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A Case Study of Return Motives for Korean-American Migrants Based on the Typology of Return Migration

  • Multi-cultural Society and Education Studies
  • 2023, 15(), pp.97-122
  • DOI : 10.22957/mses.15..202311.97
  • Publisher : Institute for multicultural studies
  • Research Area : Humanities > Other Humanities
  • Received : October 10, 2023
  • Accepted : November 14, 2023
  • Published : November 30, 2023

Daehee Choi 1

1전남대학교 인문학연구원

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study aims to understand the motives of 4 Korean returnees from U.S.A. The case of A reveals that it does not any more appropriate to divide the “success” and “failure” of return migration solely by the economic motives. For family A, the return migration to Korea was not the end of migration cycle, but an another start. The motivation for B’s return can be accessible, only when the problem of inclusion or integration of emigrant in the host society should be considered. If B’s return would be the result of emigration “failure,” it is not an economic failure, but a “failure” to be integrated into the society. Lastly, based on Dienel’s typology theory, this study pays attention to “emotional motives” of return migration. Especially in the case of D and C, the emotional factor as return motivation proves to become more significant, along with aging. These cases clearly demonstrated the inter-connectedness of aging and return migration.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

This paper was written with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea.