Other outlets are the 220vac Korean standard. Both are 60 Hz.

Parts of Japan are 60 Hz and other parts are 50 Hz.
 
trhee said:
In many ways, the quality of life here is so much better than when I was living in the U.S.
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I guess it's always greener on the other side of the fence. :D I hear my Korean friends and relatives say the same thing about the U.S. quality of life being better. Except for healthcare. Got an exam, new glasses, etc., within 15 minutes and it cost me about $100USD. That would've cost several hundred dollars in the US. And my US ophthalmologist said they did a great job to boot.
 
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trhee said:
Air quality and traffic is no worse than NYC or LA so I guess I'm accustomed to it.
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I never cough and have a dry throat in NYC but within the first three days in Seoul, the cough and dry throat get me every time.
 
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