Expats speak highly of life in Seoul

Korea

A survey in Korea has revealed that expats are enjoying life there more than ever before.

The new research was conducted to examine how expatriates fare with life in Seoul, and according to the results expat quality of life is on the rise. To gauge results the Seoul City survey interviewed 2,500 expats currently living in Korea.

They were asked to disclose their thoughts on different aspects of life in Seoul, including how they thought their quality of life compared before they moved to Korea. The average score for life in Korea was marked at around seven out of ten, which is an increase from the results of the same survey conducted a year previous.

Along with quality of life, areas of Seoul that performed well in the survey included living arrangements, safety, social life and the good treatment by existing Seoul natives. European expats are one of the main groups who flourish in Korea, and this is attributed to the booming market for skilled foreign professionals.

A Seoul city official said: ““We believe it is because many of those from Europe hold white-collar jobs, earning more money than others and thus having better living conditions.”

Current expat Giandomenico Volpicella, from Italy, spoke highly of Seoul: “Whenever you walk in the city, it’s safe, and this is difficult to find in Europe. Koreans speak English very well now and even if they don’t, they really do try to help me. I also remember the time when I went to a hospital. The service was very nice and they even had someone who spoke English to assist me.”