Seoul - Post Report Question and Answers
Is this a good city for single people? For couples? For families? Why or why not?
Seoul is for everyone. You have to step outside of the embassy bubble to experience it. - Mar 2022
Living on base is good for young families since the kids can run around unsupervised. Singles and couples without Korean family nearby tend to be underwhelmed. The city itself is ok. There are some sites but once you've seen one Korean palace you've seen them all. - Nov 2021
Good for everybody, but families tend to be happiest because they face the least downsides from being stuck on base. - Feb 2020
This is a FANTASTIC place for singles, families and couples. I'm single and this is literally the best place I have lived in my entire life. Very easy to meet new people ( meetup and other groups/apps are very popular). Korea is a social country and I never had a dull weekend. My friends were other singles, couples, families with young children...it didn't really matter. I loved living in Korea and to this day I still chat with friends I made there. - Feb 2016
Everyone. There are lots of things to do for all ages, abilities, and interests! - Feb 2016
Great for all. There is always something to do. - Jul 2015
I would say yes to all. Our housing is near Itaweon, so a great spot for singles or couples. We came here because we wanted the family life the base offered. - Feb 2015
Yes, great for everyone. There is SO much to do. It's family-friendly but there's plenty for couples and singles too. - Jan 2014
Absolutely! There's something for everyone here in abundance. - Sep 2013
Like many cities in East Asia, this can be a difficult post for single women who are looking to date. There is a significant military presence in Seoul and throughout Korea, and you sometimes see soldiers who marry each other or the occasional new relationship between an expat woman and an expat man. However, it seems that most expat men here- whether English teachers or military affiliated - date Korean women or women from the Philippines. With that said, I have seen several Caucasian and African-American women who have married Korean men.(But I can count them on one hand.)Single men seem to have many options. This is a great family post. Seoul is safe, has several theme parks and child-oriented tourist attractions, good schools, and good medical care. As a married couple, we really enjoyed our time here. There are plenty of local restaurants to explore and plenty of adventures to be had at local markets and shopping centers, by visiting Jeju Island, or taking a weekend hiking trip. - Jan 2011
U.S. Embassy housing is particularly nice for families all clustered together. It's terrible for singles, in a fish bowl, all clustered together. As a diplomat, you're in the Army now, not in Korea. - Dec 2010
Yes to all of the above. Seoul and Korea as a whole is waiting to bust out of its shell. There are so many interesting things to do in Seoul and Korea. The problem is that things truly get lost in translation. I've been here for three years now and feel like I've just scratched the surface because so many things that I'd like to see and understand are not articulated in a way to appreciate them completely. - Sep 2009
Good for families. For singles, definitely mixed. Some love it, some not so much. - Jul 2008
Very good for families and single men. Not so good for single women. Very bad for single parents (too expensive). - May 2008
