Young South Koreans have been dubbed the ‘N-Po generation’, forced to give up marriage, having children and more — thanks to job insecurity and high living costs. While they can only hope their sacrifices pay off, the future is not entirely bleak.
Visiting as a tourist with a strong passport is so much easier than actually inmigrating to another country, let alone one with a better living standard, considering SK is technically a first world country already. First, you need to be able to speak the language, then you need either the money to pay for school (if going as a student) or a job waiting for you that the destination country needs filled. You can’t just go and get whatever job you like, there are immigration restrictions on what jobs you can apply for, and the company must be willing to sponsor you. All of that costs a lot of money to top it all off.
Strong honor culture makes it hard to move, you would cut contact with just about everyone you know if you're not moving to attend a prestigious university or taking a high end job, which is not on the table for the vast majority.
This is how it feels as a leftist from Texas. Family is too important to leave, but the scales feel like they keep tipping towards moving for climate and politics.