Here is my experience of having lived in South Korea for the past five years. I haven't been everywhere in Korea, like Gwangju, but I've been in a lot of places. Guide comes with video game soundtrack music, as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEMzRnRtiIE
Korean Cleveland/Columbus/Cincinnati. This is the first place I wound up, when coming to Korea in 2019. Daejeon is an okay small-town-feeling city in the absolute middle of nowhere that's fine if you want to be somewhere quiet. If you're a single, childless, young person under 35, then Daejeon SUCKS! There's absolutely nothing to do but get drunk at a dive bar there, assuming you even drink. The city has 1.5 million people; the same population as Philadelphia, but feels like a small town with nothing beyond fast food joints. It feels so unimportant and worthless as a city. But if you like quiet spots and living in the middle of nowhere, you'd like Daejeon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWTmymcj0Zc
Korean Houston. This is the second place I was briefly in, in 2020. It's hot as fuck. But the women are hot there too, for some odd reason. And tall. Especially the American/foreigner women. But besides that, Daegu doesn't have much going on for it. It's less boring than Daejeon (everywhere is,) but still boring. There's no reason to be in Daegu besides the admittedly nice social element there; lots of pretty women for such an isolated place in the middle of nowhere.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfbSzhVH2j8
Seoul is the Korean version of New York City and really the only truly significant place in the entire country (besides Busan.) There's over 20 neighborhoods in Seoul (25 to be exact), but the area I first lived in for three months was Songpa/Jamsil. Of this area, Jamsil is to the west and Songpa is the east side. It's the neighborhood of the towering Lotte Tower you can see isolated in skyline pictures of Seoul and it's one of the tallest buildings in Asia. Songpa is my dream neighborhood to live in and own a home in due to Seokchon Lake and Olympic Park. For nature lovers, it truly is one of the best places to live in Seoul and is the equivalent of having a home near Central Park in New York. I briefly lived in a tiny shithole near Seokchon Station for seven weeks, between November 26th, 2020 to January 7th, 2021, and ate at the 24 hour McDonalds there every day because my rental place didn't even have a fridge. (Well technically, that's not true; it had a minibar mini-fridge, but nothing that could actually hold groceries, you know?) Songpa is still kind of my dream neighborhood to live in, but due to how congested Seoul is, it's unlikely I'd ever have a great job there, so I could only ever go back if I was really rich and didn't have to worry about working to pay rent. But Songpa really is a great neighborhood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtlUqGIzy_c
'Wee-jun-boo' is a nice suburb north of Seoul and is quiet enough to where you don't feel like you're in a big city. Uijeongbu actually has three major sections; Uijeongbu-dong to the west, which is the old and original part of town which makes up 60% of the entire city; Geumo-dong to the central-north, which is the old "new" part of town (it was new like 25+ years ago), and Millak-dong to the east, which is the actual new part of town, which is also the nicest area there. The neighborhoods of Uijeongbu and Geumo kinda suck and they're kind of old and run-down, but the newer Millak neighborhood to the east is nice and it's the area I lived in, in the first half of 2021. It's not the most happening spot in the world, but has way more restaurants and recreational things to do in it than Daejeon. It's also mostly quiet and dark at night in many spots, making it the opposite of the always-bright, always-loud Seoul which never sleeps. If you want to live near Seoul, but not in Seoul, Uijeongbu is nice and it's only about a 30-45 minute public bus ride to Seoul. Uijeongbu has no real subway though; just a simple monorail system that can connect you to the Blue Line that'll take you to Seoul, so you may want to invest in a vehicle or E-bike if you're here, cause public transportation sucks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzIeiqzUWgY
This whole area is basically Little America. There's a US Air Force Base and Army Base in this area, which is why there's the Pyeongtaek International Central Market here near Songtan Station. So it's where you'll see the most Western Foreigners anywhere in Korea outside Seoul. It comes with its good and bad parts. Good parts are, if you're an American/Canadian, you'll feel a lot closer to home here. Even the Koreans are very Westernized. Lots of great American restaurants you'll find nowhere else as well, including some amazing cheesesteak places and other American exclusives. Bad parts are, due to American influence, it's kind of a wild area. The PICM is not that violent or dangerous, but it's a "party zone" filled with drunks and crazy young people, similar to Hongdae in northern Seoul (which is dangerous, sometimes.) That's what Americans will do to a place, sometimes. So it's not bad to visit there or live close if you're a Westerner, but you might not want to directly live in there. Going a little more north to Osan-proper, is a bit quieter than Pyeongtaek or the PICM, which is basically a party zone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXF5fgyjRjk
Korean Philly. Hwaseong transformed from a small rural area, into a major Samsung factory area, and the relatively new town formed on the Hwaseong land, Dongtan, is basically "Samsung City." Lots of job opportunities and commence here, since it became a Samsung business hub back in 2010. Unlike many cities in Korea, Dongtan actually has a minor skyline, due to 'Metapolis 102,' four towering high-rise buildings, with a mall and hypermart below it, essentially making this the center of Dongtan. I lived there for two years, firsthand. Was here from Fall 2021 to Fall 2023, longer than any other area I've been in.
The main issue with Dongtan is that the people there suck! So many people in Dongtan are complete morons who do stupid and rude things, like leave rental bikes directly in the middle of the sidewalk EVERY FUCKING DAY to block people's paths almost like they're doing it intentionally to be assholes. Or obliviously walking into traffic while wearing earphones and looking down into their phones, leaving them deaf, blind, and retarded, then blaming the driver for them almost getting hit by a car due to their stupidity and blindness to their surroundings. I saw dumb shit like this on a daily basis. But besides being stupid, the residents there are also pretty snobby and entitled people too, especially the parents. All of the parents in Dongtan are Karens. Lots of Koreans outside of the area have confirmed all of this for me, proving it's not just me who feels this way. In fact, other Koreans hate Dongtan residents more than I did; I just found the people there to be dumb and annoying. I couldn't accurately judge the people while living there, cause I thought maybe it was just a "Korean thing" to be stupid, inconsiderate, rude, and a jerk, but no: It's exclusively just Dongtan.
Dongtan is a great place to make some money and find work, but living there kinda sucks and they probably have the rudest, snobbiest, and dumbest people in the entire country, earning it my nickname of Korean Philadelphia. Granted, no Korean is going to be as much of an asshole as the typical Philly resident, but by Korean standards, Dongtan is pretty awful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIm42fW1lGA
Seongnam is the closest medium-sized city to Seoul, just directly south of Seoul's southeast area, and it's a nice place to live on its own. Close to Seoul, but without the big city congestion and it has plenty of parks and nature surrounding it. I was briefly here for three weeks in Fall 2023. Bundang is the newer southern-half of town and has the most jobs in it, especially the well-paying ones. The main issue with Seongnam to the north, or Bundang to the south, is that it's kind of boring. Nothing like Daejeon, but it's more of a quiet area for families despite all the apartment complexes throughout the city, and if you're a childless single, you may not like it. Seongnam is close to Seoul though.
Its public transportation is also kinda stupid, with only one train going to Seoul and only to Songpa, instead of multiple routes into Gangnam or west Seoul. This is especially idiotic considering Seongnam is directly below Seoul, but maybe this design is intentional, to keep people out. If you live in Seongnam or Bundang, you may need a vehicle to get around, like a car, motorcycle, or E-bike. The job market is okay, but nothing great there and you won't find anything decent unless you go a little north to Wirye, the newest neighborhood in the southeast directly between Songpa and northern Seongnam. Seongnam/Bundang is okay, but nothing that special.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hePYQc9c4FU
Suwon is probably the best major city you could live in, in Korea, outside of Seoul and Busan. It's got every major benefit of a large metropolis, but without as many people. Suwon has lots of neighborhoods, but it's basically split up between the west area (Gwonseon), north area (Jangan), east area (Yeongtong), and City Hall in the center (Paldal); each of the four areas feeling slightly different from each other. One of the best things about Suwon is how affordable the housing is, especially in the west part of the city. This is supposedly because Suwon is also another major Samsung area, being Samsung is the mega-corporation that basically owns South Korea. Suwon is the most affordable big city you can live in, and probably the third best city in the country (potentially tied with Incheon.) The one downside about Suwon is that most of the jobs there will suck, as it's a competitive area. So you likely won't land your dream job or dream salary in Suwon, but living there is nice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPd2K67XqOM
The second time I had to live in Seoul was in Gwanak, near Seoul National University Station for the green train line. I lived here at an AirBnB for one month, towards the end of 2023, and was right near the subway station and ate pasta at No Brand Pizza every other day. (Another liivng space with no real fridge or kitchen.) Despite it having some government buildings there, Gwanak is very much a young people's neighborhood for those in their twenties. It's nice, but you may get sick of the 24-hour neon lights and noise at night. Gwanak has some great restaurants and really does have the density and large population to feel like a Seoul neighborhood. There's really no parks, trees, or nature there however, and if you're fine with 24-hours of dense urban city-life, seven days a week, you may enjoy Gwanak. But eventually, I just wanted to go to a park and have some peace and quiet. Closest one was Janggunbong Park, which is so far west, it's basically out of the neighborhood. Still closer than Kkachisan Park to the east, which is even further away. Your experience there may vary, but I think even if you're young, you may get sick of the hustle and bustle and may just want to go somewhere quiet to relax, which you really don't have in Gwanak.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URXbXUi14uU
Anyang is basically Seoul Jr. and it's where I ended up at, at the start of 2024. Anyang feels just like Seoul, but smaller and with less foot traffic. Anyang also looks like Seoul in many ways as well, with many large buildings and commercial neighborhoods, especially in the Anyang Station area. Anyang is basically three cities in one; northern Manan in the northwest area; southern Manan in the southwest; and Pyeongchon in the central/east part of town. There's a cool college/party area in the northern Manan neighborhood, which is walking distance from the subway station, as well as two large universities in northern Manan, and the local Anyang Central Market if you like old-school Korea. Southern Manan, which houses Myeonghak Station, has very little to offer though, and is just a boring area. And Pyeongchon to the east, might as well be its own separate city from western Anyang, although you could also describe it as another Seoul Jr. Manan feels more laid-back and dirtier, while Pyeongchon feels more busy, crowded, newer, and slightly less dirty (but still dirty.)
The public transportation in Anyang is mediocre; it has multiple train stations and two train lines, but they could have been better planned out for the city and if you use them, you'll still have to do a bit of walking in-between, so owning a car or bicycle is recommended. The jobs there are plentiful, but none of them are too amazing. The housing there sucks for the most part, and most apartments will be the old-school, trashy, 16 square meter, Korean "one-rooms" (or "efficiency apartments," by American terms.) This means, they'll be tiny as shit, usually not have actual showers in the bathroom (these are called "wetrooms" and people "wash up" by hooking a low-pressure showerhead to the bathroom sink, getting the entire closet-sized room wet after washing), and the living spaces themselves will be old and rundown. There are some newer modern apartments in Anyang, "officetels," that have actual shower plumbing installed and are typically 25 square meters or larger (still not big, but at least livable) but not that many, and even many of them will still be trash and not worth the money, especially in Manan, but even in the larger Pyeongchon neighborhood. So yeah, like 80% of the housing will be the bullshit, tiny, shower-less "one-rooms," and most the actual officetel apartments will still be kinda shitty. To be fair though, much of this also applies to actual Seoul; good housing is hard to find there, too.
So being in Anyang means kinda-crappy housing and not an easy way to get around without a car. Despite this though, Anyang isn't that bad. Anyang isn't perfect - most areas are kinda dirty, kinda old, and most of the housing there sucks, even in Pyeongchon - but it does have a big city feel to it, with lots of young people due to all the universities. It really is Seoul Junior.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC95LYg68aY
Gwangmyeong is a separate city, northwest of Anyang proper, with newer and cleaner with slightly better housing options, but also further away from everything in the northwest. Gwangmyeong has better quality of life, but also feels smaller and more isolated. It's not very far from Anyang or Seoul if you own a vehicle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCIt7xTfaYQ
Busan is Korean Los Angeles/San Diego. But considering how much of a dumpster fire modern LA is, I'd lean closer to San Diego. I've never lived in Busan or any of the rest of the places below this entry on the list, but I do know about them. Like southern California, Busan is full of pretty girls, sandy beaches, palm trees, and lots of beautiful weather. But also like southern California, it's expensive-as-fuck to live there, equally or sometimes surpassing Seoul. It's also on the complete other side of the country, in the southeast, so don't bet on going to Seoul on the weekend, unless you want to take a four-hour one-way train ride up there, totaling eight hours round-trip. Then again, if you live in Busan, you're probably rich enough to take an airplane flight from Busan to Incheon, and back. At the very least, Busan lacks (most) of) the degenerates and amoral scumbags you'd normally find in southern California. Busan is nice, but expensive to live in and a very competitive job and housing market, so I can't fully recommend it unless you've got the money to live there or the high-end good looks to get hired there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jxmY-rCD70
Korean Honolulu/Hawaii. Jeju City, on Jeju Island, is isolated far away from mainland Korea. It's a unique experience and cheaper to live at than Busan, although still not cheap. I've never lived on Jeju Island. Those who want to enjoy the island culture will love it, but I personally find being trapped on an island with no train or cheap way to get off it, to be too claustrophobic for me, so I've never accepted any jobs in Jeju. It's a fantastic place to visit, but I don't know if you'd like living there with the only way on and off being a pricey airplane ticket. But if you wouldn't mind living on an island or have the money to afford regular airline flights to travel in and out, then Jeju is a great spot for you.
The Quick Rundown
- Daejeon is only if you want to live in a middle-of-nowhere town and you're very introverted.
- Daegu is only good if you're looking for a girlfriend and can stand the Hell-level heat.
- Songpa is the most relaxing and beautiful part of Seoul, if you can afford it.
- Uijeongbu is a nice family suburb north of Seoul.
- Osan and Pyeongtaek are the best areas to feel like home if you're an American.
- Dongtan has great jobs and housing, but the people there are assholes.
- Bundang is another nice family suburb directly south of Seoul.
- Suwon is the best medium-large sized city that differs from Seoul and it has great jobs and housing.
- Gwanak is a very busy, party-town area of Seoul due to Seoul National University.
- Anyang is Seoul Jr. and feels like a big city, but also kinda dirty with crappy housing.
- Gwangmyeong is cleaner and nicer than Anyang, but further away from everything.
- Busan is Korean San Diego, but being near the beach, everything is expensive there.
- Jeju is an even better paradise than Busan, but it's better as a vacation spot than a permanent residence.
