Located in the south-east area of the country, Ulsan is one of the largest metropolises in South Korea. The fastest growing and wealthiest city in the country, it offers the perfect balance of modern conveniences and easy access to countryside and the historical heartland of Korea.

Capital	Seoul
Official Language	Korean (한글)
Currency	South Korean Won (KRW/₩)
Area	38,691km²
Population (2010)	48,875,000
GDP (2010)	$1,457.063 billion
Time Zone	Korean standard time (GMT +9)
Date Format	yyyy/mm/dd
Driving side	Right
Domestic power supply	220v/60hz
Int. Telephone code	+0082
Internet suffix	.kr

 

Quick Facts about Ulsan

Climate

Ulsan has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate, with somewhat cold but dry winters, and hot, humid summers. Monthly means range from 1.6 °C (34.9 °F) in January to 25.7 °C (78.3 °F) in August. The hottest days are in August and averaging very near 30 °C (86 °F). Rainfall is generally low in winter months, but is quite high from April to September.
Generally speaking, the climate in Ulsan is the most appealing compared to most other places in South Korea. It does not reach the freezing lows of the North and snowfall is infrequent compared to many parts of the country such as Seoul. Similarly, while it is hot in the summer, it does not have the oppressive temperature and humidity of places such as Daegu. That being said, during the heights of summer UK residents will be glad of the air conditioning, which fortunately is a mainstay throughout apartments, schools and shops.

 

 

Transportation

The public transportation network in Ulsan is comprehensive, and thanks to the large amount of public money being spent by the government, is improving all the time. LCD screens show a specific ETA at most bus stops. Ulsan Airport, which was expanded in 1997, has more than 20 flights per day to and from Seoul's Gimpo International Airport. In November 2010, Korea's high speed train system which utilises one of the fastest trains in the world, the KTX, was extended to Ulsan. This provides a high speed link to Seoul, with a running time of just over 2 hours. The new KTX station (Ulsan Station) is in nearby Eonyang, with a series of express buses (5001-5004) as well as some city buses serving the new station. Aside from the public transport system, taxies are very common and are available at a fraction of the cost of their UK counterparts.

 

Economy

The city is the corporate base of the multinational Hyundai conglomerate.  Although the city had humble origins as a fishing port, the massive economic investment and industrial growth of the 1960’s and 1970’s transformed the city into the manufacturing centre of Korea and began a massive migration of workers from other parts of the country.
Ulsan is home to the world's largest automobile assembly plant operated by the Hyundai Motor Company, the world's largest shipyard operated by Hyundai Heavy Industries (featuring the world’s largest crane) and the world's largest oil refinery owned by SK Energy. The scale of these industrial complexes needs to be seen to be believed, and the massive jobs market, and financial investment by these companies, has made Ulsan the richest and fastest growing city in Korea.
To feed the demands of the growing young population, the community of English teachers in Ulsan is one of the fastest growing in the country.

 

Sport
The city is host to both a K-League football team (Ulsan Hyundai FC) who play at the Munsu stadium, and a basketball team ‘Ulsan Mobis’ who were national champions in the 2009-2010 season.
There are numerous sporting facilities throughout the city, catering for everything from Archery to Fencing, as well as many public walking and cycling routes along the Taewha river.

 

 

 

 

 

Next? Take a look at some of the stunning and deeply evocative landscapes of Korea in our Photo Gallery. Interested in what Ulsan and South Korea has to offer? Why not make an application on our Applications page and take a step towards what will surely be the journey of a lifetime!