Korean Job Discussion Forums

[blackbirdword]

hey all,

i've accepted a position in busan and will be relocating from new york to s. korea in late august.

originally, i thought i'd much rather move to busan than seoul b/c i'm coming from new york and i didnt want to jump from one congested city to another...
busan seemed more appealing because of its climate, nearby nature and access by ferry to japan, jeju, etc.

here's my dilemma - i am a writer/musician and i NEED creative people around me... i've been hearing that busan is a very industrial city with very little of a bohemian scene - and seoul does seem to have a little more going on in the way of an expat community, albeit i'm sure its less tighknit than in cities where there are less foreigners...

also, i'm single and have a feeling there might be more likeminded people (wacky creative badasses) to meet in seoul.

please - any advice about which city offers a better quality of life in the way of access to inspiration (in nature, culture and cool peeps) would be so, so greatly appreciated...

ALSO, i accepted a position already, signed a contract... i have a feeling the school has a branch in seoul (BR ENGLISH) but would weaseling out of it inhibit my ability to get a diff. job??

thanks,

jen

[xeno439]

I just went on a tript to Busan and it kicked ass. You'll be alright.

[dulouz]

No, you'll do fine in Busan.

[cubanlord]

I have met 2 different foreigners in Busan (while on excursions with my wife) and they loved it. I definately wouldn't mind living there. Fresh air...ahhhhhhh

[nater]

just in my neighborhoo d alone there are about 4 or 5 bars that always have open mike nights or regular live music... even though it's not my scene i'm sure you'd have no problem finding people to rock out with...

and i think busan is no more an "industrial" city than any other place in korea...

[bobbyhanlon]

if you want bohemian, you're in the wrong country. but as far as busan goes, its not bad compared to seoul. but as far as i know though, the scene pretty much revolves around the expat community.

the pusan national university area has a few bars where you can play, and you could maybe get a band together around there as there is also a rehearsal space, with the amusing name of roca rola. once you're ready, go to:
interplay (thats technically a 'jazz bar' but you can play anything there. i played one gig there myself, singing solo, after going in there at 4am wasted out of my mind and asking the owner if i could play his guitar. he eventually relented, and liked what he heard, so he asked me to come back the following saturday and play a gig)
soul trane: this was more a rock place, there used to be a cool bunch of korean punks named the astroboys who played there every week. my band supported them once, but they p*ssed all over us.
monk: jazz place. not bad
crossroads: a quieter, acoustic place. there used to be an australian girl called angela who played there, she had a really nice voice.
all the places mentioned here are within about 2 minutes walk of each other!

however all this was two years ago, so its probably completely different now...

[Harpeau]

I would go to Seoul. I'm sure that there is some live music and stuff around Busan, but it's just one large tough-ass fishing village. Seoul is the bomb. It's much more multi-cultural and cosmopolitan. It's my drug of choice. Find your heart in Seoul and I'm certain you'll find your muse. Though I must admit that both the climate and the beaches in Busan do rock.
You're ok to walk away until you get your VISA. Just ask if you might be able to be transfered to Seoul.

All the best!

[Homer]

Harpeau...have you actually lived in Busan or just visited?

Just curious here.

You are right about Seoul having more of everything however.

[silvertoes]

Seoul, Busan, Seoul, Busan ... there are other places y'know! Daegu is experiencing a real cultural renaissance just now ... poetry slams, writing groups, parties with live music, loads of bands, there's a play in rehearsal and other plays planned ... mountains all around, lots of great parks. There's soccer, softball and Ultimate frisbee planned for summer. Some great bars. It's got all the western stuff you could ever want in an 8 block radius, if that's your bag. Daegu gets slammed here a lot but it seems to be by people who've not spent more than a weekend here. I wasn't so much a creative type before I came here but I sure am now. Most people here seem pretty happy to be.

[Antmore]

or you could try and appreciate the creativity of its engineering - ever try designing anything?

[Harpeau]

[animalbirdfish]

[John Henry]

Don't worry, Pusan is great. It's not a fishing village or more industrial than most places in Korea. It's got just about everything you would want to find in Seoul, and (the big sell for me) it has BEACHES!!!

It will be a pretty much what you make of it though.

[blackbirdword]

first and foremost - thank you all for your input and guidance - you've given me lots of perspective and confidence in my city choice... especially the specific bars/clubs to check out - very, very helpful

specifically, to silvertoes... i have considered moving to a smaller city and daegu sounds awesome - but for my writing career (i will be supplementing my income as a guide book researcher/writer) i need to be in a city that is already somewhat on the tourism map - but i do intend to explore every nook in south korea - so, thank you, you have just placed daegu very high on my list.


animalbirdfish - if i had read my own post i might have responded the way you did - but just for the record - i do, quite definitely, recognize that i am moving to another country where almost NOTHING will be like NYC - i fully plan to embrace the cultural differences. in fact, that's a huge draw of korea for me - the fact that my whole school of thought is about to be altered in a major way - the idea of learning the world from a new, totally opposite, perspective is completely enchanting to me. i am a travel writer and am confident in my ability to adapt to new milieus and am banking on the fact that my experiences in korea, bad and good, will give me fuel for the fire. however, the most important thing to me in life is interpersonal connection - and i am aware that the language barrier and cultural differences may, at first, inhibit my assimilation, and i am just trying to gain a better understanding of where in the country i will be more likely to find like minded people and resources that may make the transition smoother for me on an emotional level...

thanks again - look forward to possibly hanging with some of you in my soon to be new home!!!

[flavaflav]

My husband and I are self confessed "artsy fartsy" types, so far, we love Busan (been here 6 months). There is everything here you could find in a large, modern city like Soeul, we have open night mics all over the place, lots of art galleries and exhibitions. I have met lots of like -minded people who chose Busan because they thought the fresh (well, fresher) air and seascape might be inspiring. Incidentally, we are all writers (the foreigners) at my school. We have visited Soeul a few times and have been glad we chose Busan over it. Yes, it is a big fishy city, but come on, the beaches are fabulous!