Korean Job Discussion Forums

[World Traveler]

[BobbyDigital]

I had lived in Busan for 2 years, then made the decision to relocate to Seoul. Worst mistake ever. It was an experience in its own right, but the quality of life does not measure up to Busan even with the ability to make more in Seoul. After 1.5 years(felt like longer) in Seoul( half a year in Gangnam and a full year in HBC), We made the decision to go back to Busan. Have been loving it ever since. I found the foreign crowd to be more open-minded in Busan than in Seoul surprisingly. You do make more money in Seoul, but you also spend it going to overpriced mediocre foreign restaurants in Itaewon. Busan suits my laid back outdoor activities lifestyle, and gives me room to stretch my legs with slightly less agressive elbowing adjummas. Yes you can bicycle along the Han "bike highway" but you can also do that in Busan. The weather is mild here and the summers are spectacular. With Galmegi Brewing on Gwangan beach and the availability of Ka-brew beers, Busan wins.

[Zyzyfer]

[cdninkorea]

[Ruthdes]

[KimchiNinja]

The time I spent in Busan is just seemed like a smaller crappier Seoul; uglier people, less money, less nightlife, fewer good restaurants, etc. Haeundae was the only good part. There might be other goods parts, just didn't see any.

[archaeologist5]

[rainman3277]

[I'm With You]

[Daniel1981]

Ruthdes, cdninkorea - Thanks a lot for the food tips. High Street Market, I will definitely make my way over there in late January before I start work.

World Traveler - I'll be in the ESL field but not strictly teaching~ Thanks for your post!


Cheers to the other seoulites who had good things to say. I'm taking away from this thread action items to a) find music concert listings and ticketing sites for seoul b) find high street market c) find a good list of mountain hiking spots in the city.

Thanks!

[Brooks]

Seoul has better shopping, more variety with restaurants, and since it is bigger you can do more.
Last time I wandered around Anguk, to look at the old houses.
The mountains are close so you can go hiking, which is a good thing to do.
Seoul has two good airports, Incheon and Gimpo.

I like the tourist guides who are in bigger stations, like at Itaewon, who give travel advice.
They really are helpful, and some know English.

Busan is smaller but it is less crowded. The weather is better than Seoul, especially in the winter. I could see people getting bored.

[mayorhaggar]

There's better shopping, better foreign groceries, more foreign restaurants in Seoul. I like Busan quite a bit but it's still very very Korean, and once you get away from the beaches it's basically like a smaller and less crowded version of Seoul...

[Stan Rogers]

[Yaya]

I was at a bar in Busan last year, and the owner said a reported 50,000 Busanites move to Seoul every year. Busan is Korea's No. 2 city but the gap between No. 1 Seoul is pretty big.

That said, I would try life there as I found Busanites less overbearing and artificial than Seoul people, but then again, I only visited there.

Some who move to Seoul from the provinces love living in the capital but more often than not, many end up going back to the provinces.

[yodanole]

One advantage to living in Seoul is that the posts on this forum will suddenly come to have some relevance to your existence in Korea.