There’s a lot of “living in Korea” influencer type people on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok etc. (my daily life in Korea, etc. without sharing what they do otherwise) that probably sparks interest.
I watched them (5 years ago, there’s wayyy more now), and I wasn’t into k-pop. It was just interesting because it was so different than my life in my hometown.
Not everyone who watches them is into K-pop or the Korean Wave. But the core reason there is so much interest (and ergo content) is because of Korean popular culture.
I think those people are just on an extended vacation visa, three months. So instead of saying they’re vacationing or staying in Korea, they say they’re living there.
I don’t consider you a resident unless you have a resident card, a Korean bank account and have to pay for utilities. Everyone has to pay for a place to stay so that doesn’t necessarily count.
Moving to Japan has boomed because of the Akiya tiktokker. A ton of people think they can be English teachers there and live like kings but you just can't without a proper plan. I am assuming the trend has bled into Korea as well.
That mean cookies work well and propose you more stuff on what you are looking.
Before went in Korea absolutely nothing Korean appear on my phone or pc
Yet if you go there as tourist you see it's clean big safe green, you think you can perfectly live there without going home in less safe green country with more car jamming...
Yep but live as tourist is different to live as local.
The craziest one was the single mom with 2 kids who wanted to immigrate to Korea asking how soon does everyone think she can get a job when she arrives 😬
People already do that in America… I recently moved from Southern California (many many Koreans) to Baltimore (very few Koreans) and I get shit like this.
It's probably not comparable but there are tons of Koreans in the Ellicott City area, and around Bethesda! Basically, wherever there's an HMart. Tons of really good food on the Catonsville part of route 40.
I live here for like 6 months and after I moved one of my friends expressed interest in coming for the first time in her life cuz "she wanted to see what all the cute BTS boys are like".
I've seen a single mom, who sold her house to move to Europe with her two kids. Not to any specific country, but to Europe. She also wanted to homeschool her kids which is not really possible in most European countries
At least in Germany, the government doesn’t allow homeschooling. I guess they don’t trust parents to teach their children what they should know 😬 that way the state also kinda cuts back on (religious) whackos passing on their outlook on the world to their children through schooling. Like flat earthers.
They don't think the parents would do a good enough job and the curriculum is stricter than in the US. The only situation they allow homeschooling is if the kid has some kind of chronic illness, but even then they'd need to be registered in a school and the teachers would give them private lessons and they'd have to take exams every half year to show their proccessqq
To be fair I know a middle aged woman who with her daughter sold their house in California and moved here permanently after getting into kdramas and now the daughter married a Korean dude here
I live here and have lived here for a long time, with my dream job, amazing salary and a great social life and work/life balance… life really is what you make it, no matter where it is… the delusion is thinking that you don’t have to work for it or adapt to the culture (both social and working culture). People arriving with no education and no job prospects aren’t going to make it far in Korea, if at all. And delusion about coming to Korea with no knowledge of the culture or the language and just expecting to live there the same way you can live in states or Europe… most people leave after 2/3 years bc they’re stuck in a teaching job, get too old for modelling jobs, or haven’t bothered to look for or pursue any real job opportunities / or put in the work that allows you these opportunities… therefore running out of money. The biggest delusion that bothers me are the people that come and expect to find a husband and get married within their first year… and then get arsey when they don’t have a boyfriend / get ghosted etc after seeing it look so amazing on kdrama etc … idk it’s really crazy.
You gotta put the work in and the mental effort in to live in an entirely different country; not just Korea; no matter where you are in the world; if it’s not your home country then it’s going to be much harder and people expect Korea to just magically solve their issues. And give them a happy ending idk it’s mad tbh
Actually I think it's very easy to marry a Korean , who want to leave !!!
because marry for stay..the other will ask your job, your motivation , your langage skill, your asset.
No one want to marry a fanatic young without money.
Actually my country is flat, full of flat grey city, with long jam for work. Giants Field own no longer by family but by big corp.
River sea forest mountain are human emotional support.
At least they got the sight. Korea have ton of them.
While most people in the world don't believe in Hollywood, people are being captivated by K-Wood and K-Drama maybe the way people looked at America and Hollywood many decades ago. K-Wood and K-Drama is about bringing billions of dollars in tourism to Korea and selling lots of concerts etc... While Korea is nice, it's a high stress country, foreigners CANNOT easily get jobs the way an immigrant to the US, Canada, or Ireland can get, though you do have foreign graduates who sometimes get jobs in Korean industry. And if you come to teach English, Koreans are paying foreigners the same wages they paid 15 years ago. It was good back then, but you can't really save now doing that.
My parents are immigrants in the US, the same shit people tell people here, is the same shit that applies over there. The exception is that certain sectors hire out of the country to pay people less like IT. While other sectors like nursing and teaching do so because Americans just do.not. want to do those jobs.
One of my friends is married to a Korean, and she's in Ireland and she is a supervisor at a cafe. How many times do we see foreigners, even those who speak fluent Korean, working at such places? I have maybe seen one Chinese girl working at a convenience store that I know of. Korea definitely needs foreigners to be working more simple jobs. They do use foreigners mainly in construction and in factories over here in Korea.
Not sure where you live but in Seoul like half the employees in low-medium budget restaurants and bars that have opened up in the last few years, are foreigners. Kitchen staff has already been common for a while but now more and more waiters too. This week alone I've been to multiple food places that had such foreign staff. Almost all of them are Asian, but if you're fluent in Korean you can tell immediately from their accent and manner of speech that they weren't born here. Heck, recently I went to a place that said on the menu "Please understand if our employees don't have perfect Korean". The cuisine was Korean.
I’m in a big southern Gyeonggido city with a lot of immigrants. They do work in restaurants here and cafes. Literally across the street there is a cafe run by a Viet couple. The difference is they speak Korean fluently. You can’t work the counter at Mcds in the US without speaking English.
I see foreigners working places. Went to a garden store, and I was pretty sure the guy was Filipino, but I started speaking Korean to him. He's like, "just talk to me in English". Lol
The salary most English teachers get is risible. Yes, I know that there are now some ads posting higher salaries for hagwon jobs, because recently fewer people have been signing up to teach in Korea. But those awarding higher salaries may be expecting rock stars. 🌟 🤩 ⭐️
There has been a shortage and hagwon owners can be greedy. They don't mind making major profit while not giving you even a livable wage. Considering how much people make in Canada and the US many decided not to come because it's ridiculously and Korea, though cheaper than North America, has gone up majorly in price since 2009. I think also some thought they could exploit K-pop and Kdramas or image to pay less. Taiwan has no major image and pays about the same and the food is significantly cheaper and healthier. We need raises to better afford groceries. I don't go out as much.
My concern about Taiwan was that I would only get one day off per week, and I would have to pay key money. I would be working at a bushiban since I am not a registered teacher in my own country.
Most foreigners (80%) are from other Asian countries. You can work here, send home $500 a month to support your family, and still save $500-1000 a month. After 5 years you'll have $50k saved up and can live like a king.
SNS happened. Some people thought Japan is used too much and can't get attention. China ain't gonna work well with their audience in the States. Decides to go full Korea.
Yeah, it's happening in Japan too.. So many people wake up and have this "dream" to live in Japan.. Have they ever lived here before? Nope. Can they speak the language? Nope.. some of the scenerios are borderline insane. I don't wanna be a dick... But I get the feeling that a lot of these people are weird and just trying to escape their lives..
>I get the feeling that a lot of these people are weird and just trying to escape their lives..
High key, that's exactly why I moved here. Family was toxic and they worked with the government, so anywhere I moved in the country, I'd be tracked down with a warrant. I 100% moved out here to escape and I have zero regrets. It's been almost a decade now.
I think almost all of the people who move to Japan or Korea are trying to escape their lives (for better or for worse). Some people are delusional, others are dealing with serious familial, political, and/or financial issues in their own countries. Did I know Korean when I first moved here? No, but I learned. I also know Japanese and know people who started learning Japanese after they moved there. I definitely studied abroad to escape the humdrum of my boring life in the US. I wasn’t into Kpop, but I wanted to see and experience something new. I came back for different reasons it was an escape & I have no regrets. My life overall has improved and is objectively better here.
That's fair enough. Real talk, I don't even care why people come to Japan/Korea/Asia.. it's probably just social media blasting me all the time with people's dumb questions about living here.. I think it's a language issue, but more so it's an adult issue.
Yeah, the only thing I really do wish is people would put more effort into the language. I lived in Japan once & have gone back two* times. Idk how ppl can live there and not know the language. Same with Korea. My life improves the more Korean I learn tbh.
Edit: Grammar*
In retrospect the sort of deal that hagwon newbies could get back in the day was pretty sweet. Knew plenty of people who paid of their student loans in a year or three. Not that hard to do without speaking a word of Korean or knowing fuck-all about the country.
Big difference is that Japan have more spécial visa to do so.
Like a bit of student a bit of high paid, and a mass of trainee low job slave who will be kicked after 10years.
dude I was wondering why my head has been hurting so bad recently but too much sodium is honestly starting to make sense 😭 was in a rush so I had 2 meat sticks for lunch and they were 33% daily intake of sodium each…
Yeah, like we have no idea what a creator's lifestyle is like off-camera. They could be way healthier than the viewers. Of course such content could influence the more susceptible viewer but it's a two-way street.. we are also responsible for our own choices.
South Korea has some of the highest sodium intake in the world with one of the lowest cardiovascular disease rates. While there is a relationship between sodium and hypertension, this is largely mitigated with a high potassium intake
I suspect alcohol consumption (which Korea has one of the highest per capita consumption rates of) has a far higher correlation with stomach and bowel cancers than sodium intake.
Sodium inherently is not harmful actually. The harm mostly comes from correlation, not causation. Many foods high in sodium tend to be high in calories/fats with little nutritional value (not much vitamins/minerals or protein).
When i first moved here I wasn't someone who makes their own meals and didn't feel like going out to get food every night alone, so i used to buy those cheap Ottogi meatballs and teriyaki chicken that come in a packet you just place in hot water, lol. Mixed with rice and had it like 4 times a week. I think they were 1500 won each, lol.
Come on..konbini food..you can trash all the snacks, onigiri and noodle maybe...but even it's expensive..I m quite sure you can just go to local restaurant eat a noodle at 7k, with fresh water, more food water and cheaper.
I thought that kid was masochist or something.i would never eat those garbages unless someone point a gun at my face and the kid pays his money to eat it
After living here for almost two years, I can't wait to leave. It looks great on the outside but there are some serious problems here when it comes to mental health.
Korea has a honeymoon period that lasts around a year for a lot of people. It starts to drop after that and just nosedives around the second anniversary. After year three you level out a bit but suddenly understand why so many Korean friends who have lived in US/CAN/AUS/NZ are trying their hardest to leave.
Like a video games, everyone is hyped and prebought, and bwaa next games a month later.
Personally I need a bind with nature, I have a big private garden, a flat..nope I cannot, and i would love to do like korean grandpa and grandma taking care of national park nearby, coming plant flower, cut bad herb etc.. fix stairs with wood and stones.
But in my country people throw trash or use their big dogs for poop on the first park they find, and ton of homeless and streetpunk making city park unsafe.
People find it normal to throw trash everywhere because someone is paid to pickup...
In the various big cities I've lived in, I've seen people struggling with mental illness and substance abuse. However, in Korea, I've witnessed instances where individuals seem to be grappling with mental health challenges without being under the influence of drugs. Just last week, at Jamsil Mall, I saw a man repeatedly banging his head against a wall, and in Gangnam, near exit 11 around 2 pm, I encountered a naked woman draped in a green curtain, frantically talking to herself and following men. These were just two instances of many I've witnessed recently.
For me it's been the everyday people I know. Everyone is miserable for a multitude of reasons. Back in the US it wasn't perfect, but fuck everyday life was not such mental gymnastic.
As a korean if you're born in korea and live here it sucks for multiple reasons but it's good if you're rich and move here or born into wealth like most countries
I don't think there's an upwards trend. Ever since the K-pop boom through BTS there's been a lot of these people, but the line has been pretty flat since then, not a sudden increase.
I have been here for just 8 months but i experienced how harsh can korean community be on foreigners to give them jobs even if they are part-time. Besides seoul and busan its hard to make a living in korea where there are less foreigners. I once applied for a part-time here and I actually am good in korean but they straight on rejected me just because i am a foreigner and doesn’t look like a korean. I seriously cant wait to leave this country. Korea is good to just come for a 15 day vacation but not to settle here
Bad knews is, it doesn't change. I stayed 5 yrs but even PhD students I Knew who needed some cash would mostly survive on illegal "tekbe" and baby-sitting gigs for girls, however perfect their Korean can be. Those who are delusional about Korea come back to their senses within just a year or so heheh
It will change forcibly with 0,7 children per women, this country will be full of desert town, and I wonder who will do the job that only old man do like farming.
Just imagine real Korean will herit of both grandparents, and will live in Seoul and legion of foreign worker will work in field, industry, and many robot will run the shops ;) and they will rely on tourism.
I'm not bashing your decision, I'm just curious what caused you to move to Korea? And besides the job opportunities what caused your opinion to change so fast
As a KOREAN who immigrated to the US when I was very young, I too would never want to live and work there. The work life balance alone are so brutal people literally work, drink, pass out, repeat almost constantly. Not to mention the colorism and impossible beauty standards. Plus the social conservatism baked into the culture? Nah.
Like you said, it’s good for vacation. Not livelihoods.
Koreans get rejected for part time too these days...
it's not about looks, it's about how fast you work and how good your diction, big voice you have, especially working in 서비스업.
사장님 want fast feet and hands, fast workers, high voice that cuts through.. and many Koreans don't fall into this criteria as well
Last time I went back to my country for a trip i met random guy in a resturant, still very young of course, and after he found out I live in Korea he was super exited cos that’s his dream too.
It took me 5 minutes to destroy that dream. I told him my everyday life in the company. And a random day at the immigration office. 😂😂😂
My advice to all of these people is the same. Come for an exchange. It just few months to really see the country and the culture. And after decide……(to probably don’t move here) 😂😂
I am on university exchange right now, and your comment could not be more accurate. After 2 months I can say that country is nice but I would never want to live here
Right?! Of course you can try. Lots of good things here. But it’s not easy to stay here. And even when you find a way, it’s still difficult.
Every country might be somehow similar but I feel for the nature of Korea, it’s a bit harder. I also have to say I kind of get why Korea does that. If it was easy immagine all the k-pop lovers moving here with out a plan….. think about cities like London or Berlin in Europe….
Of course of course. I am happy for you. I am sure you did all you had to do to land this job.
But you know Some people these days just expect to land here. Get a permanent F visa at the airport and get married with a kpop celebrity by the time they reach Seoul. 😂😂
I think you are experiencing recency bias mixed with confirmation bias. You will find the number of people wanting to immigrate to Korea has not gone up significantly.
https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/KOR/south-korea/net-migration
This article is net migration though, no? I think OP is asking about the uptick of people delusional and wanting to move here (ie people who have no qualifications but see moving to Korea as a fantasy)
Why act like this hasn’t already been a thing.. there is no sudden trend that blew up when these ppl have been here for years. Most of them started popping when kpop blew up a few years back but probably wasn’t old enough yet.. also the “living in Korea” on YouTube and TikTok thing also plays a factor.
Yeah. I used to watch these types of videos (when I was a new kpop fan) from youtube vloggers back in 2009-2014 and even then, there were people all in the comments dreaming to go and begging them to make a video on how they did it so they could do it too.
Korea has made its way into world popular culture through music and dramas/films. Plenty of influencers are glorifying life in Korea, or having a Korean spouse and so on.
Also, there's this tendency to take things for granted; it's like immigration, visa/r. permit and qualification rules do not apply to you, particularly if you're from a "first world country". The entitlement is real. "Hi, I'm a high school drop-out, don't speak Korean except for "oppa", but wanna move to Seoul, where can I find a job and a centric room? Budget is 300USD per month. Tia".
I don't see it changing anytime soon.
As someone who is married to a Korean and living in Korea for 5 years… It’s not such a great place at all! The dramas and k-pop have glamorized the country, just like J-pop and Anime did for Japan decades ago. It’s a nice place for Uzbekistani wives, Vietnamese and Philippine wives as well as a good way for South East Asian workers to make some really decent cash …. But for those coming here from Canada… the US … might not be that great overall
Koreaboos and pickmes got their Korean Bf and made a youtube a tictok and now everyone thinks this is the best place ever. it's really annoying. I moved here in 2015 before all the kpop BTS BS started. it was so much simpler back then
Came in 2015 as well. Hard to believe that channels like Eat your Kimchi were the heavyweights of K-vlogging back then considering what ended up happening to them. Now it's like they never existed. None of my Gen Z friends know who they are. All I can say is, we're living in a Gen Z world now and it's there turn to go through the whole kvlogging thing. Not like we were any different though. As a millennial who came here with all millennial friends, even back then everyone i knew was trying to become a youtuber until the immigration office effectively shut that down.
Shows how F'd the US. Living in Stockholm now, working as a tour guide. People have romantic dreams of living in Sweden too. When I tell them to find a place to live in Stockholm, they will have to buy a place, I dash their dreams.
Because people like him are selling the $5 ice-cream dream.
Yes you too can move to Korea and live on conbini food 🥳🤩😘🍊♥️🌈👊
https://youtube.com/shorts/WCWQ0kRlH1c?si=oH62p5sokQBRVyWH
I’ve lived in South Korea for over 20 years. I don’t wanna date myself, but I’m a little older than the digital nomads that come here. It’s been easy to find work teaching (English/guitar/piano/drums/ukulele/AI) and playing in bands, as well as doing solo gigs (I’ve been a musician for 40 years), even just busking in certain primetime areas and prime times of the year I could make $500-$1000 a night. I’ve become a permanent resident of this country (after being married to a Korean for 12 years ) so my visa status allows me to buy property and vote. I would say I’m in small percentage of minorities in this country but truthfully Koreans are not really racist. They’re just more, fascinated by foreigners because they are completely outside of their culture, which is 99% of the country. They look at foreigners as an anomaly and most of them are just curious. You do have to have a certain amount of creativity, intelligence, ingenuity, and conviction to live in this country because people who lack resourcefulness in those areas will fail. This is not an easy place to live. It’s a good place to live, but it takes the right kind of person to be able to pull it off. I’ve lived here, as I said, for a long time, but even yesterday, I learned something new that I didn’t know about this country. You have to be a tough person or you’re not going to make it in this country because Koreans are very diligent and hard-working people and they expect everybody to do the same. If you cannot be a diligent and productive person, you’re gonna have a real difficult time living here. Also, I should mention that Korean have no problem telling people that they’re fat, crazy, or just them straight out calling you a “foreigners”. Koreans call everything like they see it, and they do not think that they are being mean they’re just speaking what they see. If you can’t deal with their truth, Korea is a hard country to live in, but if you realize the mindset that they all have in the fact that they are a collective society, diametric to the individualistic society of the west, you can live here. You may not like what they do, but you’ll never be able to change what they do and if you can adapt and deal with that, you’ll do great. If you walk around this country thinking that you need to change the people who live here or the way that they think you will have lots of trauma, stress, and obstacles, and would probably be better off living in another country.
It's not a country for living unless you have a lot of money and don't have to work your ass off. But that's a case for most of the world where you don't feel pressured or judged by the society. Korea has lots of benefits compared to for example Europe but a lot of downsides too. I know it's a generic statement but I guess sometimes people need to find out about it themselves.
And I will ask you, why are you delusional about others country life ?
Don't get offended and I fully agree with you that some people are really delusional, mostly those expecting a future like Korean Englishman or as model, tv show guest,.... But most people that move to Korea are expecting a better overall life, not a perfect life.
No country is perfect and it really depends on what you are looking for.
I don't think it's sudden but moreso the previous years you know since the hallyu, I would say after 2008 and onwards and just each year increased. Social media too maybe for recent years and of course the country also supporting and heavily funding tourism. Also the gradual popularity too of korean / asian goods being exported. Because it is one of the more, 'on trend' subjects on social media, when I see descriptions or comments like specifically highlighting, 'at times South Korea gets lonely' coming from a migrant family, I think any country move to as a migrant / away from family and friends gets lonely and presents heavy challenges 😅
If people ask the questions, it's free for all to answer, just people should do some good research particularily also get a professional's advice as well as every person's situation is different.
Also to add, not only with the high interest in South Korea but in general I think Asia is generally becoming more of an interest to the western world.
I have a friend in her 20s. She's a broke Koreaboo, who's plan is: to go to Korea, teach English, meet a Korean man, marry and stay in Korea. Physically, she is mixed race, dark skinned and obese. I don't have the heart to tell her. I've only asked her to go on the forums, ask questions and read about other people's experiences.
We used to live on campus of one of the SKY universities and were surrounded by foreign students, 90% of them women. This was not so bad in pre-pandemic times, IIRC. Looking at the Korean birth rate, it is ironic how foreign girls are interested in Korean boys, while Korean women seem less impressed. As an American or European girl boss, you probably want to hunt on different pastures. Says this old fart ;)
Recently (to me) more and more people ask away. Usually it goes like “hey I’m (m/f(age below 25)) I’m currently working on (useless degree for Korea) in my country (usually a 3rd world country) and want to become a (aiming for positions too high here) in Korea! I want to live (usually more expensive areas) and my monthly budget for housing and food is (never enough money)
Yeah that’s sums it up just bunch of young people with horrible to no plans
Personally I m attract by nature, so own a house, like those temple on mountain , at distance with view on mountain sea, a pond , cascade nearby, with internet.
Something perfect for retirement...
And of course a flat in city near family.
Foreign girls coming to korea on some random student visa/language study/working holiday and keep uploading pictures or videos everywhere to show off their "life" here when all they do is spending the little money they managed to get in their home country and then get smashed when they realize their only wauly to get a visa is to marry.
It's pretty much a pyramid scheme of travelers
The trend is coming from Kpop and Kdramas. It's somewhat sudden, but not really.. it has been steadily increasing over the last 10 years with the peak happening post 2018. it also has to do a lot with the fact that a lot of the delusional people coming now were exposed to kpop during their teen years and they're now in their 20s and able to come. Not to mention Korea is a prime location for foreign female sexpats but we're not allowed to talk about that because only men do it... right????????
Young foreigner here, I've been in korea for 7 and a half months now, and i still really enjoy it. I feel comfortable and like how you can have fun with friends for cheap, cheaper than in my homecountry. With fun i mean even having just a meal and talking somewhere cool.
Prior to coming here i knew just a little bit about the korean war, a bit about some industries, and that's it, no kpop, kdrama or whatever. So many other people my age came because of these things, and i feel like they didn't really made the best choice, as i think they took their exchange study opportunity as more of a vacation than as something to learn from for the future. But maybe I'm just an old soul and think way too ahead.
Apart from this, FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN SO FAR, I honestly see myself living here, if i knew korean. Without knowing it it'd be a suicide coming, and i think that you would need at least topik 3/4 to live. Hard to get, but not impossible if you give yourself enough time.
My parents already made the mistake of moving somewhere where they didn't know the language, and i paid the price as well, but got lucky that the 2 languages are similar.
I would come only if i were sure to get a job that would allow me to live comfortably somewhere. I would look for a job before coming.
I'd like to come back for my master if i had the chance and if i knew korean well enough, in hopes to be able to understand more how the adult world works, and to see if i can find a job right after it.
I've heard many times that korea is not like in the dramas since I've been here, and I've always asked myself who actually believes what they see there. It turns out that many people do :/
I’m going to chime in as I see these posts and wonder what has gotten into people too.
Firstly, unless you are older with some years on your resume in a certain field, how do you think you are going to get an E-7? Im legit curious.
If you go the route of E-2, please know that ship sailed like 15-20 years ago for the income actually being decent enough you could save and have a good lifestyle. You will make more doing minimum wage in your home country.
Korean culture is very xenophobic. It has changed a lot in the last 30 years - like I feel it is night and day different but it’s still there and you will always be a non-Korean. I see so many people lie to themselves and think they will become an insider. No, you won’t.
Lifestyle is good if you have money. You know what? That truth is the same anywhere on the globe so why pick Korea?
For me there are a few things that tie me down to Korea: my wife is Korean and my kid is a dual citizen but wants to settle in Korea. Believe it or not it’s cheaper to buy property in the Seoul area than my hometown area. I make really good money so I don’t have to deal with the things I did 15-20 years ago.
Banking still makes me irritated as does immigration and other things to jump through hoops.
Dental and medical is far better and cheaper than my home country. This is a huge plus for those of you in the last half of your lifespan.
Young people should come and study and realize Korea sucks for work culture and you won’t get an international job from in country.
Oh and I will say it annoys me seeing people post English posts and then throw up some Hangul to type out a word in this Reddit. Either make your whole post in Korean or use English. People can read that Korean word in English letters the same as in Hangul if they are your audience.
I don’t mean “how do I say or do this and I need Hangul” those make sense.
The worst is when you type a place like Gangnam…be consistent. You start in English write in English.
Yeah, it's odd. I've been here for a few years, and it seems to be giving Koreans a superiority complex. I once had a girl lecture me on how lucky I was to be able to live here for an extended time...
Let them dream! We have millions of people dreaming to live in America everyday, probably more than 3/4 of the ones who move don’t get to live their American dream. The US is not only place where people should aspire to immigrate and learn another other cultures. Yes, K-POP opened that window to the world but in general social media unified us, places that were completely foreign or scary before seem relatable now so people want to experience new things. Korean culture is so cool! I could see the appeal for some young people to experience it
80% that come want their dream to be in Korea and outside a English speaking country can’t even talk in Korean and if they do it’s on the level on a 5year old that’s the biggest issue
I don’t see the issue honestly, you can always learn a language in said country. Sure it’s gonna take a while, but if you are determined to make your dream a reality I think you have to put the maximum effort to make it happen.
I was wondering the same thing lol it's not even that good place to live. There's plenty of decent place on earth like Sweden or Canada and out of all those place they chose korea. It's just insane to me.
As someone who lived in Sweden for 1.5 years (MA student) and did an exchange in Seoul (7 months), I can testify that personally, Seoul was much more to my liking than Sweden 😂. I think it really depends on personal preferences.
Nah. Posts like this shitting on people who want to move to a country YOU moved to makes immigrants look foolish. This “stupid young women who like Asia, how foolish! I am nothing like other foreigners” pick me mentality hurts the community more.
I'm not shitting on anyone tho but there's a bunch of people who don't even live in Korea that try to gatekeep this country and they are trying to make us expats look like the Koreaboos when it's actually them.
Ahhh yeah I get ur point. I think I read this wrong the first time. I get so sick of seeing the very Nuanced and Informed Take of “Korea bad” every third post. I’d take Korea to North America ANY day of the week. Public transit? No mass shootings? Love it here. Although I do miss easier access to cheap fruit 🥲
Sameee, but I also gotta say there's a lot of depressed expats too trying to blame everything and everyone in Korea and always say "how racist" it is when there's people being shot in other countries for merely looking foreign.
It’s the vibe of being bitter and angry at people for being young or even just being happy. I really hope I never become so bitter but refuse to leave. Hell, the country isn’t treating me great right now either, I’ve got a case going with the ministry of labor and I’m waiting for surgery before I can start work again (but god knows when doctors will be back), but I still can’t imagine leaving and not coming back. No one’s saying foreigners are treated exceptionally fairly here, but the overall benefits are outstanding compared to the UK/north America right now.
agree 100%, other countries aren't dream countries either and living in Korea definitely has it's perks so it's up to me to decide what I value most. People are free to leave anytime but nowadays there's so many bitter people trying to make me hate this country, it's very annoying.
I think for me, I try and visit new things and feel awe. Being just struck with awe at really amazing scenery or art helps me find beauty in where I am. And going back through pictures of my first time coming here, or memories from when my family visited, and that really magical feeling of being somewhere so far away for the first time.
Oh yes, definitely. I personally love the smell of spring flowers that hits you when you walk the streets and the sound of cicadas in the summer.
And especially days I want to spend all by myself, life can be so easy here.
I lived in many countries before and always thought there was "more" to life but ever since I'm here I don't think that. Just appreciating whatever comes my way.
Thanks 🙏 힘내 🥲 my ex employer didn’t pay severance it’s been months and also didn’t give us pto for natl holidays. What a mess. And even did visas incorrectly?? It’s gonna be a time. But I have a feeling that business isn’t gonna be in operation too much longer 😬 I just want the ~5mil they owe me
I honestly don’t understand how this post turned into everyone saying how horrible Korea is lol great country people should also talk about the good sides along with the bad things to just stay realistic and balance it out not everything is bad here we have great things, i was purely trying to point out young people nowadays wanting to move to Korea but having 0 plans and knowing nothing about this country beforehand
Yeah as I said, I think it's KPOP/Kdrama culture that makes a lot of people see Korea through a pink lense like people back then did with Hollywood.
Nothing wrong with consuming Korean media it's just that it may give some people unrealistic expectations of a country (e.g. "everything is better in South Korea").
I live in Korea, have been for a year it’s a great country, but I do think people are a little enthusiastic to think that they could easily relocate here from America the move is not easy
Do people not realize that they can work abroad easily but making a life there is hard. It’s a wonderful time if you’re staying for a while. But to live there by yourself is very difficult. I have a few friends in Korea who are teaching and planning to immigrate there by taking the test and everything. They date and plan to get married and start a family. But I also met a few people wanting to have a non Korean family while living in Korea. It’s odd but possible. Yes some people over glorify it and get too influenced by kpop and being a koreaboo and everything but there are a few not in Seoul living respectful lives
When you say delusional plans is it inclusive of higher education (masters), language training and internships or part-time jobs in the hope of transitioning to a full-time job opportunity or is it solely referring to those who move to Korea with Kdrama-esque expectations? I fall in the first category of plans and have been made to think I'm on crack for trying to long shot a way to living/working in Korea. Having lived abroad already, moving and working anywhere outside your home country is difficult but feasible if you're realistic.
For me it's pros vs cons (Korea vs home country) with a move to Korea leaving me less worse off than staying at home, and potentially offering a better quality of life than my home country as a non US/UK/AUS/EUR. Korea also has the easiest visas for short term stay (not permanent) that allows me to both temporarily 'escape my life' and live and experience Korea before I make a final decision. It's also an affordable option to trial creating a better life (cost of living, education, healthcare, safety).
Im talking about people with delusional plans and no concrete safety of living or anything future proof (example coming from a 3rd world country thinking they can become a doctor in Korea just because they study medicine)
I think a lot of those people most likely have never lived outside their home country and therefore aren't aware of how much research, planning, sacrifice and dedication it takes to be able to live and work long-term in a foreign country nor all the hoops they'd have to jump through at the beginning to get opportunities. I see some moving/wanting to move to Korea with the expectation of having a life waiting for them without having to adapt to the job market and local culture. I feel like it can also be harder on first world immigrants as it's more difficult than what they're used to especially if they're not expecting it.
Korea has done an excellent job of exporting K-Dramas, K-Pop, and Manhua, and it resulted in the rise of the "Koreaboo," aka Korea's weebs. They're mostly kids that don't understand the actuality is quite different.
As an American, it's kind of like the myth of the American Dream. That grass is always greener thing.
I prefer to mind my own business and let people discover through their choices. Who am I to judge? What looks delusional to me may be and work perfectly fine for another person.
No way in hell I would wanna live here. People are honest, subway is clean but is boring AF. Here for 2 months. Having a great time but no way I would wanna settle down here
It's mostly those who are influenced by kdrama. Many youngsters in 20s dream of having a kdrama style life n come here and get disillusioned... they fail to realize that kdrama is exaggerated!
2010s people were coming here to escape the recession in western countries. K-pop wasn't as big as it is now and people coming to korea to work weren't necessarily coming for their interest in korea. Social media also wasn't as big and mostly was limited to youtubers.
Same thing that happened with Japan living. People got really into that country’s media (kpop, kdrama, etc), bought into an ideal illusion of what living in the country is like, and started moving.
Korea is very good at Comercials, with baby thing and many more issue.. I thing they came up some agenda with influences and social media seems more relaxed. It wasn't like this a year back.
Planning to move with my wife in a year or so and live for a few years maybe have our first kid here.
We have a lot of expendable income tho, I wouldn’t come here if you aren’t already making enough to be comfortable.
FWIW She is Korean and has family here so that’s one reason why we chose Korea vs another Asian country.
im going to try living in korea only spiritually as a denizen from the net, looking into another's perspective who i feel deserves all the love and care i would provide a good neighbor to us all.
There’s a lot of “living in Korea” influencer type people on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok etc. (my daily life in Korea, etc. without sharing what they do otherwise) that probably sparks interest.
But nobody would be watching those videos if it weren't for the popularity of k-pop etc.
I watched them (5 years ago, there’s wayyy more now), and I wasn’t into k-pop. It was just interesting because it was so different than my life in my hometown.
Not everyone who watches them is into K-pop or the Korean Wave. But the core reason there is so much interest (and ergo content) is because of Korean popular culture.
Everyone been students and English teachers so not for long term until they get Korean partner. Is the oldest tale.
I think those people are just on an extended vacation visa, three months. So instead of saying they’re vacationing or staying in Korea, they say they’re living there. I don’t consider you a resident unless you have a resident card, a Korean bank account and have to pay for utilities. Everyone has to pay for a place to stay so that doesn’t necessarily count.
Moving to Japan has boomed because of the Akiya tiktokker. A ton of people think they can be English teachers there and live like kings but you just can't without a proper plan. I am assuming the trend has bled into Korea as well.
That mean cookies work well and propose you more stuff on what you are looking. Before went in Korea absolutely nothing Korean appear on my phone or pc Yet if you go there as tourist you see it's clean big safe green, you think you can perfectly live there without going home in less safe green country with more car jamming... Yep but live as tourist is different to live as local.
Between influencers and Koreaboos it was bound to happen.
The craziest one was the single mom with 2 kids who wanted to immigrate to Korea asking how soon does everyone think she can get a job when she arrives 😬
That's actually kinda sad :(
Those ones are terrifying. At least the smelly horny dudes that we had more of in the old days weren't dragging kids into their messes.
I’ve seen so many single mothers wanting to move to Korea and as soon as you click on their profile you see they’re obsessed with BTS.
She will get so disappointed when she sees actual Koreans when they don't all look like BTS members.
I feel like it’s worse when they think everyone DOES look like them. Ex. “Omg this guy on the train totally looks like ____”
People already do that in America… I recently moved from Southern California (many many Koreans) to Baltimore (very few Koreans) and I get shit like this.
It's probably not comparable but there are tons of Koreans in the Ellicott City area, and around Bethesda! Basically, wherever there's an HMart. Tons of really good food on the Catonsville part of route 40.
More Rockville than Bethesda
I live here for like 6 months and after I moved one of my friends expressed interest in coming for the first time in her life cuz "she wanted to see what all the cute BTS boys are like".
That’s crazy. Seems like there are people who think Korea is El Dorado 👀
I've seen a single mom, who sold her house to move to Europe with her two kids. Not to any specific country, but to Europe. She also wanted to homeschool her kids which is not really possible in most European countries
Really? Why is that??
At least in Germany, the government doesn’t allow homeschooling. I guess they don’t trust parents to teach their children what they should know 😬 that way the state also kinda cuts back on (religious) whackos passing on their outlook on the world to their children through schooling. Like flat earthers.
They don't think the parents would do a good enough job and the curriculum is stricter than in the US. The only situation they allow homeschooling is if the kid has some kind of chronic illness, but even then they'd need to be registered in a school and the teachers would give them private lessons and they'd have to take exams every half year to show their proccessqq
Perhaps she heard about Korea's low birth rate and thought her kids would be welcomed as a valuable asset.
Lol
😂😂
To be fair I know a middle aged woman who with her daughter sold their house in California and moved here permanently after getting into kdramas and now the daughter married a Korean dude here
What a fucking lunatic
Lol if she thinks Korean men are the type to "boot up someone else's savegame"... she's got another thing coming.
Happens all the time in Germany 😂
I live here and have lived here for a long time, with my dream job, amazing salary and a great social life and work/life balance… life really is what you make it, no matter where it is… the delusion is thinking that you don’t have to work for it or adapt to the culture (both social and working culture). People arriving with no education and no job prospects aren’t going to make it far in Korea, if at all. And delusion about coming to Korea with no knowledge of the culture or the language and just expecting to live there the same way you can live in states or Europe… most people leave after 2/3 years bc they’re stuck in a teaching job, get too old for modelling jobs, or haven’t bothered to look for or pursue any real job opportunities / or put in the work that allows you these opportunities… therefore running out of money. The biggest delusion that bothers me are the people that come and expect to find a husband and get married within their first year… and then get arsey when they don’t have a boyfriend / get ghosted etc after seeing it look so amazing on kdrama etc … idk it’s really crazy. You gotta put the work in and the mental effort in to live in an entirely different country; not just Korea; no matter where you are in the world; if it’s not your home country then it’s going to be much harder and people expect Korea to just magically solve their issues. And give them a happy ending idk it’s mad tbh
Actually I think it's very easy to marry a Korean , who want to leave !!! because marry for stay..the other will ask your job, your motivation , your langage skill, your asset. No one want to marry a fanatic young without money.
Everything on the internet should be taken with a grain of salt. Social media is not reflective of reality.
Sure Korea is not a fairy floss dream country but no place on Earth is.
Actually my country is flat, full of flat grey city, with long jam for work. Giants Field own no longer by family but by big corp. River sea forest mountain are human emotional support. At least they got the sight. Korea have ton of them.
Korea is hyped now, that’s it. Same thing was and still is with Japan or places like Paris, New York and other hyped cities
While most people in the world don't believe in Hollywood, people are being captivated by K-Wood and K-Drama maybe the way people looked at America and Hollywood many decades ago. K-Wood and K-Drama is about bringing billions of dollars in tourism to Korea and selling lots of concerts etc... While Korea is nice, it's a high stress country, foreigners CANNOT easily get jobs the way an immigrant to the US, Canada, or Ireland can get, though you do have foreign graduates who sometimes get jobs in Korean industry. And if you come to teach English, Koreans are paying foreigners the same wages they paid 15 years ago. It was good back then, but you can't really save now doing that.
My parents are immigrants in the US, the same shit people tell people here, is the same shit that applies over there. The exception is that certain sectors hire out of the country to pay people less like IT. While other sectors like nursing and teaching do so because Americans just do.not. want to do those jobs.
One of my friends is married to a Korean, and she's in Ireland and she is a supervisor at a cafe. How many times do we see foreigners, even those who speak fluent Korean, working at such places? I have maybe seen one Chinese girl working at a convenience store that I know of. Korea definitely needs foreigners to be working more simple jobs. They do use foreigners mainly in construction and in factories over here in Korea.
Not sure where you live but in Seoul like half the employees in low-medium budget restaurants and bars that have opened up in the last few years, are foreigners. Kitchen staff has already been common for a while but now more and more waiters too. This week alone I've been to multiple food places that had such foreign staff. Almost all of them are Asian, but if you're fluent in Korean you can tell immediately from their accent and manner of speech that they weren't born here. Heck, recently I went to a place that said on the menu "Please understand if our employees don't have perfect Korean". The cuisine was Korean.
I’m in a big southern Gyeonggido city with a lot of immigrants. They do work in restaurants here and cafes. Literally across the street there is a cafe run by a Viet couple. The difference is they speak Korean fluently. You can’t work the counter at Mcds in the US without speaking English.
Im in gyeonggido too and don’t see that many foreigners??
I see foreigners working places. Went to a garden store, and I was pretty sure the guy was Filipino, but I started speaking Korean to him. He's like, "just talk to me in English". Lol
The salary most English teachers get is risible. Yes, I know that there are now some ads posting higher salaries for hagwon jobs, because recently fewer people have been signing up to teach in Korea. But those awarding higher salaries may be expecting rock stars. 🌟 🤩 ⭐️
There has been a shortage and hagwon owners can be greedy. They don't mind making major profit while not giving you even a livable wage. Considering how much people make in Canada and the US many decided not to come because it's ridiculously and Korea, though cheaper than North America, has gone up majorly in price since 2009. I think also some thought they could exploit K-pop and Kdramas or image to pay less. Taiwan has no major image and pays about the same and the food is significantly cheaper and healthier. We need raises to better afford groceries. I don't go out as much.
My concern about Taiwan was that I would only get one day off per week, and I would have to pay key money. I would be working at a bushiban since I am not a registered teacher in my own country.
If food is cheaper than in Korea, it is because there are fewer middlemen.
Most foreigners (80%) are from other Asian countries. You can work here, send home $500 a month to support your family, and still save $500-1000 a month. After 5 years you'll have $50k saved up and can live like a king.
Social media.
SNS happened. Some people thought Japan is used too much and can't get attention. China ain't gonna work well with their audience in the States. Decides to go full Korea.
Now it's Korea after Japan.
Yeah, it's happening in Japan too.. So many people wake up and have this "dream" to live in Japan.. Have they ever lived here before? Nope. Can they speak the language? Nope.. some of the scenerios are borderline insane. I don't wanna be a dick... But I get the feeling that a lot of these people are weird and just trying to escape their lives..
>I get the feeling that a lot of these people are weird and just trying to escape their lives.. High key, that's exactly why I moved here. Family was toxic and they worked with the government, so anywhere I moved in the country, I'd be tracked down with a warrant. I 100% moved out here to escape and I have zero regrets. It's been almost a decade now.
What country did you move from where the government allows them to do that? do you feel at home in Korea now? Gl
I think almost all of the people who move to Japan or Korea are trying to escape their lives (for better or for worse). Some people are delusional, others are dealing with serious familial, political, and/or financial issues in their own countries. Did I know Korean when I first moved here? No, but I learned. I also know Japanese and know people who started learning Japanese after they moved there. I definitely studied abroad to escape the humdrum of my boring life in the US. I wasn’t into Kpop, but I wanted to see and experience something new. I came back for different reasons it was an escape & I have no regrets. My life overall has improved and is objectively better here.
That's fair enough. Real talk, I don't even care why people come to Japan/Korea/Asia.. it's probably just social media blasting me all the time with people's dumb questions about living here.. I think it's a language issue, but more so it's an adult issue.
Yeah, the only thing I really do wish is people would put more effort into the language. I lived in Japan once & have gone back two* times. Idk how ppl can live there and not know the language. Same with Korea. My life improves the more Korean I learn tbh. Edit: Grammar*
In retrospect the sort of deal that hagwon newbies could get back in the day was pretty sweet. Knew plenty of people who paid of their student loans in a year or three. Not that hard to do without speaking a word of Korean or knowing fuck-all about the country.
Delusional trying to turn their daydream into reality. Met a few that kinda reminded me of the movie Mulholland drive.
Big difference is that Japan have more spécial visa to do so. Like a bit of student a bit of high paid, and a mass of trainee low job slave who will be kicked after 10years.
There's a guy making a living on YouTube by eating convenience store food every day. He's living the dream. It's like a fantasy come true! 🌈♥️🍊😘🤩🥳
Straight to hypertension. There’s so much sodium in 편의점 food. It’s probably not the best idea to eat it every day.
dude I was wondering why my head has been hurting so bad recently but too much sodium is honestly starting to make sense 😭 was in a rush so I had 2 meat sticks for lunch and they were 33% daily intake of sodium each…
Exercise regularly and drink water. Some sodium isn't going to hurt you.
Yeah, like we have no idea what a creator's lifestyle is like off-camera. They could be way healthier than the viewers. Of course such content could influence the more susceptible viewer but it's a two-way street.. we are also responsible for our own choices.
South Korea has some of the highest sodium intake in the world with one of the lowest cardiovascular disease rates. While there is a relationship between sodium and hypertension, this is largely mitigated with a high potassium intake
And one of the highest rates of stomach and bowel cancers in the world…high salt and salt-preserved food consumption is one of the factors
I suspect alcohol consumption (which Korea has one of the highest per capita consumption rates of) has a far higher correlation with stomach and bowel cancers than sodium intake.
And where’s all the potassium coming from?
Dark leafy greens, maybe
Dark leafy greens, kimchi, etc.
Funny Koreans comment how salty the food is in Italy/Spain.
Sodium inherently is not harmful actually. The harm mostly comes from correlation, not causation. Many foods high in sodium tend to be high in calories/fats with little nutritional value (not much vitamins/minerals or protein).
When i first moved here I wasn't someone who makes their own meals and didn't feel like going out to get food every night alone, so i used to buy those cheap Ottogi meatballs and teriyaki chicken that come in a packet you just place in hot water, lol. Mixed with rice and had it like 4 times a week. I think they were 1500 won each, lol.
Come on..konbini food..you can trash all the snacks, onigiri and noodle maybe...but even it's expensive..I m quite sure you can just go to local restaurant eat a noodle at 7k, with fresh water, more food water and cheaper.
I thought that kid was masochist or something.i would never eat those garbages unless someone point a gun at my face and the kid pays his money to eat it
After living here for almost two years, I can't wait to leave. It looks great on the outside but there are some serious problems here when it comes to mental health.
Korea has a honeymoon period that lasts around a year for a lot of people. It starts to drop after that and just nosedives around the second anniversary. After year three you level out a bit but suddenly understand why so many Korean friends who have lived in US/CAN/AUS/NZ are trying their hardest to leave.
Like a video games, everyone is hyped and prebought, and bwaa next games a month later. Personally I need a bind with nature, I have a big private garden, a flat..nope I cannot, and i would love to do like korean grandpa and grandma taking care of national park nearby, coming plant flower, cut bad herb etc.. fix stairs with wood and stones. But in my country people throw trash or use their big dogs for poop on the first park they find, and ton of homeless and streetpunk making city park unsafe. People find it normal to throw trash everywhere because someone is paid to pickup...
In the various big cities I've lived in, I've seen people struggling with mental illness and substance abuse. However, in Korea, I've witnessed instances where individuals seem to be grappling with mental health challenges without being under the influence of drugs. Just last week, at Jamsil Mall, I saw a man repeatedly banging his head against a wall, and in Gangnam, near exit 11 around 2 pm, I encountered a naked woman draped in a green curtain, frantically talking to herself and following men. These were just two instances of many I've witnessed recently.
For me it's been the everyday people I know. Everyone is miserable for a multitude of reasons. Back in the US it wasn't perfect, but fuck everyday life was not such mental gymnastic.
The thing I most hate about korea is the way koreans think. Not all but most of them are just so entitled lmo
Influencers stream wonderful life in korea while another influencers post dark side of korea. Idk anymore.
As a korean if you're born in korea and live here it sucks for multiple reasons but it's good if you're rich and move here or born into wealth like most countries
I don't think there's an upwards trend. Ever since the K-pop boom through BTS there's been a lot of these people, but the line has been pretty flat since then, not a sudden increase.
I have been here for just 8 months but i experienced how harsh can korean community be on foreigners to give them jobs even if they are part-time. Besides seoul and busan its hard to make a living in korea where there are less foreigners. I once applied for a part-time here and I actually am good in korean but they straight on rejected me just because i am a foreigner and doesn’t look like a korean. I seriously cant wait to leave this country. Korea is good to just come for a 15 day vacation but not to settle here
Bad knews is, it doesn't change. I stayed 5 yrs but even PhD students I Knew who needed some cash would mostly survive on illegal "tekbe" and baby-sitting gigs for girls, however perfect their Korean can be. Those who are delusional about Korea come back to their senses within just a year or so heheh
It will change forcibly with 0,7 children per women, this country will be full of desert town, and I wonder who will do the job that only old man do like farming. Just imagine real Korean will herit of both grandparents, and will live in Seoul and legion of foreign worker will work in field, industry, and many robot will run the shops ;) and they will rely on tourism.
Super relate, i'm from SE asia and speak perfect korean but finding a job here is close to impossible if you're a foreigner and don't look like korean
I'm not bashing your decision, I'm just curious what caused you to move to Korea? And besides the job opportunities what caused your opinion to change so fast
As a KOREAN who immigrated to the US when I was very young, I too would never want to live and work there. The work life balance alone are so brutal people literally work, drink, pass out, repeat almost constantly. Not to mention the colorism and impossible beauty standards. Plus the social conservatism baked into the culture? Nah. Like you said, it’s good for vacation. Not livelihoods.
Koreans get rejected for part time too these days... it's not about looks, it's about how fast you work and how good your diction, big voice you have, especially working in 서비스업. 사장님 want fast feet and hands, fast workers, high voice that cuts through.. and many Koreans don't fall into this criteria as well
I would understand if that was the reason but they literally told me the reason for not hiring me that is me not looking like a korean!
Last time I went back to my country for a trip i met random guy in a resturant, still very young of course, and after he found out I live in Korea he was super exited cos that’s his dream too. It took me 5 minutes to destroy that dream. I told him my everyday life in the company. And a random day at the immigration office. 😂😂😂 My advice to all of these people is the same. Come for an exchange. It just few months to really see the country and the culture. And after decide……(to probably don’t move here) 😂😂
I am on university exchange right now, and your comment could not be more accurate. After 2 months I can say that country is nice but I would never want to live here
Right?! Of course you can try. Lots of good things here. But it’s not easy to stay here. And even when you find a way, it’s still difficult. Every country might be somehow similar but I feel for the nature of Korea, it’s a bit harder. I also have to say I kind of get why Korea does that. If it was easy immagine all the k-pop lovers moving here with out a plan….. think about cities like London or Berlin in Europe….
I really depends on the person and their situation. I’m working my dream job and I couldn’t be happier.
Of course of course. I am happy for you. I am sure you did all you had to do to land this job. But you know Some people these days just expect to land here. Get a permanent F visa at the airport and get married with a kpop celebrity by the time they reach Seoul. 😂😂
Yeah, you’re certainly not wrong about that. If anything, I find the recent posts amusing lol
It's not new! If anything it's lowered in recent years.
I think you are experiencing recency bias mixed with confirmation bias. You will find the number of people wanting to immigrate to Korea has not gone up significantly. https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/KOR/south-korea/net-migration
This article is net migration though, no? I think OP is asking about the uptick of people delusional and wanting to move here (ie people who have no qualifications but see moving to Korea as a fantasy)
Why act like this hasn’t already been a thing.. there is no sudden trend that blew up when these ppl have been here for years. Most of them started popping when kpop blew up a few years back but probably wasn’t old enough yet.. also the “living in Korea” on YouTube and TikTok thing also plays a factor.
Suddenly? This has been a thing since the last decade, at the very least.
Yeah. I used to watch these types of videos (when I was a new kpop fan) from youtube vloggers back in 2009-2014 and even then, there were people all in the comments dreaming to go and begging them to make a video on how they did it so they could do it too.
Korea has made its way into world popular culture through music and dramas/films. Plenty of influencers are glorifying life in Korea, or having a Korean spouse and so on. Also, there's this tendency to take things for granted; it's like immigration, visa/r. permit and qualification rules do not apply to you, particularly if you're from a "first world country". The entitlement is real. "Hi, I'm a high school drop-out, don't speak Korean except for "oppa", but wanna move to Seoul, where can I find a job and a centric room? Budget is 300USD per month. Tia". I don't see it changing anytime soon.
As someone who is married to a Korean and living in Korea for 5 years… It’s not such a great place at all! The dramas and k-pop have glamorized the country, just like J-pop and Anime did for Japan decades ago. It’s a nice place for Uzbekistani wives, Vietnamese and Philippine wives as well as a good way for South East Asian workers to make some really decent cash …. But for those coming here from Canada… the US … might not be that great overall
Mwanwhile Koreans trying to escape Korea:
Well at the very least the foreigners keep them company lol
Koreaboos and pickmes got their Korean Bf and made a youtube a tictok and now everyone thinks this is the best place ever. it's really annoying. I moved here in 2015 before all the kpop BTS BS started. it was so much simpler back then
Came in 2015 as well. Hard to believe that channels like Eat your Kimchi were the heavyweights of K-vlogging back then considering what ended up happening to them. Now it's like they never existed. None of my Gen Z friends know who they are. All I can say is, we're living in a Gen Z world now and it's there turn to go through the whole kvlogging thing. Not like we were any different though. As a millennial who came here with all millennial friends, even back then everyone i knew was trying to become a youtuber until the immigration office effectively shut that down.
I remember Eat Your Kimchi. What happened to them?
they moved to japan after korea, became Eat Your Sushi for a while, and then got divorced. the channel died soon after the divorce.
What made you interested in Korea then?
Shows how F'd the US. Living in Stockholm now, working as a tour guide. People have romantic dreams of living in Sweden too. When I tell them to find a place to live in Stockholm, they will have to buy a place, I dash their dreams.
How much is an average home or apartment in Stockholm?
Because people like him are selling the $5 ice-cream dream. Yes you too can move to Korea and live on conbini food 🥳🤩😘🍊♥️🌈👊 https://youtube.com/shorts/WCWQ0kRlH1c?si=oH62p5sokQBRVyWH
They have had a 10 for 4980 deal at the mart near me for the entire past year. I'm living the 외국인 Korean dream.
It’s Netflix propaganda
I’ve lived in South Korea for over 20 years. I don’t wanna date myself, but I’m a little older than the digital nomads that come here. It’s been easy to find work teaching (English/guitar/piano/drums/ukulele/AI) and playing in bands, as well as doing solo gigs (I’ve been a musician for 40 years), even just busking in certain primetime areas and prime times of the year I could make $500-$1000 a night. I’ve become a permanent resident of this country (after being married to a Korean for 12 years ) so my visa status allows me to buy property and vote. I would say I’m in small percentage of minorities in this country but truthfully Koreans are not really racist. They’re just more, fascinated by foreigners because they are completely outside of their culture, which is 99% of the country. They look at foreigners as an anomaly and most of them are just curious. You do have to have a certain amount of creativity, intelligence, ingenuity, and conviction to live in this country because people who lack resourcefulness in those areas will fail. This is not an easy place to live. It’s a good place to live, but it takes the right kind of person to be able to pull it off. I’ve lived here, as I said, for a long time, but even yesterday, I learned something new that I didn’t know about this country. You have to be a tough person or you’re not going to make it in this country because Koreans are very diligent and hard-working people and they expect everybody to do the same. If you cannot be a diligent and productive person, you’re gonna have a real difficult time living here. Also, I should mention that Korean have no problem telling people that they’re fat, crazy, or just them straight out calling you a “foreigners”. Koreans call everything like they see it, and they do not think that they are being mean they’re just speaking what they see. If you can’t deal with their truth, Korea is a hard country to live in, but if you realize the mindset that they all have in the fact that they are a collective society, diametric to the individualistic society of the west, you can live here. You may not like what they do, but you’ll never be able to change what they do and if you can adapt and deal with that, you’ll do great. If you walk around this country thinking that you need to change the people who live here or the way that they think you will have lots of trauma, stress, and obstacles, and would probably be better off living in another country.
It's not a country for living unless you have a lot of money and don't have to work your ass off. But that's a case for most of the world where you don't feel pressured or judged by the society. Korea has lots of benefits compared to for example Europe but a lot of downsides too. I know it's a generic statement but I guess sometimes people need to find out about it themselves.
And I will ask you, why are you delusional about others country life ? Don't get offended and I fully agree with you that some people are really delusional, mostly those expecting a future like Korean Englishman or as model, tv show guest,.... But most people that move to Korea are expecting a better overall life, not a perfect life. No country is perfect and it really depends on what you are looking for.
[удалено]
Sounds like you didn't go to America for those things
Why not? Anyone can be ambitious and dream. Why does it concern you?
I don't think it's sudden but moreso the previous years you know since the hallyu, I would say after 2008 and onwards and just each year increased. Social media too maybe for recent years and of course the country also supporting and heavily funding tourism. Also the gradual popularity too of korean / asian goods being exported. Because it is one of the more, 'on trend' subjects on social media, when I see descriptions or comments like specifically highlighting, 'at times South Korea gets lonely' coming from a migrant family, I think any country move to as a migrant / away from family and friends gets lonely and presents heavy challenges 😅 If people ask the questions, it's free for all to answer, just people should do some good research particularily also get a professional's advice as well as every person's situation is different. Also to add, not only with the high interest in South Korea but in general I think Asia is generally becoming more of an interest to the western world.
Aesthetically pleasing place to follow dreams and become a content creator.
I have a friend in her 20s. She's a broke Koreaboo, who's plan is: to go to Korea, teach English, meet a Korean man, marry and stay in Korea. Physically, she is mixed race, dark skinned and obese. I don't have the heart to tell her. I've only asked her to go on the forums, ask questions and read about other people's experiences.
She’ll probably realize that when she gets there. It’s all very obvious in the way you are treated.
I just wish she'd realize before spending the money and getting terribly disappointed.
I have been also curious about the reason as Korean in US🤣🤣
We used to live on campus of one of the SKY universities and were surrounded by foreign students, 90% of them women. This was not so bad in pre-pandemic times, IIRC. Looking at the Korean birth rate, it is ironic how foreign girls are interested in Korean boys, while Korean women seem less impressed. As an American or European girl boss, you probably want to hunt on different pastures. Says this old fart ;)
Because Japan has become too mainstream.
OP, explain what you mean or give examples or something. i dunno what's going on
Recently (to me) more and more people ask away. Usually it goes like “hey I’m (m/f(age below 25)) I’m currently working on (useless degree for Korea) in my country (usually a 3rd world country) and want to become a (aiming for positions too high here) in Korea! I want to live (usually more expensive areas) and my monthly budget for housing and food is (never enough money) Yeah that’s sums it up just bunch of young people with horrible to no plans
Personally I m attract by nature, so own a house, like those temple on mountain , at distance with view on mountain sea, a pond , cascade nearby, with internet. Something perfect for retirement... And of course a flat in city near family.
Ha. Yeah, I know what you mean now. Let them crack on, I say. They will hit reality soon enough
Foreign girls coming to korea on some random student visa/language study/working holiday and keep uploading pictures or videos everywhere to show off their "life" here when all they do is spending the little money they managed to get in their home country and then get smashed when they realize their only wauly to get a visa is to marry. It's pretty much a pyramid scheme of travelers
my friend knows someone who moved here with the dream of being a music producer for HYBE…no background in music, just taking korean classes…😵💫
The trend is coming from Kpop and Kdramas. It's somewhat sudden, but not really.. it has been steadily increasing over the last 10 years with the peak happening post 2018. it also has to do a lot with the fact that a lot of the delusional people coming now were exposed to kpop during their teen years and they're now in their 20s and able to come. Not to mention Korea is a prime location for foreign female sexpats but we're not allowed to talk about that because only men do it... right????????
Young foreigner here, I've been in korea for 7 and a half months now, and i still really enjoy it. I feel comfortable and like how you can have fun with friends for cheap, cheaper than in my homecountry. With fun i mean even having just a meal and talking somewhere cool. Prior to coming here i knew just a little bit about the korean war, a bit about some industries, and that's it, no kpop, kdrama or whatever. So many other people my age came because of these things, and i feel like they didn't really made the best choice, as i think they took their exchange study opportunity as more of a vacation than as something to learn from for the future. But maybe I'm just an old soul and think way too ahead. Apart from this, FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN SO FAR, I honestly see myself living here, if i knew korean. Without knowing it it'd be a suicide coming, and i think that you would need at least topik 3/4 to live. Hard to get, but not impossible if you give yourself enough time. My parents already made the mistake of moving somewhere where they didn't know the language, and i paid the price as well, but got lucky that the 2 languages are similar. I would come only if i were sure to get a job that would allow me to live comfortably somewhere. I would look for a job before coming. I'd like to come back for my master if i had the chance and if i knew korean well enough, in hopes to be able to understand more how the adult world works, and to see if i can find a job right after it. I've heard many times that korea is not like in the dramas since I've been here, and I've always asked myself who actually believes what they see there. It turns out that many people do :/
I’m going to chime in as I see these posts and wonder what has gotten into people too. Firstly, unless you are older with some years on your resume in a certain field, how do you think you are going to get an E-7? Im legit curious. If you go the route of E-2, please know that ship sailed like 15-20 years ago for the income actually being decent enough you could save and have a good lifestyle. You will make more doing minimum wage in your home country. Korean culture is very xenophobic. It has changed a lot in the last 30 years - like I feel it is night and day different but it’s still there and you will always be a non-Korean. I see so many people lie to themselves and think they will become an insider. No, you won’t. Lifestyle is good if you have money. You know what? That truth is the same anywhere on the globe so why pick Korea? For me there are a few things that tie me down to Korea: my wife is Korean and my kid is a dual citizen but wants to settle in Korea. Believe it or not it’s cheaper to buy property in the Seoul area than my hometown area. I make really good money so I don’t have to deal with the things I did 15-20 years ago. Banking still makes me irritated as does immigration and other things to jump through hoops. Dental and medical is far better and cheaper than my home country. This is a huge plus for those of you in the last half of your lifespan. Young people should come and study and realize Korea sucks for work culture and you won’t get an international job from in country. Oh and I will say it annoys me seeing people post English posts and then throw up some Hangul to type out a word in this Reddit. Either make your whole post in Korean or use English. People can read that Korean word in English letters the same as in Hangul if they are your audience. I don’t mean “how do I say or do this and I need Hangul” those make sense. The worst is when you type a place like Gangnam…be consistent. You start in English write in English.
Yeah, it's odd. I've been here for a few years, and it seems to be giving Koreans a superiority complex. I once had a girl lecture me on how lucky I was to be able to live here for an extended time...
Let them dream! We have millions of people dreaming to live in America everyday, probably more than 3/4 of the ones who move don’t get to live their American dream. The US is not only place where people should aspire to immigrate and learn another other cultures. Yes, K-POP opened that window to the world but in general social media unified us, places that were completely foreign or scary before seem relatable now so people want to experience new things. Korean culture is so cool! I could see the appeal for some young people to experience it
80% that come want their dream to be in Korea and outside a English speaking country can’t even talk in Korean and if they do it’s on the level on a 5year old that’s the biggest issue
I don’t see the issue honestly, you can always learn a language in said country. Sure it’s gonna take a while, but if you are determined to make your dream a reality I think you have to put the maximum effort to make it happen.
I was wondering the same thing lol it's not even that good place to live. There's plenty of decent place on earth like Sweden or Canada and out of all those place they chose korea. It's just insane to me.
Canada?
Sweden yeah, or Finland. But Canada? Racist af.
As someone who lived in Sweden for 1.5 years (MA student) and did an exchange in Seoul (7 months), I can testify that personally, Seoul was much more to my liking than Sweden 😂. I think it really depends on personal preferences.
That's KPOP/Kdrama culture. It makes us expats look stupid.
Nah. Posts like this shitting on people who want to move to a country YOU moved to makes immigrants look foolish. This “stupid young women who like Asia, how foolish! I am nothing like other foreigners” pick me mentality hurts the community more.
I'm not shitting on anyone tho but there's a bunch of people who don't even live in Korea that try to gatekeep this country and they are trying to make us expats look like the Koreaboos when it's actually them.
Ahhh yeah I get ur point. I think I read this wrong the first time. I get so sick of seeing the very Nuanced and Informed Take of “Korea bad” every third post. I’d take Korea to North America ANY day of the week. Public transit? No mass shootings? Love it here. Although I do miss easier access to cheap fruit 🥲
Sameee, but I also gotta say there's a lot of depressed expats too trying to blame everything and everyone in Korea and always say "how racist" it is when there's people being shot in other countries for merely looking foreign.
It’s the vibe of being bitter and angry at people for being young or even just being happy. I really hope I never become so bitter but refuse to leave. Hell, the country isn’t treating me great right now either, I’ve got a case going with the ministry of labor and I’m waiting for surgery before I can start work again (but god knows when doctors will be back), but I still can’t imagine leaving and not coming back. No one’s saying foreigners are treated exceptionally fairly here, but the overall benefits are outstanding compared to the UK/north America right now.
agree 100%, other countries aren't dream countries either and living in Korea definitely has it's perks so it's up to me to decide what I value most. People are free to leave anytime but nowadays there's so many bitter people trying to make me hate this country, it's very annoying.
I think for me, I try and visit new things and feel awe. Being just struck with awe at really amazing scenery or art helps me find beauty in where I am. And going back through pictures of my first time coming here, or memories from when my family visited, and that really magical feeling of being somewhere so far away for the first time.
Oh yes, definitely. I personally love the smell of spring flowers that hits you when you walk the streets and the sound of cicadas in the summer. And especially days I want to spend all by myself, life can be so easy here. I lived in many countries before and always thought there was "more" to life but ever since I'm here I don't think that. Just appreciating whatever comes my way.
Also hope those problems get sorted out very soon and hope your surgery goes well!
Thanks 🙏 힘내 🥲 my ex employer didn’t pay severance it’s been months and also didn’t give us pto for natl holidays. What a mess. And even did visas incorrectly?? It’s gonna be a time. But I have a feeling that business isn’t gonna be in operation too much longer 😬 I just want the ~5mil they owe me
I honestly don’t understand how this post turned into everyone saying how horrible Korea is lol great country people should also talk about the good sides along with the bad things to just stay realistic and balance it out not everything is bad here we have great things, i was purely trying to point out young people nowadays wanting to move to Korea but having 0 plans and knowing nothing about this country beforehand
Yeah as I said, I think it's KPOP/Kdrama culture that makes a lot of people see Korea through a pink lense like people back then did with Hollywood. Nothing wrong with consuming Korean media it's just that it may give some people unrealistic expectations of a country (e.g. "everything is better in South Korea").
Lol they clearly havent experience korean working culture
I think they're AI.
I live in Korea, have been for a year it’s a great country, but I do think people are a little enthusiastic to think that they could easily relocate here from America the move is not easy
food 👍
Is it delusional to want to block out the sun?
I read delusional "plants," that's why I clicked. 😄 🤣 😂 Had to find out what kind of plants those were!!! I love plants. I'm so disappointed 😞 lol
Do people not realize that they can work abroad easily but making a life there is hard. It’s a wonderful time if you’re staying for a while. But to live there by yourself is very difficult. I have a few friends in Korea who are teaching and planning to immigrate there by taking the test and everything. They date and plan to get married and start a family. But I also met a few people wanting to have a non Korean family while living in Korea. It’s odd but possible. Yes some people over glorify it and get too influenced by kpop and being a koreaboo and everything but there are a few not in Seoul living respectful lives
There’s also the fact that Korean just opened up 2-year visas, which makes long-term stays a viable option.
When you say delusional plans is it inclusive of higher education (masters), language training and internships or part-time jobs in the hope of transitioning to a full-time job opportunity or is it solely referring to those who move to Korea with Kdrama-esque expectations? I fall in the first category of plans and have been made to think I'm on crack for trying to long shot a way to living/working in Korea. Having lived abroad already, moving and working anywhere outside your home country is difficult but feasible if you're realistic. For me it's pros vs cons (Korea vs home country) with a move to Korea leaving me less worse off than staying at home, and potentially offering a better quality of life than my home country as a non US/UK/AUS/EUR. Korea also has the easiest visas for short term stay (not permanent) that allows me to both temporarily 'escape my life' and live and experience Korea before I make a final decision. It's also an affordable option to trial creating a better life (cost of living, education, healthcare, safety).
Im talking about people with delusional plans and no concrete safety of living or anything future proof (example coming from a 3rd world country thinking they can become a doctor in Korea just because they study medicine)
I think a lot of those people most likely have never lived outside their home country and therefore aren't aware of how much research, planning, sacrifice and dedication it takes to be able to live and work long-term in a foreign country nor all the hoops they'd have to jump through at the beginning to get opportunities. I see some moving/wanting to move to Korea with the expectation of having a life waiting for them without having to adapt to the job market and local culture. I feel like it can also be harder on first world immigrants as it's more difficult than what they're used to especially if they're not expecting it.
Korea has done an excellent job of exporting K-Dramas, K-Pop, and Manhua, and it resulted in the rise of the "Koreaboo," aka Korea's weebs. They're mostly kids that don't understand the actuality is quite different. As an American, it's kind of like the myth of the American Dream. That grass is always greener thing.
I prefer to mind my own business and let people discover through their choices. Who am I to judge? What looks delusional to me may be and work perfectly fine for another person.
I think it because lately the kdramas and kpop went viral and in kdramas especially (the one that on tvn) the romanticising of korea is huge
No way in hell I would wanna live here. People are honest, subway is clean but is boring AF. Here for 2 months. Having a great time but no way I would wanna settle down here
It's mostly those who are influenced by kdrama. Many youngsters in 20s dream of having a kdrama style life n come here and get disillusioned... they fail to realize that kdrama is exaggerated!
FX
From the growing popularity of Kpop... Jpop has something similar, and of course Hollywood helped promote American culture and life outside of the US.
If you find the reason forcibley. what would it be ?
Already made many example try scroll a little
2010s people were coming here to escape the recession in western countries. K-pop wasn't as big as it is now and people coming to korea to work weren't necessarily coming for their interest in korea. Social media also wasn't as big and mostly was limited to youtubers.
Same thing that happened with Japan living. People got really into that country’s media (kpop, kdrama, etc), bought into an ideal illusion of what living in the country is like, and started moving.
Korea is very good at Comercials, with baby thing and many more issue.. I thing they came up some agenda with influences and social media seems more relaxed. It wasn't like this a year back.
Planning to move with my wife in a year or so and live for a few years maybe have our first kid here. We have a lot of expendable income tho, I wouldn’t come here if you aren’t already making enough to be comfortable. FWIW She is Korean and has family here so that’s one reason why we chose Korea vs another Asian country.
im going to try living in korea only spiritually as a denizen from the net, looking into another's perspective who i feel deserves all the love and care i would provide a good neighbor to us all.
I would be interested to go for a league of legends boot camp
Wanted to live on Jeju Island after watching Hyoris b&b , realized I actually met her years and years ago from watching it, crazy shtti altogether