International developers in Korea chapter
106 international developers living in Korea answered this chapter about getting here and getting hired.
Starts with 2 cross-tabs, or jump to the 2 individual answers ↓
Cross-tab
Korean lowers every barrier, including the visa one
Hiring friction by Korean proficiency
Among international residents with basic Korean or none, 67% name the Korean-language bar and 45% name visa sponsorship as hiring frictions. Among conversational-or-better speakers those drop to 51% and 31%.
Name the Korean-language bar
Basic Korean or none
Conversational or better
Name visa sponsorship
Basic Korean or none
Conversational or better
Speaking Korean does not change immigration rules. It travels with time in the country, a settled visa and an employer willing to sponsor, and that visa gap is the clearest sign these cuts overlap.
Groups differ in more than the split shown, so read these as descriptions, not causes.
Cross-tab
Newcomers feel the closed door, everyone feels the language
Hiring friction by years lived in Korea
62% of international residents in their first year say companies hesitate over foreigners, the highest of any tenure group, against 37% at one to three years. The Korean-language bar runs between 55% and 70% until it eases to 48% at seven to nine years.
Say companies hesitate over foreigners
Under 1 year
1–3 years
4–6 years
7–9 years
Name the Korean-language bar
Under 1 year
1–3 years
4–6 years
7–9 years
Not a straight line, and every group carries roughly ±20 points, so the first-year spike and the late-tenure easing are the parts worth reading.
1 group with fewer than 8 answers are not shown (30 respondents).
Groups differ in more than the split shown, so read these as descriptions, not causes.
Every question in this chapter
What first attracted them to Korea
106 answered · multiple answers allowed
Career
Adventure
Culture & history
Safety
Language
Food
Friendship/romance
Infrastructure
Other
Family
Pop culture (K-pop/K-drama)
Nature
Biggest friction getting hired in Korea
106 answered · multiple answers allowed
Korean-language bar
Hard to find English-friendly companies
Companies hesitant about foreigners
Visa sponsorship
Salary below expectations
Postings only in Korean
Recruiting process
Other