Everything About Seoul, South Korea

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Seoul, South Korea
Weather and Climate
The climate of Seoul features a hot summer continental climate with a dry winter, and the temperature differences between the hottest part of summer and the depths of winter are extreme. Average temperatures in the summer are around 25C with an average high of 29C. Rainfall is concentrated in the months of July and August.
Food and Drink
Vegetarian options are easy to find throughout Seoul. Start here: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g294197-c40-Seoul.html
Halal options are a little harder to find, as there are only around 40,000 native Muslims in the country (with another 100,000 workers from Muslim countries). Good places to start would be: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FO/FO_EN_6_6_2.jsp and http://www.muslimbackpackerseoul.com/search/label/restaurant%3A%20halal
Language
Korean is the official language of South Korea. No other language is widely spoken, though English is a popular second language.
Here are some links for useful phrases in Korean: http://wikitravel.org/en/Korean_phrasebook We recommend you learn how to say: “Where is…?”; “How much does this cost?”; the number system, so you can bargain; “Where is the toilet?”; “Thank you”. Bring a notepad so you can sketch things that you don’t know how to articulate.
Culture and Religion
A large portion of the South Korean population chooses not to identify with any religion, though they continue to observe traditional ancestor rites and Confucian philosophies. Buddhism and Christianity (predominantly Protestant) are the two largest practiced religions, though Korean Confucianism has heavily influenced both.
South Korean culture tends to rather hierarchical and insular. Review the documents below to avoid any social ...

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... CDMA—there is no existing GSM network in the country, in contrast to Singapore’s GSM frequency bands: 900, 1800. Therefore, if you use your GSM phone in the country, you might have to pay roaming charges. The best option might be to buy a cheap prepaid phone.
See the following link for details: http://www.korea4expats.com/article-cell-mobile-smart-phones-korea.html
Cost of Living
The cost of living in Seoul can vary a lot depending on your budget and mode of living. A rough estimate of the monthly cost, from NUS, is ₩937,000, or SGD1130 (see http://www.nus.edu.sg/iro/sep/partners/pu/korea/useoul.html#living)
You can also visit the follow websites for a more detailed breakdown of cost estimates: http://seoulistic.com/living-in-korea/cost-of-living-in-seoul-south-korea-bonus-cost-of-enjoying-it/ http://koreabridge.net/post/cost-living-seoul-korea-2012-breeze

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