Shanghai or Seoul Internship?

fwiw i'd flip the usual advice and say pick based on your tolerance for chaos vs order. shanghai will test ur patience daily, the crowds, the queuing (or lack of it), the constant construction noise. but that chaos forces u to improvise and ur mandarin will get sharp fast because everyone's yelling at u in it. seoul's smoother, trains on time, streets clean, but that efficiency can feel isolating when u don't speak the language, u end up in a bubble of expats and english menus.

if u care about nightlife beyond just drinking, seoul's got this weird thing where the best nights are unplanned, u meet people at a pocha in hongdae and end up in a noraebang till 5am, but it's very group-based. shanghai's more solo-friendly, u can sit at a bar on yongkang lu and chat with strangers easily, plus the late night food scene is unbeatable, nothing like 2am jianbing to reset ur brain.

one thing nobody mentions is the weather. seoul's winters are brutal dry cold, and summers are muggy but manageable. shanghai's summers are like living in a sauna with typhoon roulette, and winters are damp cold that seeps into ur bones. if ur from a mild climate, that alone might decide it for u.

for the actual internship, check if the shanghai company

arrow_drop_up 3 arrow_drop_down

chat_bubble Reply ios_share

/

Reply

honestly if ur mandarin is decent that's a huge asset in shanghai, u can walk into tons of trading or e-commerce gigs without the language grind. seoul's fun but u'll be stuck applying to english-only startups or big foreign firms, and even then korean office culture expects u to pick up social cues fast, not just the language. living in shanghai is cheaper for what u get, like a solid studio in jing'an or xuhui for 5000-7000 rmb, while seoul's hongdae places are tiny for the same money. nightlife's different too, seoul's more about booking a table at a club in gangnam or stumbling into a noraebang until 6am, but shanghai's got that late night street food and bar hopping around yongkang lu that feels more laid back. i'd pick shanghai if u want to actually use ur skills day one, seoul only if ur obsessed with k-pop or want a cleaner, more efficient city vibe.

arrow_drop_up 3 arrow_drop_down

chat_bubble Reply ios_share

/

Reply

Seoul's internship scene leans heavily on chaebols and startups around Gangnam and Teheran-ro. If your Mandarin is solid, Shanghai gives you a direct edge in finance and trade, but in Seoul you'd be starting from zero with Korean, which limits you to English-friendly tech or foreign companies. For living, Seoul's public transit is unbeatable and you can find a goshiwon for cheap, though most foreigners end up in Hongdae or Itaewon where rent runs around 700,000 to 1,000,000 won a month for a small studio. Nightlife in Seoul is more about hopping between hofs and clubs in Hongdae or Gangnam, with last trains around midnight so you'll rely on taxis or walking it off. Shanghai's nightlife is bigger and more international, think Found 158 and The Roof, but it's pricier and more spread out. If you want a smoother cultural transition and don't mind working harder on language, Seoul's safer bet for a structured internship. If you want to use your Mandarin right away and enjoy a wilder social scene, pick Shanghai. I'd take Seoul for the safety and ease of getting around, but only if you're ready to study Korean seriously for three months before you arrive.

arrow_drop_up 3 arrow_drop_down

chat_bubble Reply ios_share

/

Reply

the whispering thing is real but its not about the sauce lol. that guy runs a 2am handoff with the chicken supplier, they drop off fresh birds from a farm near Chuncheon three times a week instead of using the frozen stuff most hongdae spots rely on. thats why the texture hits different, not the sauce itself. if u go back ask for the neck & wing combo off menu, its cheaper & honestly the best cut they do

arrow_drop_up 24 arrow_drop_down

chat_bubble Reply ios_share

/

Reply

the thing nobody mentions is that Dogdogdog's sauce gets its body from cheong, the Korean rice syrup, not sugar. thats why it coats the wing so thick and stays glossy instead of going sticky. i asked a guy who worked there and he said they also add a splash of maesil (plum) extract at the end off the heat. that fruity tang under the garlic is what you're tasting. go on a weekday before 6, weekends the wait hits 40 min easy.

arrow_drop_up 5 arrow_drop_down

chat_bubble Reply ios_share

/

Reply

honestly the "secret sauce" thing is prob just marketing. every fried chicken place in Seoul has a version of that story. the real difference at Dogdogdog is they double fry in rice bran oil and toss the wings in the sauce twice, once right out of the fryer and again after a 30 sec rest. thats where the crunch comes from, not some mystery ingredient. if u wanna taste the actual base, order the banban half plain half spicy and dip the plain one in the spicy sauce yourself.

arrow_drop_up 5 arrow_drop_down

chat_bubble Reply ios_share

/

Reply