That's Life

Day slips seamlessly to night in Seoul—home to a culture of people determined to get ahead.

Many workers put in long hours at the office. Despite well known labor laws, 10 hour workdays and 6 day work weeks are the norm for office workers.

Deceptively cheap services, such as health care, transportation, and restaurants, understate the expense of living in the city.

The apartments in the back ground cost millions of US dollars to own and require exorbitant deposits just to rent. The highest I’ve heard is $200,000, which doesn’t even require that the place be furnished.

And then, there’s still the matter of rent.

At night, the streets buzz with people blowing off steam. Thickly accented English resonates from the dozens of Noraebangs or karaoke rooms that line the streets.

Numerous restaurants are open until the small hours of the morning. The most popular serve up fresh sea food that you can net right out of the aquarium in the store front or spicy fried chicken.

But not even nightfall guarantees a reprieve from work. Many young office workers are enjoined in long nights of drinking soju (a rice based spirit like vodka). You don’t have to go, but you don’t have to get promoted either...