What to bring for long-term stay?

Dear all, we are a British couple considering moving to Songdo for a few years, to take up an academic post.

We will likely have to furnish a new flat and we do not have furniture/household goods at the moment. We know that Korea has everything but that certain things can be very expensive. We heard that things such as decent furniture/electrical goods/good bed linen/shelving units/clothing, etc., do not come reasonably priced in Korea.

We were thinking of buying these goods from John Lewis/Debenhams/IKEA in the UK, especially during the sales. Had you known what you know now, what things would you have brought with you from the UK?

Many thanks!

Hello jfs and welcome to Expat.com!

I wish you good luck in your new life.;)

Harmonie.

If the posting you are going to will pay for your furniture/effects removal then your best bet is to bring your own stuff. You are right in your knowledge that good quality household good are expensive here.

As for computers in particular laptops, bring your own as they are quite expensive here. I thought as coming from NZ that I would just get one here. Afterall they are manufactued here. The prices are scary here. They are 30% cheaper in NZ.

As for essentials bring bed sheets, they are difficult to get here. Make sure you have plenty of clothes for all seasons as you may be a little bigger than most locals. I am 6ft 1" and getting clothes in my size is difficult at best.

Any questions, feel free to email me here.

Regards

Andrew

Dear Harmonie and Andrew,

Thank you both for your prompt and helpful replies. Mindful of your advice, Andrew, we are trying to find things in the sales here. Yes, we are definitely aiming to bring everything with us if we can.

Happy New Year!

Michael and Francie

Bring warm gear for the winter as they are brutal at times. My suggestion would be to have good quality puffer type jackets as the temperatures are nasty especially when you add Siberian breezes from the north. Thermal gear providing extra layers are essential.
Another point to mention, I don't know how much gear you have, but keep in mind that you're likely to be living in an apartment as most Koreans do, you may need to scale down a little.

Andrew

Hi, I also live in Songdo. It is already 6 months since I moved to here and I love this place very much. Songdo is colder than any other places in Korea because it is located by ocean and also very strong winds all the time. But good thing is most of houses are well heat insulated, so we always keep good room temperature without any heating. Please leave any comments or send me a msg if you have any question about living in Songdo.

Hi Jamesyu, it is nice to hear that you are living in Songdo and that you like it here. Where were you before coming to South Korea? I will move to Songdo too for a new job and am wondering if it is a livable city by walking? For example, can I walk to supermarket or do people usually take a bus if they don't have a car? Do you own a car, and is it hard to drive around if you don't speak/read Korean? Sorry for all these questions. Oh, someone mentioned that furniture are expensive, how expensive can it get for a brand new full double bed with mattress? Just curious. Thanks for taking time to answer my questions! Will definitely meet some of you when I get there and get settled in.

Sincerely,
Alan

Hi Alan - welcome on board.. maybe you should know that this Thread is quite old as in 2011 - Feel free to start a new thread with all your questions on the South Korea Forum please :)