Okpo-dong
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Okpo-dong is dong of the city of Geoje in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The village is located on the eastern coast of Geoje Island and a center of the island.
The Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) [1] shipyard is located close to the town. A large portion of DSME employees live in Okpo, and DSME jackets are a common sight in the town at night.
There are very few standalone houses in Okpo and most residential accommodation is fulfilled by high-rise apartments. Rent is high.[citation needed]There are a number of local accommodation agencies offering apartments for rent to incoming foreigners, as well as other supporting services.
Okpo has a large foreign transient population due to the shipyards and as a result there is a 'Foreigner's Club' by the Admiral Hotel which is run by the local expat residents themselves, as well as over fifty Western bars and two dozen western restaurants serving a variety of 'western style' meals. There are also Indian, Pakistani, Vietnamese and Turkish restaurants, and local franchises such as a 'Dunkin Donuts', 'Quiznos', 'Baskin Robbins' and 'Lotteria' (Korean fast food burger chain).
A chapter of the Hash House Harriers - The Geoje-do Hash - was born in 1981 and every other Sunday at 11 a.m. it still meets at the Foreigner's Club, is family-friendly and usually includes a meal at the end.
Getting To and From
There are ferries to and from Busan four times a day with a journey time of approximately 50 minutes, with additional services from the next port town, just south of Okpo and just a short taxi ride, called Jangseungpo. From Busan airport, the journey time by taxi is normally 2 hours, although heavy traffic can make it a 5 hour journey however.
There is an international school called the Okpo International School - which is very convenient choice for foreign workers bringing their families to Okpo.[1]
Okpo has an abandoned amusement park, Okpo Land, on the outskirts of the city. It was shut down in 1999 after a number of fatal accidents. [2]
Coordinates: 34°53′17″N 128°41′37″E / 34.88806°N 128.69361°E
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Okpo Gazette
- Geoje Foreign Residents Association- 'Foreigner's Club'
- Okpo Football Club for kids
- Geoje City Official Website
- Mr. Gunnar Horpestad Photo Gallery of Okpo and Geoje
- Panoramio (Google) Photos of Okpo
- Photo gallery of Okpo
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