All about South Korea > Life in Korea

Shoe suggestions for the hot, wet Summer?

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Blacklamb:
It's getting warmer (and wetter) and I am wondering if anyone had any suggestions for footwear when it rains and rains and rains for days on end.

All my shoes are either good quality leather or canvas...not really suitable for wading through the rain.

I am a girl and can juuust squeeze into the local shoes here.

Tell me your Korean shoe secrets please!!!!!

abbycake:
I was planning on wearing sandals! Comfortable, cheap, and dry out quickly.

woman-king:
I wore rubber boots during the really bad parts of the monsoon.  You have to understand that these aren't just normal rain shower but intense, drenching downpours.  The boots were hot (as in, overheated, not sexy) but my feet and legs would have been DRENCHED every day on my 10-minute walk to work.

For less-rainy--or less severely-rainy--days, sandals are fine.  Be aware that showing women too much naked feet can be considered provocative by Korean dress standards.  Get some little nylon footie-socks to wear during work.

Dressing for Korean summers is tricky business, between it being both hot and wet, and some of the different standards for proper work attire. 

orangeman:
Work:
-flip flops
-rolled up dress pants (flood pants...everything's comin' up Milhouse!)
-short sleeved shirt or sleeves rolled up
-beach umbrella
-sweat rag
-wrap self in garbage bags if I have to

I keep my nice shoes at work along with a rotation of socks.  Also an extra shirt or two and a pair of pants.  If this is your first summer in Korea, expect everything to be wet.  Always.  Wet.

Free time:
-flip flops
-shorts
-t-shirt
-3,000 won umbrella that will either be lost or broken by the end of the night
-sweat rag
-sometimes a hat because the humidity makes my hair look like I just stepped off the set of a Poison video in 1987
-lack of dignity

I never wore flip flops, and rarely a hat or shorts outside of sports before coming to Korea, but when in Rome...  Just be careful because some of the sidewalks, subway stairs and subway floors can become slippery when wet (80s hair metal reference, but true). 

I feel like I've been bashing Korea on here lately and while I haven't hidden my distaste for the monsoons seasons in the past I will say that I love the spring and fall here (not this spring, totally getting screwed over!) and the winters aren't so bad.  My point is just that flip flops or sandals are really the only way to go here.  Have I mentioned that everything is wet.  Always.


Wet.

Jeff619:
Usually in summer I only wear flip flops or sandals. Last year I wore proper shoes just once for my wedding. Since I wear flip flops so often I usually have some nice Reefs sent from home every couple of years because the cheaper ones just wear out after a month or two.

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