Korean Job Discussion Forums

wsiggins · Joined: 08 Jun 2008 Location: Chuncheon, Gangwon do

So my partner and I have two offers that we like, one is in Suwon (about 40 minutes away from Seoul, or so we are told) and one in a smaller city roughly between Seoul and Busan called Jeonju. We have never been to South Korea so it is a little difficult to pick- Anyone have any experiences in these cities? Any feed back would be great, thanks.

Darkness · Joined: 12 Oct 2006

Jeonju is a decent city with a good foreigner community.

www.thejeonjuhub.com if that doesn't work, use google "jeonju hub"

b_jinx · Joined: 27 May 2008

I haven't been to Korea yet but I have recently accepted a job in Jeonju. From what the FTs have been emailing me Jeonju is like 2.5 hours away from Seoul. If you feel like you have to be by Seoul then take Suwon.

You may also want to look at http://wiki.galbijim.com/Jeonju This wiki has a lot of info about Jeonju, I found it had a lot of basic info.

I hope this helps.

IncognitoHFX · Joined: 06 May 2007 Location: Yeongtong, Suwon

I bet Jeonju's nice but I've never been there before. It's all preference really, and I know that Jeonju's location (2.5 hours from Seoul according to the last poster) might mean it's better suited for older, more relaxed folk than young party animals.

With that in mind, what kind of lifestyle do you follow? If you're a drinker or a partier, you might want to be as close to Seoul as possible (closer than Suwon in fact, I chose Suwon so I could be a pseudo-hermit). If you are a mountain climber, or writing the next great American novel, then I'd suggest Jeonju.

jkelly80 · Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Location: you boys like mexico?

Jeonju is the home town of the ruling Yi family of the Joseon dynasty. I visited there last weekend. Small-ish place, about 700k people, but there's a lot of artisans/artists there, and a real sense of history and culture, more so than I've seen anywhere else outside of Seoul. There's also a really nice Catholic church from the turn of the century. It's about 1 hr to the coast and the Buan area, which is also really nice.

cangel · Joined: 19 Jun 2003 Location: Jeonju, S. Korea

I have lived in Jeonju the past 1.5 years. The location is nice. Seoul is easily a day trip or a nice weekend trip. The coast is really close, too. Also, there are numerous mountains to climb, if that's your thing. Koreans love Jeonju for its food and culture. The expat scene is decent but lacking in options. There are, however, a few expat bars as well as a nice uni district. The town is easy to navigate, particularly if you get a motorcycle or scooter. A car would do, too. Seoul is such a b!tch with getting around so I really like hopping on my bike and cruising around. One of the biggest negative things for me is the utter lack of attention paid to traffic laws. I've been told Jeonju is the worst in Korea but I'm sure we've all heard that of our cities. We have city busses blowing through red lights at 60-80kph. Ridiculous! Anyway, I like it here and if I need a big city fix, Seoul's just a short hop away.

joshua7choi · Joined: 05 Jun 2008 Location: Suwon

Hey, I'm a typical Korean. For new comers, I just recommend you guys to work in Suwon. Without convinient subway lines I don't think you can get used to living and working in Korea for long. I've no idea how each job offer is different but I surely know that your first trip for Jeonju would be horrible as a westerner who've never been to Korea. Just visiting Jeonju during weekends would be nice... Sad

Cohiba · Joined: 01 Feb 2005

jkelly80 · Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Location: you boys like mexico?

rowdie3 · Joined: 22 Sep 2003 Location: Itaewon, Seoul

I've been to both. Suwon is very boring. I have friends that live there. They don't like it. It's only pro is it's closeness to Seoul.

I've lived about 20 minutes from Jeonju. It's very nice. Lots of stuff to do and much more outdoorsy stuff. You can get to the ocean easily too.

You will enjoy your life more in Jeonju. Especially if you're coming over with a partner, I think Jeonju is the better choice.

Don't listen to the Korean guy who recomended Suwon. Koreans living in Seoul are all convinced that life outside of Seoul must be horribly boring. It is not.

Have fun!
J

joshua7choi · Joined: 05 Jun 2008 Location: Suwon

Basically it depends on people's different lifestyles. I cannot convince 100% that living in Suwon is better than in Jeonju. It is rude to say "don't listen to Korean guy'" without respecting other's opinions. I used the word 'recommend' not 'command'. You guys who are coming to Korea, I just say 'Welcome and be careful of Korea media." Recent criminal rate related to westerners are increasing day by day..." Some conservative medias are happy to target for this kind of stuff to provoke local people... Anway, that's my thought. I hope you really be happy to stay in Korea for a while.