Why You Can’t Move to South Korea

In life, there will be tons of people who tell you why you can’t do something. If there’s one thing I’ve realized, is that people love to doubt. After all, it’s much easier to think of reasons why something is impossible than how it can be done.

I’ll tell you what I heard when I first started thinking about this — and how I solved each of these problems.

“At some point, everything’s gonna go south and you’re going to say, this is it. This is how I end. Now, you can either accept that, or you can get to work. That’s all it is. You just begin. You do the math. You solve one problem and you solve the next one and then the next. And if you solve enough problems, you get to come home to South Korea.”

Mark Watney, the Martian (2015)

(Some of) The Problems:

• Language Barrier
• Money
• Cultural Gap
• Visa Restrictions
• Limited Diversity a.k.a unfriendliness to foreigners
• … and you name it

Let’s face it: if someone asked you why you can’t move to South Korea, or any other country for that matter, it would be easy for you to come up with one or more of the reasons above.

But here I am, six years later, still in the country and ‘living my best life’. Was it all rainbows and sunshine? Hell no. But can it be done?

“Don’t let the Muggles get you down.”

Ron Weasley, “Prisoner of Azkaban”

Problem: Language Barrier

Korean is considered one of the hardest languages to learn for native English speakers, and if you’re reading this post, chances are you’re one of them. You might have seen this infographic before:

What I did: My Korean language journey actually started in Toronto, Canada where I’m from. I studied on my own with resources like Talk To Me in Korean, Duolingo, and YouTube. I met Korean friends and hung out with them, getting them to teach me here and there. When I arrived, I had already enrolled in Yonsei University’s Korean Language Institute. Would I go through the expensive program again if I could do it all over again? Probably not, but I don’t regret it. I desperately spoke as much (crappy) Korean as I could and after a few years, I had a comfortable grasp on the language. In my fifth year living here, I was the only foreigner to stand on the finalists stage at a National-level Korean speech contest.

Takeaway: Language is made out to be this boogeyman – something you can’t learn easily unless you’re either a genius or a young child. Don’t let this be the thing that stops you. These days, with AI tools, learning a language is easier than ever.

Problem: Money

Money is a problem that we deal with no matter where we are in the world. It can feel like the biggest, most insurmountable problem when you don’t have it, but something trivial when you do.

An extremely smart friend once said to me: if your problem can be solved with money, it’s not the worst problem you could have.

What I did: I was fortunate enough to have some money saved up, but don’t stop reading here if you don’t. The only reason why I needed money (a large amount of it) was because I needed to pay tuition. If I could do it all again, I probably wouldn’t go down this path. After I graduated from Yonsei’s KLI, I found a job and have been working in the country since.

Takeaway: If money is the only thing stopping you, then there are definitely ways around it. You can find a job that not only gives you a stable paycheck, but sponsors your visa and provides housing to boot – teaching English.

Problem: Cultural Gap

What I did: I immersed myself in Korean culture before and after my move. When I was getting ready to move here, K-culture had still yet to explode on the international stage – at least on the level it is now. When I got here, I made a rule to only make Korean friends, preferably ones who didn’t speak English. More on how I did that in another blog post. This is a problem that kind of solves itself – once you get here, breathing in the culture day in and day out, it’s almost impossible not to learn the do’s and don’ts unless you’re actively trying not to.

Takeaway: These days, with the astronomical rise of K-culture, chances are that this ‘cultural gap’ is the reason one wants to move here in the first place. If you make an effort, this “problem” more or less solves itself.

Problem: Visa Restrictions

What I did: When I came, I had a student visa. After that, I swapped to a working holiday visa while I figured out what to do and looked for jobs. I ended up getting a job while I was still on my working holiday, and then swapped to a regular working visa after. I’ll be getting my F-visa (a more permanent visa) shortly this year, despite having qualified years ago (more on that story another time).

Takeaway: For many people, especially if you’re reading this blog, this is a problem that can be solved easier than you think. Of course, every person has a different status and obstacles, but visa restrictions may not be as large of an obstacle as you expect.

Problem: Unfriendliness to Foreigners

You may have heard some horror stories – in fact, if you search for things about living in Korea, it’s one of the problems that seems to come up a lot. Korea is super homogeneous, Korea is really unaccepting towards foreigners, you will never fit in, etc.

While some parts are true – where there’s smoke, there’s fire – it is just that. A half-truth. No two people have the same experiences, or the same stories. Do you really “fit in” any more in your home country than you do here? What does it mean to belong somewhere – to go unnoticed, or to be accepted?

South Korea is a highly educated, heavily globalized country, especially in Seoul. It won’t all be like a fairytale, but it is certainly no deal breaker if you’re serious about living here.

What I recommend: While this can vary from person to person, approach each interaction with kindness and respect. Learning the language and customs demonstrates your effort to integrate, which can often lead to a warmer reception from locals. I’ll be detailing my journey on this blog from start to finish, so make sure you check out some of my other posts!

The Bottom Line

As Shia LaBeouf would say, “don’t let your dreams be dreams”. There will always be obstacles between you and what you want.

The question is, are you going to give up before you even start?

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