Korean National Pension Info

So, as some of you know, I have left Korea permanently (blog post on that coming soon). One of the many things that you need to do is apply for your pension...if you've been paying in to it. Some nationalities don't pay into the pension because of agreements between countries - you'll have to check the NPS website to see if your country has an agreement with Korea (the US does). Also note that some hakwons will screw the teachers over and not sign them up for the National Pension. I won't give a lot of information about the pension itself and such because you can find that information on the NPS website, but I will say that most nationalities can apply for a lump-sum refund, which means that you will receive all of your pension funds in one big deposit.

The process to apply for your pension is actually pretty easy if you do it before you leave the country. The earliest that you can apply for your pension is one month before your leave date. You will just simply go to the pension office that is most convenient for you - they have a list of locations on their website. You'll need to take these items with you:

• Passport
• Alien card
• Proof that you're leaving (like a one-way ticket or release letter from your employer)
• Bank information
• Application (or you can fill it out there - it doesn't take very long)

You can get more information and the form here (link to the form is at the very bottom). Looking at that form there, though, I don't see bank info provided. If you want the money transferred to your bank in the US, you'll need the same information that you need for a transfer: the ABA number, routing number, account number, and the bank's information (address, name, etc.). If you want it deposited to your Korean bank account, you'll need your Korean bank book and be able to assure them you'll be able to access it (I have internet banking, so I did this) or have someone in Korea that will access it for you. It will take about a month for all of the processing to occur and for you to receive your pension.

Now, the office in Suwon has moved. Any address you find online will probably be wrong. The NPS office used to be in Ingyedong across from the New Core Outlet, now it's in Ingyedong across the street from the Gyeonngi Arts Center. Here's a link to a map for the Arts Center. Where it says "kyeongin ilbo" on the map is right next to the NPS building: there's a big NPS logo at the top of the building.

Here's one of my lovely maps to give you an idea of where it is located:

Gimme mah money!!
I believe the 13-1 bus (from Yeongtong) stops at the Arts Center - I know it stops at the Yeongtong-Gu Office, which is a block or two closer to Samsung. I think the offices are on the 3rd or 5th floor - I can't remember, but the guy at the desk will tell you when you walk in.

So, if you decide to leave Korea, best of luck with the pension paperwork!

Jester's Pies

I’ve been meaning to post about Jester’s for quite a while. Jester’s is an Australian meat pie chain that has several locations here in Korea. Here’s a link to their locations in Seoul. The only location that I’ve been to in Seoul is the Itaewon branch. 

It's Paint - whattaya expect?

The first time I had Jester’s, my friend Eunyoung brought me a pie at work – very sweet of her. I don’t recall what kind it was, but it was quite good. I do have to say, though, that Jester’s isn’t vegetarian friendly – nearly all of the pies have meat in them. I think the only ones that don’t are the apple & cinnamon pie and the apple & blueberry pie. The pies are also fairly inexpensive as far as foreign food in Korea goes - they're in the 3000 - 4000 won price range.

Mmm, pies.

Mmm...plastic pies

I happened to be in Seoul for Eunyoung’s wedding in August and went to Itaewon afterwards with Marianne and Justin to hang out for a bit. Justin, being an Aussie, wanted some Jester’s.

The happy couple before Marianne started eating Justin's food

She's lucky she survived - you don't come between an Aussie and his meat pie in Korea

I don't recall what kind of pie this was, but Marianne seemed to enjoy it.

The meat pies aren't very large, so if you expect to have it for a meal, you might want to get two. Unless you're Korean. Then you might eat half of one and start saying how full you are.

At any rate, the location in Itaewon is open super late, so stop in and try a meat pie if you're near one of the locations. You definitely won't regret it.

Might I recommend the aptly named for being in Asia "Curry butter chinken" ? Oooh, a racist joke.

Cafe Jubilee - Itaewon

For this blog post, let’s zip up to Itaewon in Seoul for a coffee shop/chocolatier. Café Jubilee is located across the street from Hamilton Hotel where the Coffee Bean used to be. I'm not very good at remembering exit numbers after a while, sorry!

It’s a map!

I’ve only been here a couple of times to just kind of pass time while waiting for people to meet up usually. It’s a decently sized place with a nice patio for a smoking area. They also have lots of window seating so it makes a nice place to sit and people watch in Itaewon, too. Both times that I’ve been here, it hasn’t been very busy at all, and they have wi-fi.

As I mentioned earlier, this is a chocolatier shop, so they have lots of different yummy desserts and chocolates available. I haven’t ever tried any, unfortunately, because I’ve usually just eaten a huge lunch and I’m not hungry enough to have dessert.

Macaroons (top left), chocolates, and truffles (bottom shelf).

Nuts (top left), cake pops (top right), and truffles (bottom).

Muffins (top), tortes (middle), scones (middle right), and cakes (bottom).

I believe they also have some popsicles and such available in a cooler. I think next time I go in, I’ll try a cake pop or a muffin – those both look really yummy right now. You can also get iced and hot coffees and teas here for the usual Korean coffee shop prices (around 3000 – 5000 won).

Iced caramel macchiato.

Overall, I think a nice little dessert place to stop in and relax and try something new.

Updated So, I came up this morning to Cafe Jubilee to try a cake pop for breakfast since I'm always too full after lunch to get dessert here :). So, this is a cake pop.

Took me 5 minutes to open the damn thing The texture is like a cake, but denser. This one is the chocolate one (I told the guy to surprise me when he asked me what kind I wanted). I think they have strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, and something else: they aren't labeled. The flakes on the outside of this one are chocolate flakes. It was really quite good and very chocolatey. I'll have to try a strawberry or something next time.

Updated: 08/08/2012

Before I jump in to my update, Cafe Jubilee has updated their business hours to the following:
Monday - Thursday: 7am - 2am
Friday and Saturday: Open 24 hours
Sunday and Holidays: Closed

So I went back to Cafe Jubilee to pass time until meeting some friends for lunch and tried something new for breakfast: a coffee fondant.

It was really very good and warm since they heated it up in the microwave before serving it to me. The middle has a sort of coffee flavored cream and also what tasted to me like peanut butter. The texture is light and fluffy so it doesn't sit heavily on your stomach. I wouldn't say it's extremely filling or anything, but it tastes really good and is good for a light breakfast or snack.

I also looked a little closer at their drink cooler/rack and noticed that you can get mini bottles of wine to go with your chocolate (bottom shelf).

So yeah, I still recommend this place for some good chocolates and desserts and to just chill for a bit out of the sticky heat of Korean summer.