@Euphoria are you still living in Korea 
Its been what, 2 years since he moved there?
Yeah, June 20, 2021.
Great memory mate. No back in Ireland now. Got assigned back to Dublin, do miss Korea though.
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How long were you there?
Was placed in June 2021 by Irish Gov.
Came back under order in Jan 2023 so what’s that like 18 months?
Found it extremely difficult to learn Korea. All the Koreans would not speak Korean to me, usually a country who are all scared of English speakers due to their lack of English but the politicians/diplomats I would meet were usually desperate to learn English so would force English convos,
Biggest regret about the experience. Beautiful country, could be a tad soulless at times with its grey sky rising buildings. But would go back.
I read this back and see you only asked how long I was there 
I don’t want to ask too much, but since now that you are at it, please tell more about your time there. 
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I don’t mind telling.
I am an irish diplomat. Late 20s (diplomat is a young man’s game I’m told due to no family and commitments etc).
Was assigned to S.Korea to try improve trading links and to provide consular assistance during the aftermaths of covid in which Irish citizens were struggling with deportations etc.
Was housed in a uptown district in the city. Nice place, always lively which suited me.
Loved Korea more than Seoul if that makes any sense. Seoul as I said could be very scarily utopian. The country side was much nicer but that’s the case here in Ireland also.
Stayed for the year and a half but with the trade aspect we were not having much joy. The Chinese (who we met with in Korea due to an incident we had in China with an Irish citizen being captive for months maybe years) were hard to work with and the Koreans were too expensive for reliable trading. Then our visa issues with our citizens were sorted during my tenure so my use was ending so I was recalled in January. I am working still as a diplomat in the department of foreign affairs in dublin but I may apply to be posted after summer.
Also I didn’t add, my knowledge of Korean isn’t great, but no Irish men or women speak Korean so there was no pressure on me as I couldn’t be replaced. The benefits of the job is Airport privekged, my bags cannot be searched by security and I skip all lines, I get a diplomatic car and I cannot be arrested. The downsides are loneliness. My useage in the forum was highest during my time in Korea for a reason compared to now back in Ireland.
Any more questions fire away
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Photos please 
Will dm.
Is there really such a thing as ‘hangover’ soup… as in, Ox Knee…?
I watch SK boxsets constantly because I am fascinated by the culture
Would you say that the attached video is a fair representation of how things are in SK?
I really don’t know, myself.
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I’ve had some friends who’ve been to Korea who loved the place. The countryside more than the cities though.
Preach. Irrespective of the reasons, Chinese govt and industries don’t go for win-win situations. Anyway, besides the point.
Yeah pretty much. Can be a depressing place at times with its work culture and school culture. They work/educate until midnight. Luckily they know foreigners wouldn’t stand for it so are exempt. I was always the first out the door at 5:30pm and wouldn’t look behind me. Many Korean co-workers feel judged if they leave and can be scared to put burdens on Co-workers or bosses.
Technology is crazy in Japan, like New York Tokyo can be I’ve heard, Seoul while still a bustling city isn’t as adverisal city with flashing ad boards on sky scrapers but still modern.
From board meetings I’ve always noted technology directors mixing with government officials which is unheard of if not technology related. You see the ads everywhere but I didn’t know it was 20% control as the video stated.
With the rich families, I don’t care for them. Our culture i. Europe isn’t really to bow to the rich so unlike some. Korean co-workers they wouldn’t make me change my attitude or respect towards them. I’d treat them the same as a homeless person, cashier or a coworker
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Hangover soup yes usually drunk after a nightout or in the mornings or night in general. Koreans love soup, can buy for cheap in local stores. Haejang-guk Is the name I had.
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Yeah same here. Beautiful country with beautiful scenery. I wouldn’t go to Korea for its cities through, stay in Europe for nicer experiences for the eyes lol
Typical bullies really (apologies to the Chinese members of the forum or if this out of order to the mods).
Try to walk over people in meetings and they succeed with the Asian countries and diplomats but not us lol. They had a secret police station and set up cameras in our parliament in which we didn’t know who could see that feed alongside our security guards (have a guess what country was watching). Pressured them to close both and then pressured them to leave our shipping waters they kept incroaching in the Atlantic so we are doing well with defending ourselfs politically so when they pipe up to my suggestions during my time in Korea I made sure to let them know lol.
Plus they have a big community here in Dublin so they need to be on good terms with us as we provided them with more money a week than they would make a year during covid so the Chinese are grateful for that.
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The context is about Chinese businessmen and their government. Not the ordinary people.
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Yes but you know what Chinese people think of their government. Insult one insult them all I’ve found