NEW YEAR POLL Cultural content, IT infrastructure named Korea's key strengths

A drone display of "KPop Demon Hunters" character Jinu at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul, Nov. 15 / Yonhap

Graphic by Cho Sang-won

Korea’s global cultural influence and advanced technologies are its top strengths, according to foreign residents here, who recognized IT infrastructure as the biggest advantage of living in the country.

On the flip side, harsh competition in jobs and education as well as long working hours were identified as serious problems in Korean society, and international residents also said that high housing prices made their lives here difficult.

These results were part of an online survey of 258 foreign residents that was conducted from Dec. 18 to 24 by Hankook Research, commissioned by The Korea Times.

In the poll, 52 percent of respondents said Korea’s greatest strength is its widespread cultural influence. That was followed by advanced technologies and IT infrastructure at 45 percent, public safety and security at 35 percent, high levels of education and strong workforce at 26 percent, and industrial competitiveness — including manufacturing — at 19 percent. Up to two answers were allowed for this question.

Graphic by Cho Sang-won

When asked which daily convenience they liked the most in Korea, 31 percent selected fast and convenient IT services such as mobile payments and network quality.

The second most frequently mentioned convenience was delivery services and 24-hour stores at 25 percent. Easy access to medical services and public transportation received 22 percent and 21 percent, respectively.

People attend a job fair for foreigners in Korea at Seoul Trade Exhibition and Convention in Seoul's Gangnam District, Nov. 20. Yonhap

Drawbacks of living in Korea

The respondents also shared their thoughts on societal problems and hardships while living here. Up to two answers were allowed for these questions.

When asked about the most serious societal problem, 43 percent named extreme competition in education and employment.

Graphic by Cho Sang-won

This choice was most common among respondents in their 30s at 50 percent, those from Africa at 71 percent and those who have lived here for less than a year at 78 percent.

The second most commonly cited problem was the high cost of housing at 40 percent. This was especially common among respondents living in the greater Seoul metropolitan area, 71 percent of whom cited housing prices. Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province have the highest housing costs in the country, according to the poll agency.

Other social problems cited included Korea’s low birthrate and declining population at 30 percent, political conflicts at 26 percent, economic inequality at 24 percent and the high suicide rate at 22 percent.

When asked about what issues created the most personal hardships for respondents, housing price was picked by 35 percent, followed by long working hours and hierarchical workplace cultures at 22 percent — this answer was especially widespread among Europeans at 37 percent. Language barriers were selected by 21 percent, most frequently by South Americans, 56 percent of which mentioned the issue.

Graphic by Cho Sang-won

When asked about Korea’s financial services, 34 percent pointed to complicated procedures for opening bank accounts and identification. Those in their 50s or older and those who have lived here for three years or less cited this difficulty most often, at 46 percent and 48 percent, respectively.

Other hurdles in the financial sector included convoluted financial products and policies, selected by 17 percent of respondents, a lack of foreign language support in financial and payment services at 17 percent, and high fees or inconvenient procedures for remittances and currency exchange at 16 percent.

"It’s clear that Korea is a country foreigners wish to live in at least once in a lifetime because of these hip cultural trends and IT conveniences," said An Chong-ki, professor at Korea University’s Labor Research Institute.

"But the survey has shown Korea is also a tough place to live for foreigners due to fundamental problems like high housing costs and complicated structural hurdles to secure foreign talent. These problems show that living in Korea in a sustainable and stabilized manner is hard."