Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tural center that hosts concerts, plays, and film screenings, as well as a striking new provin-
cial art museum and several galleries highlighting the work of island artists, a good num-
ber of whom have found fame on the peninsula and farther afield. The island is dotted
with Buddhist temples, botanical gardens, folk villages, and independent museums honor-
ing everything from green tea to teddy bears. People requiring regular exposure to anything
more obscure or sophisticated would do better to pack their bags for Seoul.
It's not unheard of for foreign residents to settle in smaller towns, or, if they're working for
hotels, in resort complexes, but the vast majority of expatriates live in or around Jeju City
or Seogwipo.
제주시
With over 400,000 people, Jeju City is the largest city on the island by a long shot, and
consequently has the greatest range of choices when it comes to things like shopping, enter-
tainment, and health care. If quick access to the South Korean mainland and other countries
in the region is important, it's probably the only living location that should be considered
because it is the main jumping-off point and port of arrival for the island. Even by South
Korean standards, Jeju City has developed dramatically over the past decade, and every
year there are fewer and fewer things that residents need to leave the town to hunt down.
With so many overseas visitors, it has a worldly air for a South Korean metropolis of its
size, with a host of attractions and recreational opportunities that are bound to appeal to res-
idents as well.
There are, of course, downsides—Jeju City is a fairly busy and built-up place, much
like its counterparts on the mainland and with little of the quaint charm touted in tourist
brochures. In peak months it can seem overrun, with visitors outnumbering locals in many
areas. Whether these faults are outweighed by the city's advantages will depend on what
kind of conveniences prospective residents need and how deeply they want to entrench
themselves in traditional island life.
Jeju City is not that large, and neighborhoods don't differ radically from one to the next,
but a fair number of foreign nationals settle in the Shinjeju (New Jeju) area, which roughly
covers the zone west of downtown toward the airport. The city's political and commer-
cial center, it is a well-appointed area crammed with facilities and fairly modern apartment
