Expat Insider 2025: The World Through Expat Eyes

Amid a Turbulent Political Climate, South Korea Slips to the Bottom

From martial law and impeachment to an economic crisis, expats in South Korea are facing many challenges in addition to a tough language barrier that keeps them iced out of society.

In Brief
Traveling & Healthcare Are Still on Top
An Inflexible & Tough Business Culture
Increasing Living Costs
Language Barrier as Bottleneck
Is Culture Shock to Blame?
The Typical Expat in South Korea
Further Reading

Country report for South Korea: 44th overall out of 46 countries; details in description

In Brief

In recent years, South Korea’s results have yo-yoed from the bottom of the ranking to midfield and back again. After placing in a decent 23rd place in 2024, it’s down in the bottom 3 in the 2025 Expat Insider survey, ranking 44th out of 46 countries. All indices except for Quality of Life have similarly dropped into the bottom 10.

I like the weather and how safe the country is, as well as the technology. But I don’t like how foreigners are treated differently; for example, banks give different interest and conditions on accounts. (British expat in Ulsan)

Opinion

The country has recently faced political upheaval and economic turbulence, with clearly reverberating effects. Expats in South Korea are generally unhappy with their life abroad (42nd), a far cry from 18th place last year.

Traveling & Healthcare Are Still on Top

Although the Quality of Life Index (32nd) is the only index outside the bottom 10, it’s seen a significant drop from last year when South Korea ranked 10th. The index’s Travel & Transit (12th) and Healthcare (15th) Subcategories are still top performers, with excellent availability of public transportation (9th) and health services (7th) — though it seems like the affordability of both has taken a hit: from 5th to 12th for transportation and from 1st to 17th for medical care.

There’s lots to do in Seoul, and South Korea is a good starting point for travelling around Asia. – German expat in Seoul

Opinion

Expats feel safe in the country (7th), but nearly a third (31%) find the political situation to be unstable (vs. 18% globally). Unsurprising, considering the impeachment of the former president.¹ Safety & Security is thus in 37th place.

South Korea is also not performing so well in the Environment & Climate (41st) and Leisure Options (42nd) Subcategories. Respondents find the air quality to be poor (43rd), with more than two in five (41%) giving this factor a negative rating (vs. 19% globally). And in terms of recreational sports, 20% don’t find many opportunities to pursue them (vs. 11%).

An Inflexible & Tough Business Culture

In last place is the Working Abroad Index (46th), with two of its subcategories in the same spot: Work & Leisure (46th) and Work Culture & Satisfaction (46th). Notably, barely one in ten respondents (7%) find the local business culture to support flexibility (vs. 54% globally). In fact, compared to the global average of 64%, only 34% work remotely all or some of the time.

Not faring well either is Career Prospects (45th). Expats rank their career opportunities in South Korea dead last (46th), with nearly half (49%) giving this factor a negative rating (vs. 27% globally). The local job market is viewed equally negatively (44th). These insights aren’t the greatest news for the 45% of respondents who cited job-related reasons for their move to South Korea (vs. 36% globally).

Find out more in our article on the Working Abroad Index.

Increasing Living Costs

South Korea is currently facing a cost of living crisis.² Accordingly, the Personal Finance Index ranks 40th. More than two in five expats there (44%) are dissatisfied with their financial situation (vs. 26% globally). A similar share is unhappy with the general cost of living (43%), though this is only slightly above average on a global scale (40%).

Language Barrier as Bottleneck

The two subcategories that are the biggest downers for the Expat Essentials Index (44th) are Language (44th) and Admin Topics (41st). The language barrier is a major challenge for expats there, with 58% citing it as a major concern prior to their move (vs. 32% globally). And for good reason: only 26% of respondents find it easy to get by without speaking Korean (vs. 47%).

Korea makes official things very hard for foreigners. It took me a year to get my visa, and I had to pay much more than expected. Some doctors have even turned me away because of the language barrier (at an international clinic). It’s hard to fulfill basic needs. (US American expat in Gyeonggi)

Opinion

This could partly explain why it’s difficult to open a bank account (41st), deal with the bureaucracy / local authorities (36th), or find housing (38th). On the bright side, expats can easily get high-speed internet access (1st), and not one respondent gave the ease of paying without cash a negative rating (vs. 7% globally).

Find out more in our article on the Expat Essentials Index.

Is Culture Shock to Blame?

Another challenging aspect for expats in South Korea is the Ease of Settling In (38th). Indeed, all three of the index’s subcategories are in the bottom 10: Culture & Welcome (42nd), Local Friendliness (39th), and Finding Friends (38th).

Notably, around a third of respondents (34%) don’t feel welcome (vs. 18% globally) nor at home (vs. 23%) in the country. This is perhaps not helped by the difficult to crack social arena: only 17% of expats say it’s easy making local friends (vs. 38%). Moreover, 28% perceive the locals to be generally unfriendly (vs. 19%).

The language barrier and a local culture that’s not easy to get used to (42nd) are other aspects making it difficult for expats to fully settle in South Korea. Prior to their move, 20% of respondents cited culture shock as one of their biggest concerns — 10 percentage points higher than the global average! Nevertheless, Korean culture still has fans:

I love the culture. Especially the coexistence of very traditional and modern places. (German expat in Seoul)

Opinion