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In years past, when South Korea was a war-ravaged, dirt-poor country, I can understand why so many Koreans were eager to come to America, and so few Americans wanted anything to do with South Korea. But times have changed, and South Korea is now a modern, prosperous nation. Moreover, English is far more prevalent in South Korea than I ever would have imagined, making the language barrier less of an issue than I would have supposed.
Why, then, are so many Koreans still leaving their homeland and moving to America? And why are so few Americans, especially non-ethnic Koreans, moving to South Korea?
Looks like most of the immigration to South Korea is from other parts of Asia. America is a big, prosperous country that attracts immigrants. South Korea is not exactly a place a lot of people want to immigrate to. Do you know anyone who wants to live there? Moderator cut: Personal attack
In years past, when South Korea was a war-ravaged, dirt-poor country, I can understand why so many Koreans were eager to come to America, and so few Americans wanted anything to do with South Korea. But times have changed, and South Korea is now a modern, prosperous nation. Moreover, English is far more prevalent in South Korea than I ever would have imagined, making the language barrier less of an issue than I would have supposed.
Why, then, are so many Koreans still leaving their homeland and moving to America? And why are so few Americans, especially non-ethnic Koreans, moving to South Korea?
Why would an American immigrate to South Korea?
South Koreans move to the US for the same reason as everyone else all over the world - to live in the most prosperous country on earth. S. Korea of course is modern and prosperous in it's own right, but still not compared to the US.
Well a reason why not many Americans move to South Korea is Korea is one of the most monocultural countries in the world. There is barely any diversity there in compared to America. South Koreans move to America due to the opportunities they see in America.
I know a couple of people who moved to South Korea and loved it. I have never been to South Korea, but I don't think it's a bad country to migrate to. The downside is that South Korea has extremely long working hours, even longer than in the US, which is why many may want to escape the Korean workaholic culture, to a place with a slightly less workaholic culture
In years past, when South Korea was a war-ravaged, dirt-poor country, I can understand why so many Koreans were eager to come to America, and so few Americans wanted anything to do with South Korea. But times have changed, and South Korea is now a modern, prosperous nation. Moreover, English is far more prevalent in South Korea than I ever would have imagined, making the language barrier less of an issue than I would have supposed.
Why, then, are so many Koreans still leaving their homeland and moving to America? And why are so few Americans, especially non-ethnic Koreans, moving to South Korea?
As a person who lived in South Korea throughout most of the years from 1996-2008.
Anyone who moves to the United States can become AMERICAN and all of the rights.
No one who moves to South Korea can NEVER BECOME KOREAN.
I've known Americans who have spent 20-30 years in South Korea, only to be kicked out once they can't renew their work contract (you can't get a work visa as a foreigner after the age of 65, even if you've lived in South Korea all of your working life).
Almost everything has to do with that...actually NOWHERE in Asia (as a white person) can you move to and become Japanese, Indian, Vietnamese, etc. Nowhere in Asia has a system setup for that. So, sure, you can work there for awhile, but you are going to get kicked out eventually. The exceptions are people who marry Koreans, and have SOME rights to NOT be kicked out. But, they don't become 'Asian' or anything like that.
That being said, there are some RARE exceptions.
Unlike the U.S., where anyone in the world can technically become American, as well as all of their children and other family members.
Last edited by Tiger Beer; 08-22-2017 at 10:10 AM..
Korea hasn't always been a prosperous stable country. When the US revised it's immigration policies in 1965 to abolish quotas for Asians to enter this country Koreans and many others came to this country for a better way of life. We have a large Korean community in my city.
As a person who lived in South Korea throughout most of the years from 1996-2008.
Anyone who moves to the United States can become AMERICAN and all of the rights.
No one who moves to South Korea can NEVER BECOME KOREAN.
I've known Americans who have spent 20-30 years in South Korea, only to be kicked out once they can't renew their work contract (you can't get a work visa as a foreigner after the age of 65, even if you've lived in South Korea all of your working life).
Almost everything has to do with that...actually NOWHERE in Asia (as a white person) can you move to and become Japanese, Indian, Vietnamese, etc. Nowhere in Asia has a system setup for that. So, sure, you can work there for awhile, but you are going to get kicked out eventually. The exceptions are people who marry Koreans, and have SOME rights to NOT be kicked out. But, they don't become 'Asian' or anything like that.
That being said, there are some RARE exceptions.
Unlike the U.S., where anyone in the world can technically become American, as well as all of their children and other family members.
FALSE. Your knowledge of Korea is always wrong and outdated.
It is possible to become a naturalized citizen of South Korea if you maintain actual residence here. There are three paths to citizenship through naturalization, but the most typical for a foreigner is “General naturalization”.
Under this process, you must have lived in South Korea for five consecutive years and have a general knowledge of the Korean culture. Plus, you must also be able to speak at least basic Korean.
While there are always cracks in the system in these cases, South Korea isn’t some corrupt banana republic where you can pay the immigration official five thousand won and get by with no knowledge of Korean.
It’s possible to get your citizenship here earlier, but you have to have been married to a South Korean national for at least two years.
Dual citizenship law in South Korea was recently amended to liberalize the process of holding dual citizenship. In light of this, most foreigners will not need to renounce their existing nationality if they become South Korean citizens. How to get South Korean residency and citizenship | Nomad Capitalist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_...ationality_law
Korea hasn't always been a prosperous stable country. When the US revised it's immigration policies in 1965 to abolish quotas for Asians to enter this country Koreans and many others came to this country for a better way of life. We have a large Korean community in my city.
It's true, I believe it was a dictatorship until the late-1970s actually
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