It has been 18 years since first arriving in South Korea, back in 2005, and started my job at an English language school in the middle of nowhere where. I actually arrived in Anseoung (안성시) in Gyeonggi-do (경기도)) which was, at the time, an agricultural city and known for grapes. There were a lot of rice paddy fields and was more a remote town with no other foreigners. I felt rather isolated but it was the best introduction to South Korea I had with the first twelve months being incredibly difficult and a steep learning curve.

Anyhow, the second time arriving in South Korea in 2023 is certainly different to the very first time in 2005. In this post (and the embedded video below which is more of an informal vlog), I share some of the differences that I have encountered.

I was first introduced to South Korea back in 2002, prior to my initial arrival in 2005, with much happening in the early 2000s, such as leaving a well-respected career in the Royal Air Force, becoming a full-time student, and then marrying my wife who came from the land of morning calm. I first visited Korea in 2003 to meet my in-laws and noticed it to be a rural and remote country with little western influence, which stirred my interest.

When I relocated in 2005, it was a hugely shocking with much difference between the UK and Korea. I discovered that this unique culture had little similarity with my home country. There was more emphasis placed on English proficiency than other languages, without consideration of the culture of the language. Some considered English as the gateway to a successful career, promotion, or a potential job opportunity. Compared to 2023, Koreans in general are more communicative than they were, many of the young children that were taught in the early 2000s now have the opportunity to communicate with a range of nationalities using English as the lingua franca. If I were to compare to the early 2000s, Koreans would not have been so confident to discuss a range of topics in English.

The other large change that I have witnessed was the fact that getting accepted within Korean society as a foreigner was a challenge. No matter how fluent one would become in Korean, society would regard you as a foreigner (or outsider) in 2005. Nowadays, Korea has become a lot more cosmopolitan and multicultural, with many towns and cities welcoming those that choose to reside in South Korea. There are foreign centres for migrants that host a range of activities, as well as Korean language teaching, to help newly arrived and settled migrants integrate into Korean society. This was not even possible in the mid-2000s, with foreign citizens needing to attend paid-for Korean classes or learning as you go along.

Finally, the soft culture of Korea has become more widely recognised with the international community recognising this splendid country as an opportunity to succeed either professionally or as a place of study. Many people relocate to Korea with their families but I have faced no problem integrating in the past four months. It has been wonderful to experience this change with many Koreans treating me no differently to non-Koreans. There is no regard of an ‘outsider’ or ‘foreigner’ with many children becoming more accustomed to seeing a person who may hail from outside of Korea – I used to have children running up to me, pulling my skin or checking my hair to see if I were truly real. Nevertheless, Korean culture has been widely received with many around the world listening to BTS, watching Squid Game or consuming kimchi or samgyupsal. It is truly great to see Korea being positively received abroad and there is a sense of pride when friends or family ask me what I like about Korea.

I look forward to the next 18 years in Korea and cannot wait to share my second vlog in the coming days. If you would like to request a particular topic or area that discuss in my vlog, then let me know in the comments and I shall share this in a future video.