Korean Job Discussion Forums

Dev · Joined: 18 Apr 2006

I've been living here a while now (but I think it's time to go). It's not a bad place, but at the same time, I've not found very much to love. I'd like to leave this thread to Daegu expats to explain what is good about this city.

From what I've seen, here are the benefits and drawbacks of this city.

Benefits - Centrally located, it's a great jumping point to visit all kinds of places around this country especially Busan which is just an hour away.

Most of the good shopping and restaurants are found in the downtown area - easily accessable by public transit or a cheap taxi ride.

Cheap cost of living. Restaurants, taxis and PC Bangs tend to be 33% cheaper than Seoul and other cities.

Great mountains to hike up if you're into hiking.

Drawbacks - The downtown core is very small for a city of 2.5 million people. After a year of living here, you get bored of it.

The people are more conservative and less internationally-minded than people in Seoul. That means, you'd better take a crash course in Korean because most of them won't even meet you half-way in simple English.

Not many nice bars to meet other foreigners, just dives like The Commune, Thunderbird and Crew Itaewon. But great for the heavy-drinking crowd and chain smokers.

3 1/2 hours away from Seoul by bus. Okay, you could take the KTX (1hr 45 mins), but that gets expensive if you do it frequently. 5 hrs to Incheon international Airport by limousine bus. Ouch!

Lack of flat open spaces. Most of us can forget about ridding our bicycles or rollerblading. I asked my students where I can rollerblade in Daegu, they keep telling me World Cup Stadium. That's not convenient! Sad

I'll leave things here. The way I would describe Daegu is a huge suburban-type city. It's excellent if you're married. Even better if you have kids. That's what 90% of the population here seems to be - families. Drive the car to Emart watch a move, eat a burger at Lotteria and drive home. That's life in Daegu for most people. Not very fun for single people like me. Please tell me I'm wrong! Smile

blaseblasphemener · Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 7:54 am Post subject:

yeah, gotta agree on daegu, just don't see the appeal. to each his own, but seoul beats it if you want the big city scene, and smaller places have cleaner air, more green spaces, and just seem more liveable. daegu just seems like a crowded metropolis without the culture, atmosphere, or appeal of Seoul. But that's just my impression, it may have something I missed, but I certainly don't miss it.

seoulsista · Joined: 31 Aug 2005

I completely agree overall Deagu sucks. Luckily, you're only going to be here for a year. I lived in Bundang last year and man this place was a huge disappointment for us. But what are you going to do. Only 6 more months for me so...

Dev · Joined: 18 Apr 2006

Col.Brandon · Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Location: Seoul

The air pollution is pretty bad there. All those hills block it in.

Dev · Joined: 18 Apr 2006

brento1138 · Joined: 17 Nov 2004

Well, like I've said in other posts, Daegu is good for the first little while but then it grows boring, especially the expat drinking scene... which I'm not a part of much anymore. I'd say my first year here was pretty good, but the 5 months after have been very long. I'm happy to be leaving, and if I come back to Korea, I'd ONLY go to Seoul or maybe, maybe Pusan.

Milwaukiedave · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Location: Goseong

I lived just outside of Daegu for a year (I wasn't too far from Siji) and it wasn't too bad. It is quite a bit calmer then Seoul.

The air pollution seems to be pretty bad in most of the large cities in Korea, but not too bad in smaller ones like Jinju. As one person said it depends on the terrain around the city (the mountains, etc.).

I said this in another thread when someone was talking about Incheon. It really depends on the person and what they like to do and how adaptable they are to an enviroment.

josesiem · Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Location: Bundang, Korea

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Daegu is centrally located? Since when?

You know it's a sad state of affairs when the only centrally-located city is 40 minutes from the northern border.

thursdays child · Joined: 21 Sep 2005

seoulsista · Joined: 31 Aug 2005

I agree Deagu is a bit of Mississippi in Korea.

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

the eye · Joined: 29 Jan 2004

To give Dev's broken record another spin and to feed his need for a support system, i'll tell you why people may enjoy Daegu.

First, it does offer enough western conveniences to satisfy. What it doesn't offer, gives one motivation to create personally. People who don't like it here are generally young bar hoppers who don't take the initiative to discover the other things that exist.
Just because you don't know about it, doesn't mean you can't find it.

Since I've been here, i've taken up rock climbing, hiking, and even ceramics.... yeah, ceramics. It's something i couldn't afford back home.
Just recently, i've gotten into designing lamps. The hardware is so cheap here...i hope to turn it into a profit....maaaaybe.

People complain it's boring. Boo Hoo! Get up before 10am and do something. Learn something. Get in better shape. Learn a marshal art. Learn a language. Develope a new hobby. Why come to a country like korea if you are concerned about the lack of western ammenities, anyway?

I know if i had the best foreign restaurants at my fingertips, i'd be broke in no time. Instead, i've learned how to cook the things i miss. I bought a small oven from Costco that sits on a countertop and i use it rigorously.

For a something different, i get on a random bus or train periodically and see where it takes me. Daegu is central enough to get you anywhere in the country easily.

As for downtown, yeah, it's a bit monotonous if you've been here for a while...yet i've noticed it has completely changed from one end to the other many times over since i first arrived. Most of what exists there now, wasn't there a year ago. And, more is being added. New Entertainment complexes, including an IMAX theater and rooftop ice rink are being built right now.

The traffic is serene compared to Seoul and using public transport is much easier.

As for pollution, i don't see what people (especially Seoulites) have to complain about concerning Daegu. It seems every time i visit seoul in the summer i hork black tar out of my nose and mouth after a single day outside.

Escaping the city is easy in Daegu. I have a mountain range 100m from my front door. And. 100m in the other direction there is a bus stop that will transport me downtown in 25 minutes. There is a waterpark 30minutes away by bus as well.

The rest of my enjoyment is provided by the great friends i've made and the simple things we can do together with a lot less hustle compared to trying to do the same in a city the size of seoul.

End of story, ok Dev?

brento1138 · Joined: 17 Nov 2004