For young Koreans, ‘American dream’ is fading as realities set in

 
[NEWS ANALYSIS]

Rooted deeply in Korea’s postwar aspirations, the notion of the “American dream” used to hold powerful sway for Koreans, reflected in an enduring obsession with pursuing English education, attending Ivy League universities and securing jobs at Big Tech firms.

Even for employees at Korea’s major conglomerates, a stint in the United States was often considered a badge of honor, ensuring a fast track to promotion.

While that perception of prestige has worked well for older generations, the luster has gradually faded among young employees in their 20s and 30s.

Reduced Korean interest in living and working in the United States can be attributed to a complex web of factors, including high living costs, safety concerns and the widespread availability of quality English education in Korea.

High-profile incidents, like the recent Georgia detention case of Korean workers, have further strengthened a sense of hesitation toward the United States.

This shift poses a serious challenge for companies like Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, which are now under growing pressure to dispatch more employees to the United States as part of expanded investments tied to recent trade agreements.

From highly coveted to increasingly lukewarm

Samsung Electronics stands as the biggest Korean employer in the United States based on publicly available data, with 12,235 regular employees recorded as of the end of 2024.

Its annual environmental, social and governance report doesn’t break down employees by nationality, but a substantial portion of them consist of Korean employees on assignment.

“Since Samsung has offices in around 70 countries, the company openly recruits overseas assignees through internal bulletin boards,” said a Samsung employee based in Gyeonggi.

“In the past, the United States was overwhelmingly popular, but that’s no longer the case,” she said.

The electronics giant plans to relocate about 1,000 employees to a new factory in Taylor, Texas, according to the Taylor Economic Development Corporation.

Against this backdrop, the recent detention of over 300 Korean workers in Georgia – mostly dispatched from battery maker LG Energy Solution – has served to further increase Koreans’ reluctance.

“We are at a point where the pace of construction and demand for Korean workers are simply outpacing the number of staff available for U.S. assignments,” said a source working at a major Korean battery firm. “Since the factories built by Korean firms are often located in remote, rural areas, it makes the positions less appealing to younger, unmarried staff.”

In the past, an overseas stint represented a show of corporate loyalty, but now the post itself doesn’t ensure much since performance assessments are based on more numeric and objective achievements.

“It’s definitely true that overseas assignments to the United States aren’t popular among younger generations anymore. That seems to be the case not just in manufacturing companies but across all industries,” an employee at an automobile company said.

“It’s not like the old days when going to the United States practically guaranteed a fast track to promotion. People my age, myself included, aren’t that hungry for promotions now anyway, and the pay just isn’t attractive compared to the cost of living there. Among my peers, I haven’t seen a single person who actually wants to leave their life here to take an assignment in the United States,” he said.

In many cases, corporations pay extra residential and living expenses for assigned employees, which turns into increased costs.

“We’ve dramatically reduced the number of Korean employees dispatched to the United States, due mainly to high costs and replaced them with local talent,” said an executive at a major Korean bakery chain, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

English no longer a niche skill

The main draw of working in the United States has traditionally been the chance for the employees’ children to acquire English organically and move on to college there.

But in Korea, a country gripped by education fervor, one can easily get access to English education at different levels and for many purposes.

“For those prioritizing their children’s English education, many now feel less need to move abroad since Korea offers a strong domestic language infrastructure and a growing number of quality programs,” said a banker who has been assigned to the United States but applied for a Sydney branch assignment and also for Singapore.

The banker went on to note that the other international options offered a similar level of English exposure, but that their cost of living remains far cheaper.

“If one half of a married couple is assigned, the other person often quits or takes a break from their job, which reduces household income,” the banker said, adding that the fact that preschools in the destination country are not publicly funded added to the financial burden.

“The cost of living and overall expenses appear to be major factors. That’s likely why more people are applying for postings in Southeast Asia, where the financial burden tends to be lower,” he said.

Trump-era visa rules

 

While the overall number of Koreans seeking jobs abroad is on the rise, the number heading to the United States is on the decline.

The number of Koreans landing a job in the United States decreased by 19.2 percent in 2024 over a year ago at 1,341, according to the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, a government agency that tracks young employees it helped secure overseas jobs.

The overall figure of Koreans working abroad, however, jumped by 4.7 percent, fueled by a big rise in those employed in Japan, Australia and Germany. Still, the decrease is also affected by the Donald Trump administration’s tougher rules on work visas, and widespread layoffs at major U.S. companies.

BY PARK EUN-JEE, JIN MIN-JI, SARAH CHEA [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]