Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kraggy]

...and if so, how do the 2 compare?

I'm in Seoul at the moment.

Is there much to do in Busan?
Is it a lot easier to get around Busan?
How does it compare re cost of living?
Any other info you might have.

Thanks a lot!

[qcat79]

i've lived in both.

when people ask me this question, i say that i like them equally but for different reasons.

Busan highlights:

seaside ocean breeze
bikinis in the summer
3 hours to japan by boat
tons of foreigners (like Seoul)
more apartment space for the price
better weather
less air pollution

Seoul highlights:

more culture (concerts, sports, theater, clubs, bars, food, etc)
more job opportunities
something for everyone
always something new to get into

depends on you. if you're already in Seoul, you're in a good place. the grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side.

[The Floating World]

Seoul for 3 years, been in Busan 2 weeks.

Busan has EVERYTHING Seoul has to offer plus more laid-back Korean people and the ocean and beach. And better food.

[bobbyhanlon]

if my work didn't require me to be in seoul, i'd go to busan in a heartbeat.
in terms of getting around, its fairly similar, and the cost is a bit lower.
but like others said, you've got the sea, friendlier people, better weather, and all of the modern/international stuff that seoul has, especially if you're near haeundae. don't think twice about going to busan, its great.

[toby99]

[Garciua]

[The Floating World]

[Garciua]

[Garciua]

Thanks! [/quote]

[big_fella1]

Busan is amazingly fantastic, but with lower salaries and less extra work available, why wouldn't you go to Thailand if that's what you wanted?

Driving in Busan is far worse than Seoul and the bus drivers in Busan are generally even worse than in Seoul.

In Seoul you can live and socialise in a small geographical area. In Busan it takes an hour to get anywhere.

I love Busan, it's a perfect retirement city, but if you want to work and make money Seoul is the answer.

[The Floating World]

Lower salaries? I'm on a decent salary (above 2.3mil, not saying how much on here..)

As for shopping it has it all. It has been developed aggressively and the downtown, central business areas of Jungangdong, Seomyeong etc make gangnam look small these days. I kid you not and it surprised the heck out of me. A couple of the big lotte mega dept stores I've been to here make shinsege in city hall look dated, small and quaint. I kid you not and again all this surprised the crap outta me.

It has it all PLUS the ocean, as I said before.

As for the an hour to travel and socialise quote, not so. I live in jungang and it takes me 45 mins to get to kyungsandae area (like the shinchon nightlife area of seoul.) When I lived in haebongchon in Seoul it would take me the same amoount of time to get to gangnam or Hongdae.

Seriously I wrote this absurdly long email to my friends in SEOUL (where I loved for 3 years) gushing about how much Busan kicks Seoul's butt. I'd visited before as I go to the Pusan film festival almost annually, but hadn't really seen much of it.

I am close to Russian, phillipino, thai, Japanese restaurants etc, so great for food too.

Guess you'll get different opinions on here, so only way to judge is to check it out for yourself. And of course some areas of the city might not be as good to live in, just like with Seoul too. That's what I did. I was a perosn that had to be as close to Seoul as possible and got the interview for my job. Was not working and was bored, so really just thought 'prob wont take it, but might as well check it out and have a day by the sea whilst I can.'

Man I should get a job with Busan tourist board. Now there's an idea..

I fear the off putters are busan-ites themselves, trying to keep Busan a secret so as for it not to get ruined, in which case I need to s.t.h.u lol...

[Garciua]

How big are the areas of Kyunsung and PNU?

[motiontodismiss]

I guess I'll give a dissenting opinion here. Busan sucks. I can't wait to get the hell out of here and never return again.

Both cities are overrated IMO and they're pretty similar. Actually Korea's 100,000 square kilometers of the same sameness. Seoul has a better transit system and more flat land (and yeah, that's important to me; I HATE mountains). I've lived near beaches my entire life so I don't find the ocean particularly attractive and the weather only sucks slightly less in Busan-I'd choose Seoul without hesitation.

As for being more spread out, Busan's built around some, um, EXTREMELY mountainous terrain, and basically there's no flat land anywhere in Busan except for Gangseogu by the airport. It's like a collection of villages built around a bunch of mountains. Add to that the fact that there was no urban planning done whatsoever (not that Seoul's any better but at least they have more flat land to play around with), which just creates a recipe for the disaster of a city that Busan is today. I wish I could bulldoze the whole thing (mountains included) and rebuild the city from ground zero.

But AFAIC Seoul kicks Busan's butt every day of the week and twice on weekends. Three main reasons: 1) more jobs, 2) more developed infrastructure, and 3) more flat land. All things that I believe improve quality of life. Then again, I spent 3 years in New York City for college, and no city on earth (that I've been to so far) has even come close to the awesomeness that is NYC.

[motiontodismiss]

[Rutherford]

As a teacher I find Busan to be a much better city to live in for all the reasons stated above. For Koreans (and foreigners who are looking to move into careers outside of teaching) Seoul has more opportunities and better pay. For teachers the difference in pay is not as large and is offset by other good things about the city- the beach, cleaner air, better climate.

For a student, I think it depends what you are looking for. If you want to learn Korean, get to know a fun city, create a circle of friends and immerse yourself in Korean life, I'd pick Busan.

If you are a graduate student conducting research or it's important to stay connected with global culture, I'd pick Seoul. Seoul will have more opportunities for jobs after studying abroad, conferences and exhibitions. Seoul is where things are happening.