Warning : I’m French. Married to a Korean woman. We live in France in a small town near Paris. We only spend vacations in Busan, Korea, not real living. Don’t know about Seoul thought.

You might want to look a this Price comparison between Busan and Paris.

This is a way to engage in a discussion with my French and Korean readers.

Here is my theoretical/biased/undocumented/partial point of view of why Korea is a better place to live for a Frenchman.

Security

Better :

• You have a much much higher chance to be attacked in the French subway than taking a bomb from North Korea
• Streets feel safer
• More respect between people

Worst :

• I you watch too much TV you might get influenced about Pyongyang’s actions

Transports

Better :

•  Taxi is much cheaper and frequent
• Oil price is lower
• More alcohol controls at night
• Better roads and lights are on !
• Better subway, cleaner, no strikes
• More bus, better time estimation

Worst :

• Same traffic jams
• Don’t drive : you’ll die.
• Few people really wear seatbelt

City

Better :

• More larger streets
• Clearer indications
• No dog sh..

Worst :

• Too much billboards
• Some small streets smell really bad
• No historical places or old interesting places in Busan
• Less parks, but many mountains

Technology

Better :

• One of the fastest Internet infrastructure on earth
• 4G-3G everywhere. Phone always able to catch network.
• Edge-2G ? What’s that ?
• Phone plan cheaper and less blocking

Worst :

• Too much technology ?

Services

Better :

• Your are a king. 
• Employees smiles. For real. Impressive. Never saw that before.
• Anything can be delivered anywhere, cheaply, real fast
• Postman does everything in his power to give you your parcel. Don’t have to go to post office 48h after he came.

Worst :

• Hard life for people working in services
• It makes you impatient and demanding sometimes

Shops

Better :

• Always find some place open
• Supermarket still open at 11pm !
• Incredible service
• Everywhere

Worst :

• Loud music and advertising in some streets
• Some article are much more expensive

Restaurants

Better :

• 50% cheaper
• Healthier
• Faster
• Better service (see my previous article on the subject)

Worst :

• More and more junk food. But, hey, you have the choice not to go !
• Wine is so expensive !

Accommodation

Better :

• More shops and commodities around
• No bedbugs (personal note after a year of suffering)
• Cheaper
• Larger

Worst :

• More appartement than house
• Less protection when renting
• 2 years in advance to rent sometimes

Health

Better :

• Appointment in the day (in France 3 months some times for a dentist)
• Cleaner, calmer
• Very efficient and dedicated employees
• More employees
• Choice between traditional and modern healthcare, no prejudice between the two

Worst :

• More expensive

Education

Better :

• Real culture of personal development
• Aim for the best
• First school is not a babysitting place, it’s where learning starts
• Less or no babysitting required
• Many baby/child friendly places

Worst :

•  Very expensive !
• Big burden for kids, starting early

Administration

Better :

• So quick, no comparison possible (10 minutes for obtaining national number  for our daughter)
• Lot of employees that smiles and are nice (yes it could be)

Worst :

• You should speak Korean, it helps 😀

Ambiance/Population

Better :

• Apparently less social status division
• More respect
• Less touching between people

Worst :

• More division between generations/age

Work

Better :

•  Risk friendly / fast environment
• More innovation, less tax

Worst :

• Less protection
• Too much hierarchy
• Less less vacations

I’ll edit and correct this article from time to time.

Please give me your opinion on the real fact.

Did I forget a category ?