Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tugboat]

Hi. I'm considering taking a job in Daegu.
at a Hagwan?

What's the scoop on living in this city/town???

Any Expat bars, etc...any info appreciated.

[brento1138]

[bijjy]

If you live here you will probably be at Commune, Thunderbird, Itaewon, Gypsy Rock, and Bubble Bar. The first three are the most frequented weigook watering holes, in that order. The last two are clubs. For the most part, I hate pubs, so I hardly ever go. The clubs here suck. The atmosphere is okay, but the music is pretty bad.

[chaq]

Daegu's pretty good for meeting folks and has a nice community atmosphere. If U're from a small town, you might like it, but it lacks in variety of activities. I'd also agree, that after a year it does get a bit boring. Another downside, is if U plan to travel to other countries, U'll have to get UR a$$ to Seoul or Busan which can be a bit of an inconvenience.

PM me if U want more info.

[Dev]

2.5 Million people.
Location in central Korea makes it a good springboard for visiting other places in Korea.
However, unlike Seoul or Busan, Daegu has no character. You could walk in almost any part of town and it all looks the same. The exception is the downtown area and maybe the major public markets. It is a very convenient city though. Most of it is well laid out and public transportation is good. You can get home by taxi form almost anywhere in Daegu for less than $6 (6000 won).

One good point in Daegu is that there's a Costco near Kyungbook National University. If your academy is anywhere near there, getting a Costco membership card is a must.

[capebretoncanadian]

Lived here for about a year and a half. It's a fairly sizeable city....I prefer it to Seoul's enormous size. I disagree with brento. It's as exciting or as boring as you want it to be. Like any city of this size there's thousands of things to be done......the bar scene is cool. Thunderbird is my favorite place to go.....find myself doing other things on the weekend lately though. Getting sick of the whole....Where you from?.....How long have you been here?....Can you speak Korean?,,,,Do you like it here?....routine every single weekend. Overall you'd be making a good choice if you came here......you could do better...you could do worse.

[chronicpride]

[StAxX SOuL]

Everyone I've met who has lived there or is based down there makes every effort they can to come to Seoul with any bit of spare time they've got.

Word most commonly used to describe Daegu... 'boring'

[capebretoncanadian]

[Newbie]

Lived in Seoul for 2 years, Daegu for 1. Daegu is very boring compared to Seoul. I always thought Seoul was a bit bland, then I moved to Daegu. Bland took on a new meaning. I just love to visit Seoul now, seems so much more happening. No offence to Capebreton-er, but when you look at where he's from, it's no wonder that he finds Daegu exciting. If you come from a small, cracker-ish kinda place, than I guess Daegu would seem exicting.

Having said all that, it's not a bad place to get your feet wet. Has pretty much all the comforts of home. Also, I find it very easy to blend-in in Daegu. Weird considering there are less foreigners here than in Seoul. (but, I think I am the only one in Daegu who feels this way)

[the eye]

People who find Daegu boring are too lazy to get out and look for things to do.
It's not a tourist city, it's not a port city, it's not a capital... so if you are looking for a world class nightlife, or abundance in international cuisine, you'd best look at larger cities like Seoul or Busan. Having said that, even Seoul can't compare in those respects to other capital cities.

We are moving up.
There is a current construction project to build a multiplex with IMAX theater, and a a rooftop ice rink. We have some good Vietnamese, Thai, French, and Italian joints, and some mediocre Russian, and Indian joints.

We have a great arboretum, indoor and outdoor rock climbing, thousands of great hiking / mountain biking trails, lots of parks and University campuses, and an efficient public transpo system. There is a water park at the city limits and a couple small amusement parks for minor thrills. There are wine tasting seminars at a local wine bar, and there are a couple of pretty good live jazz bars.

The foreigners here are a good bunch, mostly. We've organized an inter-city soccer league, a drum circle, and weekly poker tournies.
There is also a local artists group that organizes an open mike night at one of the pubs, as well as movie night. They also have studio space for rent and to promote art exhibitions and performances.

Daegu is a city with a small town appeal. It has enough western conveniences to keep you going but it's still rather slow and family oriented. I think it's a great city to get accustomed to life in Korea, but you'll have to put some effort into it.

It's also a good staging point to other parts of the country. Seoul is 90minutes away by train, Busan 70. Cultural heritage spots like Gyeongju, Andong and Chungdo are even closer.

http://english.daegu.go.kr/

[capebretoncanadian]

[Newbie]

[chronicpride]

[Dev]