Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dereklee003]

Given both jobs/schools are of equal quality which city is better for a first timer like me to live in?

I have a job offer in Gwangmyeong, sw of seoul, but have a strong interest in Busan. Busan seems to have a better climate and is close to the beaches and ocean which I like a lot....any thoughts? especially those who have lived in both places?

[afsjesse]

I lived in Busan last year so I can only give informative information about that.

I loved Busan. It was great! It has 7 beaches all of varying quality. The nightlife is good, not as great as Seoul however. Haeundae, Gwangalli, Seomyeon, PNU, KNU are all hot party spots. Shopping is great as it is in any other big city.
There are 3000 foreigners in Busan so you wil lhave no problems making friends. Access around the city is easy by bus and subway. Taxi's are readily available.
The KTX will get you to Seoul in 3 hours, Daejeon in 2 and Daegu in 1. Buses leave for all parts of the country. One draw back to it is that it is in the deep south of the peninsula so it takes awhile to get to northern locations like Gangwondo if you like to travel up that way.
It stays mild in the winter with virtually no snow that stays on the ground. Boats and planes are availabe for Jeju-do during your vacation and plans from Gimhae do travel to Thailand a couple of times per week so you can travel internationally as well.

If you have any other questions please PM me.

Suerte,
Jesse

[ppcg4]

I think this could cause quite a debate.

I've never been to Pusan, so I can't comment, but I really like Seoul. Well, that's kind of invalid as well, since I've got nothing but my 18,000-citizen city in Canada to compare it to.

Pointless post? You bet.

[GoldMember]

Third choice, GO HOME, we don't need another Newbie lowering rates by accepting jobs for 20,000 an hour.

[Cohiba]

NEVER live anywhere except Seoul (or close to it)

Remember "Cohiba's Rule" (Now better than ever!):

Think twice before you live outside of Seoul. "In Seoul" and
"outside of Seoul" are like two different countries. Seoul
is an interesting place with variety and venues for most
tastes. Outside of Seoul you will find a homogeneous Korean
culture. I don't mean this in a bad way, but you will never
find things like: French, Greek, Indian or any other ethnic
foods. Markets that sell sherry, pate, pastrami, ricotta cheese.
Specialty shops that sell cuban cigars, European pies, cold
cuts or rye breads. Just to name a few things.

The FFF RULE: FFF=Fun For Foreigners.

If FFF in Seoul = 100, then FFF decreases at
1/distance. So 2km from Seoul FFF=1/2(100)=50;
10km from Seoul FFF=1/10(100)=10. This rule is
a rule for nightlife, food and foreign products only.
Nature etc. is on a different scale altogether.

This means you will be wasting a lot of time commuting
to Seoul. This is especially a drag if you have been
boozing on a Friday night and there are no buses or
trains.

I, unfortunately, live near Seoul where the FFF factor
is almost in the negative range. I know!

[esetters21]

[karri]

Hey

I spent my first live living an hour outside of Seoul, and this year I live an hour from Busan.

Seoul is a big Metropolitan city. There are tonnes of things to do. The night live has alot of variety and you can get food to fit any pallett. Most of the foreigners i met in Seoul have never really been outside of Seoul. They tend to have the Toronto/New York/ LA complex where they think the city they live in is the center of the world and there is no point to live anywhere else. (I'm gonna get my head bit off in the next posts for that one)

Seoul also has tonnes of historical and modern opportunities to experience Korean culture. BBoy shows and historical palaces are side by side in some areas.

Its easy to get the comforts from home in seoul and alot of people speak english which makes your life easier.

Busan is a smaller port city (seoul 12million ppl, Busan 3-4 million people). Like some said already, there are some really nice beaches. gwangali is my fav with bars that open out over the beach in the summer...very nice. There is also a few places to party in Busan. I like the scene in Busan. Its a bit smaller but i find it has the same variety as i got in Seoul. Shopping as well is a bit smaller but the same selection really, unless you're on the bigger side clothes wise.

Busan is also more of a challenge than Seoul English wise, but still much easier that my tiny korean town i actually live in. Busan also has a really big russian/South East asian population that work the docks and the factories in and around Busan. There are alot of non-korean food options in Busan (mexican, Indian etc.)

The main English speaking population in Busan tends to be English Teachers, which can be a good or bad thing. I do sometimes miss the variety of professions i met in seoul.

There is tonnes of hiking and mountians around both cities.

Although I can't really pin point the reason I like Busan better. I find it less fast paced and the locals more friendly.

Also something to consider in the last month my friend in seoul has been in -5 c weather in mittens and scarves and I've been walking around in a hoddie and a t-shirt.

Hope that helps u.

[VanIslander]

[PRagic]

Seoul smells bad, but Pusan smells worse. Next question!

[warren pease]