Seoul is located within Gyeonggi-do province in the North West region of South Korea. Aside from being the capital city, Seoul is also the cultural, economic, media and political powerhouse of the nation. It currently boasts numerous national and international urban records and continues to grow at an astonishing rate. Seoul is currently recognized as one of the most powerful cities in Asia and is the undisputed heart of the Korean peninsula.

Festivals and Events
Seoul is recognized for hosting a number of world class festivals and events each and every year! World food and Korean cuisine, live arts and entertainment, film festivals, sports and martial arts events are just some of the magnificent festivals people in the city can expect to enjoy throughout the seasons.

Food
Foreigners living in Seoul can expect to find an abundance of Korean and international restaurants. Italian restaurants continue to pop up all over the city and other cuisines such as Mexican, American, Greek, Indian, Japanese, Chinese and many others, are not hard to find.

Cost of Living
Generally speaking Seoul is slightly more expensive then other smaller cities in the country. However, salaries in the area tend to start a little higher thus making your annual savings potential comparatively the same.

Transportation
Public transportation in the Metro area is easily one of the world's biggest and most advanced systems. Many of the transportation options are very busy during morning and evening rush hour times, however most teachers are within walking distances of their schools and using the transportation during peak times does not really apply to their needs or schedules. The Seoul Metro Subway has lines going in and out of every corner of the Capital Region and maneuvering through the color coded maps, tunnels and walkways is quite easy. The following link provides an amazing interactive map of the Seoul subway system, including fares, distances and times.
http://www.smrt.co.kr/Train/Subwaymap/Eng/Subwaymap.jsp

Boundaries
The Seoul area does not have 'exact' boundaries which define the entire Metro region, however most people, Koreans and westerners, tend to include the following adjacent cities.

Ansan, Anyang, Bucheon, Gimpo, Goyang, Gunpo, Guri, Gwacheon, Gwangju, Gwangmyeong, Hanam, Namyangju, Paju, Seongnam, Siheung, Suwon, Uijeongbu, Uiwang, Yangju, Yongin

Suburbs
Unlike most western cities which have a downtown core and adjacent urban sprawl spawning in every direction, Korean cities are much different. Seoul itself does not have a 'downtown' location, as most westerners think. The city is so dense that regardless of where you are in the city, it feels and looks like the downtown core. Additionally, most of the surrounding cities such as Incheon, Suwon, Bucheon, etc. also have extremely dense development and infrastructure. These characteristics make most parts of the Capital region feel like your downtown regardless of geographical location.

Subway maps, travel guides, weather information, festivals links and much more, can be found on our links and resources page. Teacher resources