Northern Europe luring young South Koreans

A rising number of South Koreans are emigrating to Northern Europe rather than following in the footsteps of previous generations and moving to the US.

In years gone by, the US, along with Australia, New Zealand, Western Europe, Japan and China were the preferred choices of destination among emigrating Koreans, while the majority of those were already in their 40s before deciding to head to foreign lands.

However, Northern Europe is now proving a popular destinations for people in their 20s and 30s who have graduated from well-known universities either at home or abroad and work for renowned global companies.

Among the reasons they are heading to Northern Europe are the fact that citizens’ rights are well protected and the welfare benefits are good.

The recent trend appears to have been started, in part, by young Koreans’ disillusionment with the growing completion in their homeland for limited opportunities.

The Foreign Ministry revealed that the number of Koreans residing in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland rose from 2,123 in 2007 to nearly double at 4,113 in 2013.