Should I Live In SAHA-GU

I have been looking for a teaching position in Busan for a few weeks now but the only interviews and/or offers have been in the Saha-Gu area, on the last few stops on the subway line.

By my count this would put me, using the subway, about 35 minutes from seomyeon, 45 from KPU area, one hour or more from haeundae, about an hour from PNU.. is this location issue as big of a deal as I think it is???

Is the whole Saha area as bad as the few brief descriptions I have managed to find on different forums??

How much would a cab ride home from a night of partying cost me (say from the KPU area, for example)??

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

I work in Saha but live in Seomyeon.  If you're only commuting during the day, public transit is cheap, its just a long ride. But if you're concerned about going out every night, its about 15,000 won to Seomyeon and more to Haeundae or Gyeungsung (maybe 20,000). There are places to go out in Hadan or Sinpyeong that are alright, but if you know you'll be travelling a lot to the main areas of Busan, then I would suggest living someplace else.  Your boss might let you choose an apartment in another part of town. Mine did.

As for Saha being horrible, like I said its near Hadan, so there is some good food to be found in the area.  Also, its not very far from Nampodong, which has good shopping.  It's not the best location, but its not the worst.  Changwon and Gimhae are much farther and more expensive by taxi.  Hope this helps.  Good luck

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

a good friend of mine lived in hadan/saha-gu.  he hated it.  even though he was a very good friend, i could not bring myself to visit him often.  he most always wanted to meet in other places.  i do remember a nice spa there, though.  to this day it seems like they had two of the biggest saunas i have been to here.  personally, i would not want to live in that area.  happy decision making to you

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

i used to live there-i lasted 6 months and then had to move. there is nothing around there (nampo is not really a foreigner area) and if you do go out, it is to kyungsung or haeundae so getting back there is a pain in the butt. I would never recommend living there. like living in the middle of nowhere. it really is. no matter where you want to go it is always like a 45 minute to 1 hour trip. a year is long when you are severely cut off/isolated and inconvenienced-especailly in korea. i could handle that if i was in thailand or something but not korea.

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

mike, if you want to party and hang out a lot with friends dont go there. you will get so bored and spend a lot of money on cabs. i tried it (not knowing better) and i hated it. if you are a super quiet person maybe it would be good but mentioning bars and so on, i can tell it is not for you. dont do it bro!

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

It all depends what style of life you're looking for.  I lived there for a year and loved it.  I moved because my school said I needed to, but I would have been happy staying.  Weekends are a big hassle to get around, but I love the pace of Saha.  It's still the city but life's a bit slower and the people are friendlier and seem to enjoy life a bit more.  I now commute to Saha from Seomyeon and that's nice too.  If you can get your school to find you a place in Seomyeon, I'd do that.  That way, you're central to everything on the weekends and in the morning/evening (depending on your hours.)  The commute is not bad and gives you time to read, listen to podcasts, study Korean, or whatever else tickles your fancy.  If you can't live somewhere else, I'd say way your options.  It's not ideal if you want to go out all the time, but at the same time, it's a nice area to live in.  Also, a bunch of really great expatriates live out there who are very welcoming and I'm sure would be open to you hanging out.

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

U could live in a one street town - if u find something or somebody boring its probably down to a limited brain capacity. Many have lived there and loved it.

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

angel, mike said this;

By my count this would put me, using the subway, about 35 minutes from seomyeon, 45 from KPU area, one hour or more from haeundae, about an hour from PNU.. is this location issue as big of a deal as I think it is???

He wants to go to these places so living there would not be good for him. for the first bit it might seem okay but after a while-like a month or two, he would start hating it becaue he would constantly be in cabs and or subways and that is lame. mike, think about where you live now. would you constantly travel in cabs or subways for an hour to go to places where your friends are? it is like driving from cambridge ontario to toronto-that is crazy!

there are jobs everywhere mike. why you are only getting offers from saha is strange. is this a recruiter telling you this? plus be careful, many jobs are in deadepo and there is no subway line there and it is even further away from kyungsung and so on. id keep looking. i think you would want to live in kyungsung, namcheon, centum, pnu or haeundae. pnu is kind of dead these days tho. personally, the kyungsung area (gwangan, namcheon) and haeundae are the best places to be. good luck to you.

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

Let  the man party BRO! Everyone knows that the only good places in Busan are Kyungsun, Haundae and PNU..God forbid living outside of those places.

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

It would be worthwhile finding out if they will let you choose your own place to live.  Ask if they will put you up in a motel for a couple of weeks and look for a place closer to more "uptown" areas.  A commute from Beomildong which is close to Seomyeon and twenty minutes to Kyungsung by bus (traffic permitting) would only be 30 minutes.

I used to commute to Hadan from Daeyeon, and it's doable - although painful if you are travelling at peak times.

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

Thanks everyone for your input.

This pretty much confirms what I was thinking about Saha. I tried thinking of areas in my home city, San Diego, to compare this place to based on distance and I sure know I wouldn't tell a foreigner coming here to live in say, Chula Vista.

I think the best area for me would be Nam-gu, but it seems really difficult to get a job there these days. I've heard from every recruiter that for the first time there are now more teachers than jobs in Korea and that Busan is extremely popular. Every time I apply for a job on this site or on daveseslcafe thats in one of the popular areas of Busan, I am told the school is looking for someone already in Korea, or someone with a degree in English, and once I was even told they were looking for an Ivy League Grad... to teach English to children. WTF! This is madness.

I have a TEFL Cert. and some experience teaching abroad, and I really thought that would put me in position to get a job in a popular place like Busan. Most of the larger recruiters I have written to act as if getting a job in Busan is unthinkable and just tell me to apply for EPIK...

Have any of you gotten your jobs in recent months or know people who have? Is there a really good Busan recruiter out there? People in Korea keep telling me I should be able to find a job in a good part of Busan and recruiters keep telling me the opposite. What gives?

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

Mike, this area is also the industrial region of Busan and the air is filthy even with the aid of the river nearby and it's winds . I wouldn't live there under any circumstances, years of your lungs will be eaten away in months. Avoid this place like the plague.

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

Hi everyone,

I'm living in Hadan, just moved here, and was wondering if anyone knows of any foreigner groups or decent places to hang out in the area?

Thanks.

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

lol didnt you read the rest of this thread. there is nothing there man. get out while you can. RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN...............................

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

I really have no idea what everyone is complaining about. If you live in Hadan, things are fine. The air in Hadan is 100000000 times better than anywhere in Seoul. The river does help, the fresh air helps, but I guess it does depend on where you live. If you are far from a subway line, forget-about-it... Don't bother, but if you are 10 min walking or less from a subway, don't freak out much. Just make sure you use google map and find the address of the place where you will be working and figure out everything from there. Good Luck!

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

If you are coming to Busan for the bar scene then live next to the bars.  Simple as that.

If you want to work, live, and save some money then this is a great place to be.  Good local areas, nature, close to the highways, plenty of ways to get to the big areas for shopping.

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

Hadan's alright, I've been living here for well over a year now and know quite a few people in the area. The commute issue isn't that much of a killer really, Nampo-Dong is a pretty great area really, nicer than Seomyeon unless you're looking for expat bars specifically. Getting out to Haeundae is a touch over an hour by subway but is usually a bit faster on the express bus depending on traffic. 

The number of foreigners in Hadan is quite high as people who teach/work in the rural areas outside of the city proper are usually housed in Hadan for it's convenience/access to public transport. Like mentioned earlier the area around the university campus has a lot going on and Hadan has all the usual Western-style chains (McDonalds, Lotteria, Outback Steakhouse, Mr. Pizza, Big Bowls, Baskin Robbins, Wa Bar, Starbucks etc.) if you're looking for some home comforts. It's a 3-5 minute busride to the nearest Lotte Mart and about a 15 minute busride to Homeplus.

Re: Should I Live In SAHA-GU

Dont forget the whore street is great for a laugh.

Oddly they have the goodwill on that street, great for getting a deal on general household stuff.  You cant miss it, it's the street that takes you to Eden Park behind the main drag just north of the subway-bus station.

I've found plenty of good restaurants nearby, but has anyone found a worthwhile burger in the area-

I really wish samgyupsal places sold gound meat.  Bacon cheeseburger  mmmmmm