South Korea sees a "reverse immigration" trend, with more and more people choosing to return home
2024-08-14
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Information released by the Overseas Korean Affairs Office of South Korea shows that in recent years, the number of people returning to South Korea after obtaining foreign long-term visas or permanent residence cards has been increasing year by year.More and more people are choosing to return to Korea to settle down, and a trend of "reverse immigration" is taking place in Korea. Some analysts say that the cost of living, security, infrastructure and health care are among the factors that prompt some Koreans to return home.
▲Night view of Seoul, South Korea
Recently, some videos of Koreans talking about the hardships of immigrant life and why they chose to return home have begun to go viral online. One of the bloggers, named hyuncouple, said that his family moved to Canada at the end of 2018 and recently returned to South Korea. After living in Canada for a few years, Canada quickly lost its appeal to him. "Immigrant life in Canada is indeed difficult. Living in Korea also has its pros and cons, but in the end we decided to return home, and we also miss our family," he said in a video.
A blogger named Captain Seung said that she returned to Seoul at the end of 2023 after living in Kansas, USA for about 10 years. She said she was relieved to return to South Korea. "I like living in South Korea. Eating out is cheaper and safer than in the United States. The fast delivery system and delivery culture make life very convenient."
Seol Dong-hoon, a sociology professor at Chonbuk National University in South Korea, said that a variety of factors, including a sense of belonging and health care, have driven this reverse migration trend. "Humans have a natural instinct to find a sense of belonging in their home country. For those who have had a hard time living abroad, this desire to return home may be even stronger, especially for generations that have experienced racial discrimination or language barriers."
Another important reason for South Korea’s “reverse immigration” trend is that since 2011, the South Korean Ministry of Justice has been implementing a dual nationality system: allowing South Korean nationals aged 65 and above living overseas to restore their Korean nationality and live in South Korea under the condition that they “may not exercise their rights as foreign nationals.”
According to data from South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare, the total amount of basic pension received by dual nationals last year reached 21.2 billion won (about 15.4 million US dollars), a nine-fold increase from 2.28 billion won in 2014. The number of elderly people with multiple nationalities receiving basic pensions also increased from 1,047 in 2014 to 5,699 last year.
Regarding the trend of "reverse immigration", Xue Dongxun said, "Korea can provide better medical services than the United States or the United Kingdom. The government should discuss how to allow permanent residents who resettle in Korea to fulfill their legal obligations while enjoying their nationality."
Red Star News reporter Fan Xu and intern Wei Yi
Editor Guo Zhuang Editor Li Binbin
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