Korean Job Discussion Forums

[stew1988]

Hi guys.

First off, I realize similar topics have been covered many many times on these boards, however I have a few specific questions and hope I don't get hassled for going over something previously discussed

Here are the list of things I am looking for in a place and although I have a pretty good idea of the country, would very much appreciate some suggestions! Thank you in advance for the help...

1. I don't want to live in Gyeonggi-do, but I do want to live quite nearby. For example I want to live near to Gunpo city, however I want to be outside the Gyeonggi area...

2. I want to avoid Seoul and Busan because they are a bit too hectic and a bit too westernized. I want to improve my knowledge of the Korean culture and way of life so going to these Western hubs are probably not for me at the moment...

3. I want to avoid the westernized areas, however I do not want to find myself completely isolated from home comforts. I would like to go to a town with an average size expat community. The thing is, quality is more important than quantity for me. I want to be in a place where the community is close-knit.

4. I would like to go to a naturally beautiful place, i.e.: mountains and lots of green spaces.

That's about all I can think of for now. I look forward to hearing your suggestions!

Cheers.

[northway]

I live in Gunpo and I really have to ask: why in the world do you want to be near Gunpo?

It bears mentioning that there are a lot of places in Gyeonggi that are quite rural. Hell, even living 45 minutes from Seoul there's a subway stop in the middle of rice fields two stops down from me. Literally, a rural subway stop. If you want to really get away from it all there are definitely places within the province that aren't particularly developed.

[stew1988]

I know Gunpo extremely well and I do have my reasons to wanting to live near there. I didn't like Gunpo one little bit. I just want to live fairly close to the place. Cheers.

[Kimchifart]

[stew1988]

I've been to Gwangju and I liked it. That being said, it's a little far from Gunpo and Gyeongi-do.

[sallymonster]

Um. . . maybe Cheonan or Asan? These small cities are in northern Chungcheongnam-do, close to the southern Gyeonggi border. Probably the closest small cities to Gunpo outside of Gyeonggi-do.

If you want to live closer to Gunpo, you'll have to live in Gyeonggi-do. In this case, maybe Pyeongtaek, Osan, Dongtan, or Suwon would suit your needs? Anyang and Uiwang are even closer to Gunpo, but I suppose those are too close to Seoul for your tastes.

As for natural beauty, Gapyeong in eastern Gyeonggi-do is quite nice but also rural. Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, is a small city with nice surroundings. But neither Gapyeong nor Chuncheon are located close to Gunpo.

[Kimchifart]

[Squire]

Gwangju is pretty close to Jirisan national park, or even better (if you want somewhere smaller) Jinju is (I think) right next to it, and in the same province as Busan. Bit of a trek to Seoul though

Alternatively you could shoot for somewhere like Daejeon. I haven't been there but I image the beauty of Daejeon is it's equidistant between Seoul and Busan.

[stew1988]

I'm drawn to places such as Andong, Changwon and Chuncheon. I've visited Daejeon before and wasn't really a fan.

[zappadelta]

Maybe Seosan or Chungju

[sbp59]

I'm confused Stew1988. In another thread, you wrote that your wife and you don't want to live in korea. Now, you want to know the best city to live in? Also, I gather you pulled a midnight run last year from a hagwon you worked at, which was probably in Gunpo, because you mentioned you knew it well. But, why do you want to live close to Gunpo? I'm assuming your wife's family lives there.

Most smaller korean cities are very similar in what they have to offer. How about your wife? Where does she want to live, if you return to Korea. Where can she get a job?

Don't take this personally, but from reading your posts, it appears you got married without having done your research about the difficulties of marrying a korean and working outside of korea.

[stew1988]

Yeah, it's definitely a confusing situation. It's not so much about the cultural troubles in the relationship, more so the acts of stupidity on both my part and also my wife's. That's a long story though and of course, we are not all to blame for the mess we got ourselves in. Anyway, allow me to clear up what we decided...

My wife and I decided that she really needed to finish her course of study in South Korea, as a result she will return to complete this. I will therefore be hoping to be close to her without actually returning to the doorstep which I ran away from. This will enable me to gain teaching experience and her to get the golden ticket in the form of a degree. At this point we will have more prospects and will be able to build. That's pretty much the idea.

[sbp59]

The plan makes sense, good luck, hope you find a good job.

[12ax7]

[Yaya]

I hear Korea's gotten a lot smaller since that subway line connected Chuncheon to Seoul.

I figure the country will keep getting smaller with all of the KTX stops set to open and the bullet trains getting faster.