What is 'ex-pat community'?

As I have casually observed the blogsphere and while interacting with students from various countries at University, one thing that has been bugging me is the use of the term 'ex-pat community". It is thrown around carelessly without much thought to the meaning of the word.

I have commonly heard phrases such as "Oh, he is very well known in the ex-pat community". There are currently over 1,000,000 foreigners residing in Korea as of last year. When people say these words who exactly do they mean? Foreign students, factory workers, wives, husbands, English teachers, engineers down in 울산? and the list could go on. Lets have a closer look at the meaning of the word according to Oxford.

Expatriate

noun

Pronunciation:/ɪksˈpatrɪət, -ˈpeɪtrɪət, ɛks-/

• a person who lives outside their native country:

Origin:

mid 18th century (as a verb): from medieval Latin expatriat- 'gone out from one's country', from the verb expatriare, fromex- 'out' + patria 'native country'

So it basically means a foreigner who lives here. Unfortunately when I hear the term tossed around it is used to refer to specifically anyone who lives in or frequents the areas of 이태원 and 한남동, like they are the only important or relevant 'ex-pats' in Korea. Often English teachers and well-off businessmen who work here are also implied to be part of this 'elite group'. Now don't get me wrong, I currently teach English myself and am trying to work my way into the business world here.

However, there are communities of of ex-pats everywhere, in every city and throughout the countryside. If I were to go back to New Zealand and say to someone "He is very popular among the ex-pat community.", people would ask you what the hell that meant. I guess what I'm saying is that the term 'ex-pat community' does not necessarily mean a bunch of white guys drinking in a 서울 bar on a Thursday night but encompasses a whole variety of different ex-pat communities made up of people who do many different things.

What really grinds my gears is how the media uses the terms accordingly as well. Just search 'ex-pat' for yourself on any of the Korean news sites. Now try and search for the word 'immigrant' and see what articles you get. According to the Korea Times (Yes, I know not the best source, but it was easy to search), the term "ex-pat" means anyone in the 이태원 and 한남동 area with a decent income. whereas if you are an "immigrant" you must immediately be a South East Asian married to a Korean or a factory/construction worker from abroad.

Ex-pat article

Immigrant article

Another immigrant article

Now I can hear you saying 'Well a lot of those immigrants will live here for the rest of their lives while I'm just here for a few years and plan to go somewhere else.' What a load of rubbish. Construction, engineering and factory workers from places like Cambodia, Pakistan, Russia, Vietnam to name a few will definitely be going back to their countries. I also know plenty of people from the "blue collar ex-pat" community who will or have decided to live here long term. (Myself being one of them)

Does being an ex-pat make you part of the ex-pat community? Of course not. Plenty of people do not want to be associated with the articles like this and for good reason. I on the other hand think of myself as part of various communities that I have made for myself such as, my work community, twitter community and university community.

So next time you write the phrase 'ex-pat' community, think about who you really mean. Otherwise I'm just going to assume you mean every person here living outside of their native country.

Line Extensions: Bundang Line - Northern Extension

While new transport lines are being built in South Korea all the time, many existing lines are also often being extended. To start off with upcoming projects which most people know about, today we take a look at the original Bundang(분당) line. If you have ever taken a drive in the area around Gangnam-gu Office(강남구청), you'll already know that there is a lot of work going on and it has been affecting the traffic a lot.

Narrow roads and ugly construction sites have become a regular sight for those in Yeoksam-dong & Hak-dong

This extension brings the orginal Bundang line through Gangnam and north of the Han, all the way to Wangshimli(왕십리). While the primary purpose of this extension may be giving residents in Seongnam(성남시) better access to Northern Seoul, it will play a very important part for those travelling and commuting across Seoul also. Since this line passes right through the dense business district of Gangnam it will be largely used by commuters.

Currently, it is a pain in the exterior if you wish to travel directly north via PT.

The best thing about this line, is that it provides the missing link which has been desperately needed within this area. It will be a big relief for many working within Gangnam-gu where a subway station is not within walking distance or commuters want to go directly North or South rather than East or West.

The new extension will provide ease of access for transferring to other lines and accessing other parts of Seoul. Although this extension crosses the Han River, it does so not by bridge but by tunnel. Remember this is not the only underwater tunnel, there are 2 on line No. 5!

From Son-nung(선릉) which is currently the first station on the Bundang line, it will proceed north to the following stations.

• Sam-nung(삼릉) which will later on connect to the line No. 9 extension which I will post about later.
• Gangnam-gu Office(강남구청) which connects with line No. 7.
• Shin-Cheongdam(신청담) is another brand new station.
• Seoul Forest(서울숲역) is sure to be a winner with families and couples on dates.

Finally Wangshimli(왕십리) will become the station with the most internal transfer lines in all of Korea connecting with Line No. 2, No. 5 and the Jungang Line. Although Seoul Station also has 4 lines, you must leave the subway system and pay again at another gate. I cannot fathom how busy this station will become once the extension opens and I am very curious to see how much patronage increases.

The Bundang line's northern extension is expected to be completed by the end of 2012.