10 Years as a Foreigner Living in Korea 🇰🇷 Pros and Cons of Living Here

My son has been in Korea for 9 years, first as an English teacher and now a headmaster at an International School. He loves Korea and has a Korean girlfriend. I haven't seen him in 5 years but this Christmas he is coming home to Canada!!!

I'm opposite since I'm Korean living in USA but it's funny that everything you say applies to me as well. I think these are general difficulties any foreigner face living abroad. Not just in Korea.

110% Spot on!! I'm an American who spent my Decade from 1980 to 1990 and everything you have experienced I did too!!! In fact I was fortunate to have seen Korea rise from the Dictatorships to the Seoul Olympics. You have NO idea how much EVERYTHING has changed since then!!! Just wanted to tell you that you are in the Very Best Country for Experiencing an Overseas Lifestyle!!!!! Good Luck with your teaching and Marriage. Korean women are Unique in this World!!!

Great video ! As a French who lived in Korea for a year back in 2015 I can tell than Korean work market is really tough for foreigners, especially if you don’t have any particular skill. I really enjoyed living in Seoul and traveling around the country but when it came to job search it was quite tough to be honest. To anyone who is considering to live in Korea, I would really say that you need to be prepared for the extremely competitive work market. Nobody is waiting for you there and you will need to prove your value over and over again. That said, Korea is an amazing country to live in, with a great culture, amazing food, and friendly people.

한국인이지만 중간에 굉장히 공감되기 때문에 웃기는 부분도 있었고 흥미로운 내용도 있었습니다. 저도 직장 동료중에 외국인 친구들 있는데 한국에 살면서 이런 느낌이겠구나 하는 생각이 드네요. 당신이 앞으로도 행복하시길 바랄께요! ❤❤

I have been living in Seoul for 2 years now, and its been a great experience. I started off as a korean language student and ended up opening my business here that has been doing well for almost a year now. cant wait to see how life goes here

Your video has made me realize that Korea's property development has been quite balanced between modern buildings & nature. The city doesn't just have more buildings; it's got more trees and functioning parks as well.

I'm Korean and it is refreshing to see my country in foreigner's view point. For police problem, unless someone is physically assaulted, they tend to have "Well, nothing we can do." attitude. However if you really want police to do their job, you can ask police officer's name and file a complaint.

Korean citizen in the US here. Can't agree more that things change so quickly in Korea. I recently visited Korea for the first time in about 10 years, and things were quite strange at first. I didn't know how to call a taxi anymore, so many slang words I have no idea about, the food scene was different, now people don't rush into the subway before everyone gets out, etc. It was strange to feel like an outsider while in my home country. I'm sure the US has changed a lot too in the last 10 years, but probably nowhere near Korea.

영상이 뭔가 고퀄이고 전문가스럽다고 생각했는데 관련 일을 하셨군요. 다양한 노력이 당신의 멋진 오늘을 만들어 준 것 같네요 앞으로도 화이팅입니다!

As a Korean, yeah this is accurate. It's not a perfect place for everyone I think. But it would be quite good place to live in long-term if someone is willing to adjust their lifestyle and try to learn

Korean-Canadian here. I had moved to Korea for about a year back in '07 working as a mechanic.. unexpectedly lol I worked 13 hours a day and the only days I had off were Sundays. It was quite an experience. I don't know how Koreans do it and still enjoy their life. Maybe not all but most. I guess that's the norm if you were born in Korea. The hardest thing for me when I had to go back was - 정... people were genuinely nice and full of 정. They always tried to take care of me(I was the yongest) and take me out for dinner and etc but more so as my own brother and sister if that makes sense. I literally cried for hours when I had to leave... I'll never forget that... 정 is the nicest thing ever but yet the most hurtful when or if you have to leave it behind..

A wonderful video deserves a worthy comment. I lived in Korea for five transformative years and resonate deeply with your analysis. I'd add that the quiet public decorum is a rare gem, and property ownership can indeed pave a golden road to prosperity. However, these pros have their darker reflections. The soaring property market devalues labor, leading to an unsettling imbalance. Upon learning Korean, the veneer of politeness revealed a landscape of superficial interactions, seldom reaching the depth I yearned for. Coupled with an unsustainable demographic curve and a work culture demanding yet unrewarding, I found myself at an existential crossroads. While Korea offered a magical introduction during my 2018 Seollal arrival, the enchantment inevitably wore off, leaving a sense of unfulfilled potential. Ultimately, I've found my sanctuary in Thailand, a land teeming with the diversity that I felt was stifled in Korea. Your video beautifully captured the pros and cons, but it's worth noting that what makes a place 'home' varies for each of us, shaped by our unique experiences and values.

Don't know why, watching your video teared me up a bit... I guess I felt your sincere love and value toward Koreans and Korean culture. :) Look forward for your next video. Bravo!

Time flies so fast. For sure, I will miss all the convenience of Korea when I go home for good. Transportation, fast internet, convenient stores, returning items at department stores. But most especially, I will miss the bike paths and mountain trails. Cheers!

I think your comments are very fair. I think this experience of being a foreigner happens wherever you are. Kudos to you for being so open minded and forward thinking.

I agree with many things as a Korean. Until very recently I started living in Italy, I didn't realize a single restaurant can offer all the food. I mean, all the restaurants here will be just written 'ristorante' without any information outside. Then the restaurant menu will have lists of all the Italian cuisine that people will individually choose from, while in Korea all the restaurants will specialize in only few specific menu. The restaurants in Korea wouldn't be titled as 'restaurant' but rather with a specific food name. So what happens is a group of people will always have to decide and come up with an identical menu choice before going to a restaurant, because everyone will probably be eating the same thing! It's so weird that I never thought this was a strange thing because I was born there and lived there whole my life. It was indeed a huge cultural aspect of Korea that I didn't realize, probably could be the whole East Asian thing. Though in Italy as well some exceptions do exist like if you go to pizzeria then you would eat pizza. But they will have hundreds of pizza choices including vegetarian. Anyone thinking to go live in Korea who has a limited variety of food choices will be likely to suffer a lot if you hang out with Koreans.

Wow you just speak out of my Heart. That's exactly what I needed. Amazing. Thank you

Amazing insides on some aspects of the culture that people usually don't know of. I'm so happy to hear you feel accepted and welcome here. I've been here for over 7 years and have also been thinking of making a video on cultural differences and things that are different in me after living here for so long. Amazing content, keep it up!

I am so glad to hear how you listed these points, as I too feel the same even though I lived there for only 5 months so far! Often my peers think living here is like "perfect" but it really is just like any other place: got its ups and downs!! please live happily with your family there man, god bless 🙏🏻