Korean Job Discussion Forums

[relaxedcognac]

Just wondering where the multitude of American/Canadians can be found in South Korea (proportionately speaking). I heard Pusan is a good place to find many expats. I'll find my way to Korea later this year and plan to stay indefinitely. I think spending the first year in such a place will make the transition easier (i.e. talking to more than one person about experiences related to culture shock, Korean life in general) before going elsewhere in South Korea. Or, would it be better to do the complete opposite?

[Ya-ta Boy]

It all depends on you.

Some people want to be around other expats. They go to the bigger cities. (Some of them then decide it's important to discriminate among the expat community because some are very negative about their experiences.)

Others find they prefer living in smaller cities, and recently, in rural areas, where foreigners are scarcer on the ground.

It all depends on the kind of experience you want.

[billybrobby]

Seoul, man, Seoul. Busan is good too, but Seoul has the biggest foreigner culture. In these big cities, it doesn't really matter about ratios. It's always going to be 99 to 1 for the foreseeable future. It's just that foreigners are there when you want to find them, and lots of them.

It's hard to say which route is better. I don't think anybody really has a responsibility to learn about Korean culture or interact with Koreans. It's just that I think that maybe by surrounding yourself with foreigners, you risk becoming alienated and embittered towards the society around you. It's like choosing a side in the Us vs. Them battle. sometimes its best to go it alone. But hey, Koreans are wierd, and hard to relate to. and just meeting other foreigners from around the world can be an enlightening experience in and of itself.

If you live in a big city, you'll have the opportunity to meet foreigners, but, unless you're in the foreigner district, you won't be forced to hang out with them. it's really a matter of personal discipline. it's so easy to just hang out with foreigners all the time, but again, you risk building a wall between you and the native culture, especially if you fall in with a pessimistic crowd.