I am a stupid Australian who cannot learn foreign languages.
How will I cope in South Korea?
Will the knowledge of English be similar to what I found in larger cities in China?
In other words, some English in hostels and younger people on buses and trains.....I could get by in China without problems.........
I am also stupid Australian who cant learn other languages. I've been to China many times and South Korea once. South Korea is easier. Buy a Lousy Planet Phrasebook incase you get stuck.
SouthKorea is easier for the simple reason that it is a first world country. Things like train reservations are straightforward. If you have an iPhone, there is a 24/7 service for tourists - or anyone else- which includes translation help. Also, nobody is really looking to bamboozle you, so there is less likelihood of purposeful misunderstandings in order to separate you from the money in your pocket.
I loved Korea. Even without Korean it was easy to get around, people were very nice and tried to be helpful. I learned to read, which helped immensely. It's not a hard alphabet at all, so give it a try.
I know people who have lived here for 10 years and can barely speak Korean,and they manage to hold down jobs, rent apartments, buy stuff, drive, travel etc. You'll be fine.
A lot of people are already working under the assumption that you're a silly foreigner; they're going to be sympathetic to your plight.
You'll be fine with English and have a blast! If you need any ideas for what to do you can check out my blog, I've got a section all about my time here in Seoul.
For hikes check out Namsan or Bukhansan. I loved [bukahnsan so much I went back a second day
For partying I recommend Hongdae and Gangnam
Palaces are a must too. Try Gyeongbukgung or Deoksugung
For souvenirs and an authentic korean market check out Namdaemun
Good news: the Koreans don't expect foreigners to speak English. Koreans must be the most hospitable people in East Asia (and I've been to all East Asian countries). People will go out of their way to help the foreigner. I actually had to buy a laptop in Seoul (long story why) and managed to converse with hotel staff through Google Translate. The guy drove me to a shop in his private car, helped me buy the laptop (which probably took an hour, nobody in the shop spoke a word of English), and drove me back to the hotel and of course didn't want any money. I've been to China 4 times, lived in Taiwan for 4 months, I even speak Chinese, been to Hong Kong, Macao and to Japan and I don't think that would ever happen in any of these countries (ok maybe maybe Japan if you were very lucky). Korea is amazing, both South and North.