Locations/Teaching jobs in South Korea

I'm thinking a mid-size city might offer a better option in the way of a clean safe place to live with decent public transport. I have heard the farther south you go, the milder the winters are. It would be nice to find a place with hiking and natural beauty nearby, yet not out in the sticks without transportation, grocery stores, etc

Changwon. I've lived here for 10 months so far and it ticks all your boxes.

I am not quite sure what you are looking for, but I think maybe this site could help: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto
True, it is not about life in Korea as an expat, but I think it provides a good idea of what things you can do in your spare time, which I would guess plays an important part when making your decision.

Seoul is hectic, crowded and expensive. On the positive side, there are LOTS of things to do here, so I am sure you will find something that fits your every taste. Mountains, nightlife, concerts, museums, cozy cafes, foreign restaurants, etc.

Other cities are smaller, and therefore less traffic, less stress, but might be more difficult to live as an expat.

Thank you for the responses. The site says good things about each area-makes it hard to choose! Too bad there isnt a rotating teacher program where you could teach in a different city for about a month and experience life in different places before you commit to a year! :>

^ You can always visit different cities at the weekends - that's what I do! :-)

I'm teaching in Busan, which is where the nice beaches are located. The weather is milder here. It was constantly snowing in Seoul. I did snow once this winter in Busan, just a little. Check out my blog at http://www.korea-diva.com. I l have a lot of info about living and working in South Korea.

Oh, I've lived in Busan for about a year, about to head back to the U.S. for a while. I may be coming back. Busan is the second largest city. There are some dirty areas, but there are some extremely nice and clean areas. I don't think that smog or yellow dust is a problem here. I didn't experience any problems like that, but in some places, walking in Korea you will smell a nasty sewage smell out of nowhere, and then it would be gone. We take subways and taxis here. It's cheap. You can get anywhere you need to go.