Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The westernmost district, Yuseong-gu which contains the Daedeok Innopolis and most
of the city's other major research facilities, also has a reasonable expatriate presence, most
working at the nearby institutes or venture firms. Units in newer developments with a good
range of amenities, such as Daedok Techno Valley, are usually handed out by employers but
can also be rented for around 800,000 won per month for a two-bedroom, with deposits of
around 10 million won. The average selling price is about 300 million won.
Culture
It'd be hard to argue that Daejeon is a cultural mecca, but it's no wasteland either. The ex-
cellent Daejeon Culture and Arts Center in Mannyeon-dong, a futuristic five-story structure
surrounded by a park, has a solid collection of visual art and impeccably designed perform-
ance spaces that have hosted distinguished local and international acts such as the New York
Philharmonic. Appropriately, given its focus on science, the city also has several museums
concentrating on areas like the intersection of technology and art and natural phenomena,
including the National Science Museum. The mountains on Daejeon's outskirts are home to
several important Buddhist temples, and several key archaeological sites from the ancient
Baekje kingdom are a short distance away.
Daily Life
Daejeon's expatriate community is small enough to be accessible but large and diverse
enough to support a good range of interests. Most of the foreign restaurant and nightlife
scene is focused in the new town of Dunsan-dong. Gung-dong, the neighborhood surround-
ing Chungnam National University, also has a number of edgy clubs and is popular with the
younger foreign and local crowd, while the area around KAIST has a few haunts frequented
by the institute's foreign researchers.
There's no foreign-language media to speak of in Daejeon beyond the newsletters that
organizations like KAIST occasionally produce for employees or students. The city govern-
ment publishes some helpful guides and information on foreign-language services, avail-
able on its website and usually at district offices. There are also a few active multinational
clubs, including a soccer team and a salsa group. There are at least half a dozen churches
of various denominations in the city with English-language services, including the Chris-
tian International Church and the Daejeon Onnuri English Ministry, and Buddhist temples
and monasteries in the surrounding mountains also welcome foreign practitioners, although
their English-language resources are more limited.
