Meet Julie, a half-Korean, half-Norwegian social media manager living in Seoul. Passionate about Korea’s culture, she enjoys exploring cafes, learning Korean, and balancing city life with nature. Julie aspires to open a marketing agency to help foreign businesses enter the Korean market while embracing her multicultural identity.
Interview – Work in Korea
- WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
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Norway & Korea
- WHAT DO YOU DO IN KOREA?
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I got to Korea almost 3 years ago from Norway and I have been moving around in Seoul at 1 point I lived in Paju. I am working as a social media manager and freelancer doing instagram and TikTok management for different kinds of industries. And I have been studying Korean by myself.
- WHY ARE YOU INTERESTED IN KOREA?
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I got interested in Korea from the moment I learned I was half Korean. I didn’t know what Korea was so I searched for it back in 2014/2015 and found stuff about history, culture, and entertainment that fascinated me. Then in 2021, I moved to Korea.
- WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO STAY IN THIS CITY?
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I live in Seoul now but I did live in Paju for over 6 months. I chose to go back to Seoul because everything is so convenient and easy to get to. I like a big city and Seoul has parts of nature that you can go to if you want to relax. So it’s best of both words.
- WHERE IS YOUR LOCAL RECOMMENDATION IN THIS CITY?
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I have spent most of my time cafe hopping in 연남동 so I really enjoy it there. But if your into pop-up stores spending a day in 성수 walking around and trying everything out is great. My personal favorite is 홍제 it has the “famous” waterfall cafe and if you’re walking by the river you can get to Han River. It’s a great hot girl walk with a friend or loved ones. Very relaxing and beautiful and sometimes there’s even stuff happening around.
- WHAT DO YOU ENJOY THE MOST WHILE STAYING ABROAD?
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Something I have enjoyed the most in Korea is that there’s so much stuff to do. There’s something for everyone. I have picked up a couple of hobbies and found cafes or places I can go to enjoy my new hobbies. Stuff is reasonably priced so you can often go and do stuff without it breaking the bank. Even if you are into nature, city, party, reading, crocheting, gaming. There are places where you can enjoy yourself and relax.
- WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE BEING IN KOREA?
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As a half-Korean, there’s been extra difficulty with the language. I am studying Korean and I have gotten better but language barriers for official papers or login sites have been difficult. As well as feeling split between two cultures.
- WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN KOREA AND YOUR COUNTRY?
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Norway is a very introverted country. I can see that Korea is a bit introverted too but people are very friendly and welcoming. My Korean friends are very open to new cultures and excited to hear about it while in Norway people are more on their own stuff. Also, the prices are quite different where if I want to go to a cafe or do something it’s very expensive compared to here. Honestly, there are 1000 things that I could have mentioned but these are the things I would mention for now.
- DID YOU EXPERIENCE ANY CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS?
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Something that I’m very grateful for is the way that I have changed the way I think of my life after moving to Korea. Korea is a country where as foreigners we can feel lonely and it can be hard with the language. But what I did was to learn how to be alone, and because stuff is so easily accessible it’s been an easier process. For the future I hope to open a marketing agency that can help foreign businesses and break them into the Korean market.
- WHAT IS YOUR DREAM?
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My dream is to have my own marketing agency in Korea. I wish to work with all kinds of businesses and I plan on staying here for a long time. I would love to travel more in the world but get back home to Korea where I feel the most like home.
- MESSAGE TO OUR FRIENDS WHO WILL GO TO KOREA.
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There’s so many tips and stuff on social media and I have gotten messages from girls being scared to travel here bc of solo traveling or cultures. The thing I want to tell you is don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s good to listen to recommendations but you will never know how it turns out unless you read it for yourself. Korea is safe and amazing but that doesn’t mean that it’s paradise. Korea is a bit different for everyone bc we are different people and enjoy different things.
- HOW DO YOU LEARN KOREAN?
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I am studying almost every day using books and online learning. I also have my boyfriend who is Korean who is pushing me to order at the restaurant or cafe.
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