Folks you dont know the least of it. I've been here going on 11 years now and the problems we in non-military community are imense. Right now we are not allowed to have ATM cards for our Korean bank accounts that we can access overseas, that change was put in about a year ago. Last year when I moved to the Hongdae area from near Childrens Grand Park, I had to pay a year in advance for my cable tv because I'm a foreigner even though I have been with the same cable company for 2 years. Transferring money to the states is now a 1-2 hour proposition because EVERY time I go to bank (the same branch BTW) I have to show contracts, pay stubs etc they even stamp my passport . Also we cannot access certian Korean websites for shopping because their systems dont recognize our Alien Reg #s. I could go on about this.

Good news is one of my collegues wrote a letter to the editor regarding foreigners getting Korean cards and somebody responded by offering us no deposit ccs.

As we say on Daves, Expat etc, Hub of Asia? my a$$

Thanks, b bro! You are so right; we (associated with the military) folks don't all have friends who live on the Korean economy without access to a US Post Office, Bank or Credit Union. Not to mention PX or Commissary!
We normally take for granted our benefits, and do not realize how much you pay for a jar of peanut butter, or a pound of fresh fish!
We think we have hardships because our beef comes from Australia and tastes funny!
I get around some, and have nearly as much time in country as you, so I have a great deal of empathy (the capacity of participation in another person's feelings) for you guys. I read Dave's schoolteacher's blog occasionally, and wish we could all get to know each other better. I enjoy talking to teachers from other countries, and just two weeks ago met Sailor, a Canadian teacher, at The Wolfhound. He was over from Inchon, and wanted to get up to HanGangJin so he could get a decent Sharp Cheese! We certainly don't appreciate the hardships you guys go through just to approximate the life you have known overseas. Like SSNapier's story about the terrible German Food he found in Itaewon. You guys might help us in our constant search for good food out in the City! Watch that chicken!
We should set aside a day to meet somewhere and enjoy a talkfest to discover how much we are, and are not, alike.