Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Dotsy]

I've been offered a job in Bucheon in April and know nothing about the place whatsoever. The only info I could find online made the place sound horrible. I appreciate that any large cities will have shitty areas but is there anything good about it at all?

Any advise is appreciated.

[Troglodyte]

For a Korean city, it's relatively clean. There are a couple shopping malls, supermarkets and cinemas and a lot of restaurants, bars and cafes (all located in the same general area which is good for not having to wander around too much). There is an open air market (although I think that most Korean cities have at least one of those). The city is relatively flat and the traffic isn't too congested, which is good if you like cycling (plus there are a lot of cycle paths). There are a lot of parks in the city and hills around the city. There are at least three foreigner bars (there seem to be a lot of foreigners here). There are 2 or 3 universities. There are some English cafe's near the universities (although they seem to be frequented mainly by Koreans who want to practice speaking English). It's on the Seoul subway line. It's easy to get into Seoul by subway/train or bus. I think it's a nice city and there is the benefit of being close to Seoul if you want to pop into the big city for a day.

[PigeonFart]

I'm very fussy when it comes to location. But i'd see Bucheon as acceptable. It's close enough to Seoul (10 to 15km). It's on the Seoul subway system as was mentioned above.

If the job's ok, then i say go for it.

[lukas]

Since most of this country has been built in the past 50 years, a lot of the places here will be very similar. However, I live in Bucheon and I'm pleased with it, as far as locations go. There is a nice sized foreigner community compared with other cities. Also, only about 30 minutes outside of Seoul. A bit further into Seoul you have Hongdae, which has a nice music scene. As well as Itaewon, which has the largest foreigner community with decent shopping.

As far as Gyeonggi province goes though, I think the closer you live to Seoul the better. You can PM me if you need some other info.

[ThingsComeAround]

Kind of like Brooklyn
Not in a bad crime way. Bucheon has character.
A little dirty, some streets are way too confusing. But overall its not bland (like Ilsan) and it is close enough to Seoul and Icheon-Bupyeong that you shouldn't get bored.

[DorkothyParker]

I have no point of comparison, but I like it here. As everyone else stated, it's conveniently located and there is a good amount to do here. There are a lot of foreigners but not as many as in Seoul. To my understanding, Jung-dong is where it's at. (It's where I'm at anyway.) Though, I hear the other area isn't as nice. There certainly are a lot of parks!

Also, soooo many posters seem to be in Bucheon. Crazy!

[BoholDiver]

I am in Bucheon too. It's a decent place to live.

[Seoulio]

[thatblokeoffthetelly]

I lived in Bucheon for three years. It's got a good selection of amenities and things to do. It's ear-marked as an 'up and coming' area and is also the location for an international film festival each year (international as in it shows films from different countries, don't expect Cannes). It also has a small park right in the centre, with a running track, heavily populated at night, surrounding it.
The problem I had living there was I was detached from the main events of Seoul. When I wanted to meet with people at weekends it would involve a 45 minute subway journey to the centre of Seoul or, if after 12am, a 3 man won (30 US dollar) cab ride home.
Overall I will always have fond memories of the place, but it is a little too far outside of Seoul's centre for most people. If you enjoy a solitary lifestyle though, it is a great place to live.

[Troglodyte]

[Dotsy]

Thanks very much to all of you that replied. The image I now have of Bucheon in my mind is infinitely more palatable.

Cheers, if you see an Irish red head ossified drunk on Powers whiskey in the corner of one of the expat bars post April 2010, then you can rest safe in the knowledge that you played your part in convincing him that the move was for the best.

Regards,

Dots

[alistaircandlin]

[appletarty]

Hey! I just mvoed to Bucheon and was wondering if anyone would be free for a coffee/beer/stroll?

xx

[sonicmatt]

been here for over 2 yrs and it has pretty much everything i could ever need. since ive been here more western places and coffee shops have opened up. homeplus has gotten more western items such as doritos and cheetos. easy access to seoul as well with the subway and samhwa buses. 2 foreign bars are here that are almost identical twins of each other and are near each other behind hyundai. some good parks to relax in and few "mountains" nearby to take a nice stroll during the warmer months. A couple pluses people havent mentioned, buyeong is a great alternative to seoul and lots of bars are around there and cheaper taxi ride home. also 40 min to hr bus ride to the airport in incheon.

[simonandmartina]

We've been here since May 2008 and love it. It's not as busy as Seoul, but it's not a wasteland. It's got great coffee shops, a couple of good foreigner bars, and a pretty good expat community.

It's definitely a good place to live in.