[Book Sip] Advice from 14 Newcomers to Local Life: "Aspiring Seoul Escapee"

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This is an essay that offers a 'pre-experience and Q&A interview for those considering leaving Seoul,' aimed at people who, despite feeling exhausted by suffocating reasons such as high housing prices and overcrowded environments, find it hard to make the decision to leave. The author, an aspiring 'Seoul escapee,' tracked down and interviewed 14 people who boldly left Seoul before her, and systematically organized the ways to find a city that feels like one's own 'warm bath.' The book provides practical information and messages, detailing how people in their 20s to 40s, each with different circumstances and environments, found their own spaces, what they found necessary or unnecessary after actually leaving Seoul, and what kinds of activities central and local governments should pursue to promote balanced regional development.

It is not easy to get around small provincial cities without a car. Last weekend, I made my way around the Naejang Lake walking trail, the sculpture park, Jeongeup City Museum, Maple Ecological Park, Water Park Urban Forest, and Wollyeong Wetland. The natural environment was always beautiful, but it seemed that recently, the local government had put extra effort into maintaining these places. However, there were only a couple of city buses per hour heading into downtown Jeongeup. It was nothing compared to Seoul, where buses arrive every 5 to 10 minutes and subways run every 3 minutes, but I still wondered if it was possible to enjoy these carefully created parks, forests, and tourist facilities in the provinces more comfortably. My thoughts and feelings fluctuated between a complicated but convenient life and a quieter but somewhat inconvenient one. In the midst of this, I clearly felt, "Even if I go to Seoul, I’ll probably want to come back down again, but I don't think I can endure life in a big city for long." _Page 71

Stories about life in the provinces were generally overly simplistic. They were about people leaving their city lives behind and suddenly shouting "YOLO!" as they started farming. Occasionally, there were stories of opening a restaurant, a small cafe, or a local bookstore, but these too required abandoning one's previous life and starting from scratch. I wish local living could be filled with more variety. Even if you live locally, most people still need jobs and schools, and you need public transportation, essential facilities, and places in the neighborhood to buy daily necessities in order to live an ordinary life. After all, I am not Kim Taeri in a movie, picking cabbages in front of my house to make pancakes. Even outside Seoul, I wish there were more options to choose from. But as expected, the choices seemed to be either enduring the hellish subway or farming. The options before us were either a boiling hot bath or an ice-cold one. _Page 82

I would suggest thinking about three things before leaving. 1. What kind of work do you want to do? If you have a skill that can earn you money, that's best, but if not, think specifically about what you want to do and how you want to make a living. 2. Consider whether you can be content without enjoying various cultural activities. 3. Keep in mind that there may be fewer job opportunities. Unlike Seoul, which has a wide range of professions and a diverse world, local areas can feel like a frog in a well, with limited things to see. There is less to experience, and naturally, fewer opportunities. It would be good to keep this in mind. _Page 226

Aspiring Seoul Escapee | Written by Kim Mihyang | Published by Hankyoreh Publishing | 322 pages | 15,500 KRW