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The Floating World
Joined: 01 Oct 2011
Location: Here
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 Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 6:28 pm Post subject: Re: Has anyone lived in both Seoul and Busan? |
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| kraggy wrote: |
...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! |
yup, 4 years in Seoul and 3 months in Busan.
Busan has everything Seoul has including culture and meeting other foriegners plus the beach and better food and more laidback people. Wins hands down in my book, though that said as a newb it had to be Seoul for me.
Busan is a good city (for Korea.) |
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 7:10 pm Post subject: |
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I have to agree that if Busan has everything Seoul has, everybody would go there instead of Seoul. I've been to Busan and well, it's a far cry from Seoul vis-a-vis job prospects, museums, events and happenings. I'm sure it's getting better down there, but I hardly think Busan has everything Seoul has.
Busan people might SEEM nicer than Seoul people but they are more exclusive in my experience. |
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The Floating World
Joined: 01 Oct 2011
Location: Here
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| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 8:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Yaya wrote: |
I have to agree that if Busan has everything Seoul has, everybody would go there instead of Seoul. I've been to Busan and well, it's a far cry from Seoul vis-a-vis job prospects, museums, events and happenings. I'm sure it's getting better down there, but I hardly think Busan has everything Seoul has.
Busan people might SEEM nicer than Seoul people but they are more exclusive in my experience. |
Just simply not true.
You visited Busan, you didn't live there. |
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Malislamusrex
Joined: 01 Feb 2010
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| Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 2:50 am Post subject: |
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| Yes, Busan is the only city would live in Korea. I think Seoul is an average city with too much traffic. |
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Allthechildrenareinsane
Joined: 23 Jun 2011
Location: Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain
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| Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 3:06 am Post subject: |
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| motiontodismiss wrote: |
| 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. |
Glad someone else noticed this, too.
Busan certainly does have a kind of slapdash look and feel to it. I live in Jaesong-dong and I have to say that, while the streets in my neighborhood have a certain quirky charm to them, it doesn't look like very much thought went into actually figuring out where stuff ought to go.
I guess that's what you get when you need to build a lot of infrastructure really quickly and integrate it (although "integrate" might be too strong here -- maybe just "squeeze in"?) w/ existing infrastructure while trying to do that in mountainous terrain. Love it or hate it, it is one of the things that makes Busan unique, although admittedly sometimes none too easy on the eyes.
Last edited by Allthechildrenareinsane on Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:31 am; edited 1 time in total |
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cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:21 am Post subject: |
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Regarding work opportunities in Busan, I have to say that I've never, not even once, seen a job ad for a university position that rivaled the conditions at an average Seoul university (average regarding compensation; sometimes the best schools academically don't offer very good compensation packages).
I'm very happy at my job (almost ecstatically so, in fact), but I check out other university positions just to see what the market is like, and I don't think I've ever seen a university in Busan where the teaching hours were under 15 per week or the pay was above 2.5 million won per month (let alone both of these). |
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Garciua
Joined: 16 Sep 2011
Location: Iceland
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| Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 6:08 am Post subject: |
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Job opportunities aside, if we focus on the daily life in Busan and what it offers compared to Seoul?
How's the entertainment districts down there compared to Seouls (Hongdae etc)? Is it awful or even pretty good?
Both cities are ugly? Busan is even uglier I guess?
I really like the traditional parts of Seoul does Busan offer any of that? Much less?
How's the foreign population in Busan compared to Seou? Is it as packed with foreigners? Also consider the population gap between the cities. |
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The Floating World
Joined: 01 Oct 2011
Location: Here
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| Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 8:13 am Post subject: |
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| ChrisM wrote: |
Job opportunities aside, if we focus on the daily life in Busan and what it offers compared to Seoul?
How's the entertainment districts down there compared to Seouls (Hongdae etc)? Is it awful or even pretty good?
Both cities are ugly? Busan is even uglier I guess?
I really like the traditional parts of Seoul does Busan offer any of that? Much less?
How's the foreign population in Busan compared to Seou? Is it as packed with foreigners? Also consider the population gap between the cities. |
To all the above I can honestly say - same. And Busan has the sea and beaches in addition.
The party areas where foriegners hang are a tad smaller but are the same with the same sorts of people and the same densities of waygook per foot of bar space lol.
4 day weekend coming up, why don't you come for a short trip? |
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Garciua
Joined: 16 Sep 2011
Location: Iceland
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| Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 9:20 am Post subject: |
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edit
Last edited by Garciua on Mon Apr 09, 2012 2:50 am; edited 4 times in total |
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TellyRules986
Joined: 09 Nov 2009
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 9:21 am Post subject: |
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| motiontodismiss wrote: |
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. |
I totally agree with this. Seoul is better and if given the choice, I would choose Seoul. There's more culture, more resources and more variety.
Climate? People are making it sound like we're choosing between Boston and Miami. It's cold here and it's cold there. Those beaches sound good only a few months out of the year.
Beaches? There are better beaches in Korea. I went to Busan twice in the summer time -- the water on the beaches is freezing cold. Let's not talk about the big crowds and the trash to be found.
Bikinis? K women aren't big on bikinis. That's why it's difficult to find a decent bathing suit here. Not that it matters. I'd much rather see a woman who looks like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRBiP6tmSTY
Over the locals any day. Yes, I know I'm in the wrong place. |
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Rutherford
Joined: 31 Jul 2007
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| Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I want to experience Korea and not just hang out with other foreigners and I want to need to speak Korean, but on the other hand I don't want to be out in the sticks and I don't want to exclusively hang out with Koreans. |
If that's the case I suggest you live in one of the bigger cities but not in one of the popular "foreign" neighborhoods (Itaewon, Hongdae in Seoul; Haeundae, Gwangan/KSU in Busan). You will still have access to the good things found in larger cities, but you won't live in a neighborhood filled with other foreigners and will be able to speak Korean during most of your daily life. |
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DejaVu
Joined: 27 Jan 2011
Location: Your dreams
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| Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:42 pm Post subject: |
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| ChrisM wrote: |
| The Floating World wrote: |
| ChrisM wrote: |
Job opportunities aside, if we focus on the daily life in Busan and what it offers compared to Seoul?
How's the entertainment districts down there compared to Seouls (Hongdae etc)? Is it awful or even pretty good?
Both cities are ugly? Busan is even uglier I guess?
I really like the traditional parts of Seoul does Busan offer any of that? Much less?
How's the foreign population in Busan compared to Seou? Is it as packed with foreigners? Also consider the population gap between the cities. |
To all the above I can honestly say - same. And Busan has the sea and beaches in addition.
The party areas where foriegners hang are a tad smaller but are the same with the same sorts of people and the same densities of waygook per foot of bar space lol.
4 day weekend coming up, why don't you come for a short trip? |
I'm not in Korea  Why I'm asking about foreigners is because I want to experience Korea and not just hang out with other foreigners and I want to need to speak Korean, but on the other hand I don't want to be out in the sticks and I don't want to exclusively hang out with Koreans.
So Busan have that many foreigners nowadays? So it wouldn't really matter which place I'd travel to? I'll see foreigners everywhere?
I will be studying the language when I'm in Korea and I'm not going to teach if that means anything. So a fairly good language program would be a plus.
I could also broaden my choices to other cities if they are fun and happening.
Korea is so small and the foreigners seem to flock to Seoul/Daegu and Busan because the other cities are out in the sticks and boring. If you compare that to Japan which is much larger and have alot of popular cities the foreigners are more spread out and it's easier to be forced to use your japanese and really get better at it compared to Korea where the foreigners are everwhere. So it seems at least. |
You will see foreigners by going to certain areas. But, unless you live in one of those few areas (which is pretty unlikely) you won't see many foreigners in Busan on a day-to-day basis.
Even if you go to those areas where there are a large amount of foreigners, you still don't need to talk to them. There are several bars known especially for housing foreigners but all of the rest are places that haven't been infected with those annoying people yet. |
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FDNY
Joined: 27 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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I have seen pictures of Busan beaches. This one comes to mind: http://thegreenerblue.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/haeundae-beach-busan.jpg
Is this what you are promoting? It looks like hell on earth.
EVERYONE should read and memorize this. Seoul is EVERYTHING in Korea.
Remember "Cohiba's Rule" (Now better than ever!):
Think twice before you live outside of Seoul. "In Seoul" and
"outside of Seoul" are like two different countries. Seoul
is an interesting place with variety and venues for most
tastes. Outside of Seoul you will find a homogeneous Korean
culture. I don't mean this in a bad way, but you will never
find things like: French, Greek, Indian or any other ethnic
foods. Markets that sell sherry, pate, pastrami, ricotta cheese.
Specialty shops that sell Cuban cigars, European pies, cold
cuts or rye breads. Just to name a few things. Also clubs such
as photography, drama, public speaking, sailing are 99% in
the capital city. If you want to experiment with a very Korean
culture, which unfortunately means "closed", then choose the
countryside. If you want to make money and have the lifestyle
choices similar to a western country, then there is no other
choice than Seoul.
The FFF RULE: FFF=Fun For Foreigners.
If FFF in Seoul = 100, then FFF decreases at
1/distance. So 2km from Seoul FFF=1/2(100)=50;
10km from Seoul FFF=1/10(100)=10. This rule is
a rule for nightlife, food and foreign products only.
Nature etc. is on a different scale altogether.
This means you will be wasting a lot of time commuting
to Seoul. This is especially a drag if you have been
boozing on a Friday night and there are no buses or
trains. |
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Garciua
Joined: 16 Sep 2011
Location: Iceland
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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Last edited by Garciua on Mon Apr 09, 2012 2:51 am; edited 1 time in total |
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motiontodismiss
Joined: 18 Dec 2011
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 4:06 pm Post subject: |
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| It's happening in a few core areas like Kyungsung/Pukyoung, PNU and the like (basically the college towns) but pretty quiet (more like...dead) everywhere else. Be aware though that the population of Busan's been declining for a while and basically this place is an economic shithole on a serious decline (highest unemployment in the country, lowest wages in the country, all the conglomerates moved out, etc. etc.) so outside the college towns you might have a tough time finding young locals to hang out with, because they all moved to Ulsan, Changwon, Seoul, etc. to find jobs. So outside the college towns you basically have a bunch of old people. |
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