By Yoon Ja-young
Staff Reporter
The most expensive residential areas may not be the best places to live. The Statistical Geographic Information Service provided by the National Statistical Office (NSO) showed that housing prices don't have much to do with the quality of life there.
The NSO offers a ``where to move'' service, which tells the user where he or she should move to satisfy the living condition that he or she puts a priority on.
Those who want to live close to libraries, for example, should find a home in Sajik-dong, Jongno in downtown Seoul. Dorim-dong in Yeongdeungpo was the second best, followed by Seocho-dong in Seocho.
Working moms, meanwhile, want to know where they can find good nurseries. Sangil-dong in Gangdong has many nurseries, but it ranked at only 102nd among 436 places in Seoul in terms of apartment prices, according to statistics by real estate portal Speedbank. Deungchon-dong in Gangseo and Sinnae-dong in Jungrang were also among the best places to find nurseries, but they are not typically known as expensive residential areas at all.
Suyu-dong, Gangbuk is recommended for those who cherish taking a walk in the park. Apartments there, however, ranked 206th in terms of price. Yeouido-dong in Yeongdeungpo and Seongsu-dong in Seongdong are also good choices.
Those who want to enjoy cultural activities at theaters, museums or movie theaters, meanwhile, should live in Dongsung-dong, Jongno. Inui-dong in Jongno and Namchang-dong in Jung, which is close to Namdaemun Market, are also recommended for those who love shopping.
Then why is Daechi-dong, Gangnam, so expensive? The statistics gave some hints. It boasted the biggest number of ``hagwon,'' or private academic institutes. The place was closest to elementary and middle schools, meanwhile, was Deungchon-dong in Gangseo. This shows that living close to good private institutes matter more to Koreans than living close to schools in a country where private education wins over public education.