THE WEST - Living Abroad in South Korea - page 278

way cost about 1,000 won per trip, and fares can be paid via cash or the local smart card
(Hankkumi). Taxis are also abundant, with fares starting at 2,200 won.
GWANGJU 광광주
The undisputed economic and cultural center of South Korea's southwest, Gwangju is a
bustling city of around 1.5 million with a tragic past and vibrant present. Long a refuge for
artists, dissidents, and intellectuals who fell out of favor with the ruling class in the north,
the city has a reputation for dissent, as exhibited in a 1929 uprising against Japanese rule
and a pro-democracy rebellion in 1980 that was brutally suppressed but marked a pivotal
shift in South Korea's struggle against dictatorship. These memories may hang heavily on
Gwangju, but it has nonetheless managed to blossom into a prosperous outpost of culture
and industry, with a disproportionate number of writers, sculptors, and musicians and a
brisk trade in businesses like high-tech components and photonics. It has a tight, friendly,
and relatively diverse foreign community that tends to appreciate Gwangju's manageable
size, easygoing people, and excellent local cuisine, as well as a contemporary art scene that
belies its size and out-of-the-way location. Gwangju is, however, strategically positioned a
short distance from some of the most beautiful parts of South Korea, including the bamboo
forests of Damyang and the Boseong tea plantations, and is well-connected to Seoul via air
and high-speed rail.
Encircled by lush fields and the rolling Mudeung mountain range, the city enjoys a pic-
turesque location, but developed so rapidly that it is a rather chaotic tangle of buildings and
apartment blocks. The newer segments of Gwangju in the west (Seo-gu and Gwangsan-gu)
and north (Buk-gu) are newer and better-planned, with more stretches of green space, and
have tended to attract the most foreign residents. These are also more convenient than the
original city center in Dong-gu (East District) for people working in the many western in-
dustrial parks. Apartments in newer complexes will generally require large deposits—10
million won and up—as most landlords are more comfortable with the local system of rent-
ing, but rents themselves are quite low, around 300,000 won for a 15-20 pyeong (50-66
square meter) unit suitable for one or two people, and in the 500,000-700,000 won range
for large 30-40 pyeong (100-130 square meter) units with enough space for a family. Apart-
ment prices in these districts are typically in the 100-150 million won range.