Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hawaiifiveoh]

Aloha,

Does anyone know what a commute from Seoul to Pyeongtaek (in the morning) would be like and vice versa?

I'm contemplating a job offer but I am not too keen on living in Pyeongtaek and would much prefer to live in Seoul.

Any thoughts? Can it be done by car, and if so, am I looking at being stuck in traffic every day? Or, would it make sense to take a subway and live somewhere along a line that goes to Pyeongtaek. I would be working a regular 8 to 5 schedule.

Mahalos.

[Loza]

It's pretty far! There are a few express trains that take approximately 1hour Pyeongtaek to Yongsan station in Seoul and vice versa. Regular trains take around 80-90 minutes. Not sure of the time table for express trains but there aren't many. Not sure about driving- I imagine it would be long and stressful.

[ticktocktocktick]

From Yeongdeungpo to Pyeongtaek by regular train, its 45mins and W4,000 one way. Add another 10 mins for Seoul/Yongsan stns. I wouldn't bother with the subway or driving, they'd both take forever. I think all trains that stop at Yeongdeungpo stop at Pyeongtaek as well. The same isn't true for Seoul/Yongsan stns, as Yongsan is for the west of the country, and Seoul stn is for the east.

[hawaiifiveoh]

hey, thanks for the replies so far. the vibe i'm getting so far is that it's a bad idea.

are there any nice cosmopolitan satellite cities (such as bundang) that are in between seoul and pyeongtaek?

[ticktocktocktick]

Suwon and Anyang are the major cities between Seoul and Pyeongtaek. Most regular trains don't stop at Anyang, so that leaves Suwon, which isn't too great, but probably an improvement on Pyeongtaek.

[Epik_Teacher]

[nathanrutledge]

It's not that bad, actually, as long as the job is near the station and you live near the station in Seoul. I used to live outside Suwon and took the train all the time to town. Easy, fast, comfortable.

Just go to the korail ticketing website and you can see how much time/money it takes and how frequently the trains come by.

There really aren't any larger cities you could live in that would be worthwhile. Cheonan isn't bad, but if you're there you might as well just be in Pyeongtaek. You could live in Daejeon, it's maybe 15 miles further away than Seoul is though, so it's not really any better. Suwon would be okay, but again, if you want to live in a larger city and spend the money and time to commute, just go with Seoul.

[aimeecate]

What exactly do you think is wrong with living in Pyeongtaek? If you live in the main city(not a rural area), it's quite nice. I have lived there for almost 2 years. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[hawaiifiveoh]

hey, thanks everyone. I'm looking at living in Ichon and doing that commute to Pyeongtaek which is about 98 minutes according to the website.

I've lived in different parts of Seoul before, Hongdae, Dongbuichondong, and also Bundang (Seohyun Station).

Ichon station looks like a decent choice even though 1.5 hours each way every day could be a drag, especially if I don't get a seat. Too bad there isn't an express commuter line out there. I just really would prefer to live in Seoul as I'm still fairly young and want to take advantage of Seoul, as opposed to being bored out of the skull every night in Pyeongtaek.

Some helpful suggestions so far, if anyone has anymore, please throw them out there!

[hawaiifiveoh]

[AsiaESLbound]

You'd do better to live in Pyeongtaek and take the train up to Seoul only when you feel like doing something like dinner, drinking, and shopping rather than commuting each and every day just to sleep in Seoul.

[Kimchifart]

[Kimchifart]

[definitely maybe]

[jdog2050]