Different Types of Cities in Korea

First, I need to start by saying that if I had a nickel, for every time an applicant has said something along the lines of: “I want to be in Seoul, so I can meet foreigners, have western food/activities, and not be living in the countryside.” I wouldn’t need to be working anymore. It’s a complete misconception that Seoul is the only fun city in Korea, and nothing could be further from the truth. Korea has lots of cities with more than 1 million people (not really country living, in my opinion), all of which will have LOTS of foreign teachers; endless numbers of restaurants; bars; movie theaters; and shopping! I would even go so far as to say, that if you asked teachers across the country, to rate their overall experience, their city, their ability to save money, Seoul would not rate at the top of the list.
Unless you have a friend in a specific city in Korea, it is best to try and determine the type of city you want to live in. Even if you do have a friend in a certain place, it might be much harder than you realize, to secure a job, in the exact same place, especially for male applicants. For this reason, we can break it down into 3 options:

Seoul or Busan - if you want to be right in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world, you will be at home here. Seoul has more than 10 million people inside the city, with 24 million in the immediate area. That’s HUGE!!! Also keep in mind, the population densities in any Korean city, are dramatically different than anything us westerners are used to, so, please be careful in what you wish for. Some people feel they do not experience enough of the Korean culture, food or language if they live here, since they are surrounded by so many westerners or western activities. If saving money is high on your priority list, I do not recommend Seoul or Busan. Not only are they more expensive cities to live in, but with an endless number of western entertainment options, your monthly entertainment budget will be substantial. The cities are vibrant, and energetic, so many teachers love all that Seoul and Busan have to offer. (One nice middle-ground area, is the province of Gyeonggi-do, which surrounds Seoul. It’s close enough to go in, for a night on the town, or shopping, but not right in the middle. These are called satellite cities) Also, since so many people unfortunately pigeon-hole their search, to only be in Seoul/Busan, these areas are under artificially high demand, so anyone who doesn’t have an Education or English major, stands little chance of getting the job they are hoping for. Single males will find it especially hard, since schools inside Seoul, will always lean towards females, if given the chance. Since the market currently has more applicants than jobs, schools can hold out for whatever they want.

Medium sized cities, and Seoul satellite cities - These major cities have over 650,000 people, so there will be lots of other westerners around, as well as countless restaurants, good movie theatres, western style bars frequented by all of the other English speaking community and cultural events to keep your schedules booked. You can get to Seoul, or Busan, in under 1 to 4hrs, from any city in Korea, which makes for an easy road trip with friends some weekend. Since the cities do not sprawl as much as the larger options, it can be much easier, and quicker, to escape into the mountains for a hike, or to a nearby temple for some much needed relaxing time. Some cities will have western sports teams such as soccer, inline or ice hockey; while others will have International Centers to bring the various communities together and offer important services like Korean language classes. The Seoul satellite cities are basically large suburbs, around Seoul, connected to the Seoul subway system. This allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds.

Between these medium-sized cities, you will find the demographics between them to be surprisingly similar. This is mainly because Korea is different than almost all parts of the world, because it is very homogeneous. The city fabric is made up of almost exclusively of Korean people, with a very small percentage of the population being from outside Korea. Without trying to be stereotypical, it is safe to say many Korean people have very consistent ways of doing things. The types of restaurants, bars or even corner stores will be the same no matter what city you are in. Almost all of these cities will have at least 1 nice mountain on an edge of the city for hiking. One nice thing with all Korean cities is the transportation system, which allows you to visit nearby cities with ease or commute around your city without ever wishing you had your own car.

A few examples, of excellent medium-sized cities, or satellite cities, might be: Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon, Uiejongbu, Suwon, Ilsan, etc.

Small cities – For the most part, small cities are cities that have between 200,000 and 700,000 people, and are well connected, to nearby large or medium-sized cities. Keep in mind, that in Korea, even a place of this size, will have amazing public transit, lots of restaurants (mostly Korean), great mountains and hiking, and a good number of other foreign teachers around. These cities are perfect for those who want to save lots of money, experience Korean culture, and enjoy more of a relaxing time, Monday to Friday. Many teachers who live in these cities end up with closer Korean friends over the course of their contract. ***Please take a glance at a map of Korea, and you will see that no matter which city you’re in, in Korea, major cities are only a very easy bus ride away.

There are lots of small cities in Korea too. Some we deal with, might be Mokpo, Jeonju, Chungju, Gumi, etc.