Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chaz47]

Why do you guys and gals up in Seoul live there? What is it about that place you wanted to see? If you've been there for awhile already, then why stay?

[wo buxihuan hanguoren]

Because 3% of the people back home have heard of Seoul, and 0% of the people back home have heard of any other place in South Korea, I guess.

This question relates to your job in what way?

[shantaram]

What does 'buxihuan' mean?

OP: Have you ever been to Seoul? It's the dynamic hub of Korea.

[chaz47]

[chaz47]

I just started a similar thread in General...

[esetters21]

[yingwenlaoshi]

[jinju]

Its easy

1. $
2. Cultural events. Just 2 weekends ago I saw two extremely significant photography retrospectibves at the Seoul Arts Center. There are dozens of galleries. Theaters, cinemas. No city, not even Busan comes even remotely close.

[yingwenlaoshi]

More eye candy, I guess.

[Vancouver]

i always thought that you guys would be there for the girls and/or money (general, doesn't apply to all esl teachers)

[sojourner1]

I gave it some thought, since this is precisely what I have been thinking about in considering staying a second year in Korea or longer. I do not want nothing more with hagwons after I am done with my one year so SMOE schools might make Seoul very attractive in itself.

What is Seouls appeal?

1. Because you can get a slice of pizza or hamburger for lunch and then stop by the bank and post office, instead of going home for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. If outside of Seoul, you may not have a local sandwich or pizza shop within reach during lunch hour, but only fruit, kimchee, juice, raw eggs, soju, live squid, and raw meat as is my situation of limited food and shopping choices.
There is one hot food stand in my local area selling super spicy cylinder shaped rice cake stew stuff and ribbon noodles on skewers in a clear broth, but I am burned out on that. A little too 3rd worldish in the manner of being dirty, smelly, unsanitary, and impoverished style of place for good living, but my apartment is nice minus the local air, water, and noise. I need food and entertainment options that are a bit more affluent with finer taste than that in which Seoul offers. Consider this as to why Seoul is attractive. Yes, I am regretting I did not chose a location in or near Seoul.

2. If in Seoul, you can meet up with other foreigners at your favorite eating and drinking hang outs. Elsewhere, you may be the only foreigner visibly present.

3. Western clothing and other merchandise are sold in Seoul such as in Itaewon. I sure like that Red Door store, coffee shops, and restaurants serving up tasty western style cuisine. I like Burger King too and the soon to be, Hard Rock Cafe next to the Hamilton Hotel.

4. There are lots of shows, museums, cultural events, foreigner friendly fitness centers, shopping venues, and everything a big world class city would have to offer. Elsewhere, outside of Seoul, you may do nothing more than sit on your computer as you probably will have no interest in local pojangmacha tents and bars that are Korean as they get where it's only rough cut blue collar style culture. Only having a scene of work men drinking soju and ajummas from a bygone era tending apartments is nothing pleasant or inviting. I only go out locally for my food, drink, banking, and to commute to work as I just get stared at constantly.

5. In Seoul, you might enjoy the ease of fitting in easily without constant stares as diversity exists there. When I went to Seoul, I noticed the people were quite a bit more cultured and more accustomed to international travelers and I felt comfortable instead of an awkward square peg in a round hole. It was like returning to civilization once again as I am used to living in the most diverse heterogeneous communities such as Americas big cities where it's not big deal how different each individual is or where they come from.

6. Because Seoul is populated with a diverse population, it is possible to meet other friendly westerners to hang out with as I have experienced. You might want some kind of social life with other foreigners to share the adventure of teaching in Korea with so you would pick Seoul.

If I stay longer than this year in Korea, I am going for someplace in or near Seoul to have more options as it's very boring with no social life 5 hours out and shopping is dull with few useful and desired things brought to market. It's nice to take trips to more remote, primitive, and authentic old country places, but to live in such places is downright unnecessary discomfort.

On Seoul being too polluted, the whole country, minus parts of Gangnamdo and a few other remote rural areas, is shamefully polluted. In my experience, the rest of the country smells just as bad and is just as smoky as Seoul as small barrels of trash are burned on the road sides everywhere. There is little or no fresh air, even 5 hours outside of Seoul on the southern coast in a small town; it's the big smoke every night when adjossis light the fires. * Hell, you might actually get some fresh air through your window up in a high rise building in downtown Seoul than in a regular town villa at ground level. So thats whats attractive about Seoul.

[freebeerandchicken]

1. easy money

2. more options for food and night life

thats about it!

[Masta_Don]

Not as tied to tradition. I mean, if you want to see progressive Korea, for what it's worth, it's here. Counter culture is hard enough to find here, I couldn't imagine finding it in places like Daegu or Yeongju.

[pest2]

Ive lived in Seoul and in the countryside. Each has goods and bads. The goods for Seoul include, as someone else mentioned, the food. The entire rest of Korea is same as all the rest of Korea when it comes to restaurants and food variety -- it blows. But in Seoul, you can actually find something good without looking too hard.

Also, despite that people are also somewhat more rude simply because its a big city, they tend to leave you alone and not give you extra attention and stares simply because you're a foreigner. You wont stand out as much...

You can take Korean lessons in Seoul, but not in most places in the countryside...

People in the city are not as conservative, over all... so many (but not all) of them are unlikely to care about your personal habits/beliefs/ideas and they are less likely to have that Korean idea that they should smother you in the vomit of thier own beliefs, ideas, and values from the day you arrive. Countryside can be alot like that, though....

[Alyallen]