Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Health
Two of Daejeon's major hospitals—Chungnam National University and Daejeon St.
Mary's—have large numbers of English-speaking doctors and nurses and therefore tend to
be favored by foreign residents, but virtually all the city's medical facilities offer a high
standard of care and have at least a few multilingual professionals on hand. The city gov-
ernment maintains a helpful list of smaller clinics and pharmacies with English-speaking
staff.
Schools
Surprisingly, given its obvious esteem for learning and abundance of postgraduates, there's
very limited educational infrastructure for foreign nationals in Daejeon. There's currently
only one international school in the city, Daejeon Christian International School, that offers
a U.S.-based curriculum for students from preschool through high school, and it is also one
of the only institutions in South Korea running the International Baccalaureate program,
held in high esteem by universities worldwide. It's a quality institution, but of course this
quality comes at a price; tuition fees start at around 20 million won per academic year for
the lower grades and rise to around 30 million at the high school level. As it's only 50
minutes to Seoul via the KTX high-speed train, some parents consider sending older chil-
dren to schools in the capital, although the daily commute can grow tiring.
Shopping
As in other sizable South Korean cities, major retail chains such as E-mart and Home Plus
have branches throughout Daejeon. The Galleria Timeworld and Lotte Department Store in
Dunsan-dong and the Say Department Store in the old city center are Daejeon's highest-end
retail spaces, with dozens of boutiques, designer outlets, even galleries and health clubs.
While they've grown somewhat less active, merchants also regularly flock to traditional
agricultural and wholesale markets, which are an unparalleled source of fresh low-cost pro-
duce. Jungang Markets, in the eastern district of the city, is one of the largest and most act-
ive.
Transport
Daejeon currently has a limited single-line subway system that links most areas of import-
ance—City Hall and the old downtown, for example—but leaves many northern and south-
ern neighborhoods uncovered. This is supplemented by a highly efficient city bus network,
with stops on nearly every corner equipped with LED screens displaying route informa-
tion and arrival times—almost always in Korean only, of course. Both the bus and the sub-
