South Koreans are emigrating primarily to escape extreme academic and professional competition, high housing costs, and intense societal pressure often labeled "Hell Joseon". Seeking better work-life balance, improved career opportunities, and less rigid social norms, many young adults move to Western countries like the USA, Canada, and Australia.
There are many Koreans that live abroad for various reasons. Some of these reasons include: Escaping Korea's often toxic work culture Wanting their children to have a better education and recreational life Quieter, more peaceful and a less crowded environment.
South Korea's 52-hour work rule caps most employees' weekly working hours at 52, consisting of 40 standard hours plus 12 allowed overtime hours, aiming to reduce overwork, improve work-life balance, and boost productivity by ending excessively long workweeks previously common in the country. Implemented in phases for different company sizes, this law applies to a seven-day week, including weekends, and was a major revision to the Labor Standards Act, phasing in from 2018 to 2021 for most businesses.
Citizens of South Korea require special permission from both governments to enter North Korea and are typically not granted such permission for regular tourism except in special tourist areas designated for South Koreans.
Existing research suggests that economic factors such as income, labor market conditions, as well as socio-cultural factors – including changes in the values of education and gender roles, and family and health policy – are the main causes of lower fertility rates.
An increase in single headed households and a stiflingly low access to new jobs has created a financially challenging situations for many families in South Korea, leading many not to have families at all. Income inequality has been declining since 2016, according to OECD data.
In 2024, the fertility rate in Taiwan was estimated to be at 1.11 children per woman, making it the lowest fertility rate worldwide. The fertility rate is the average number of children born per woman of child-bearing age in a country.
From dodging machine gun fire at the DMZ to swimming for hours in freezing waters, every route comes with extreme danger and heart breaking consequences. Learn why escaping North Korea is one of the hardest—and most courageous—acts in the modern world.
The two venues mentioned above are the only places where there is a strict clothing requirement within North Korea. During your stay on the tour there are no other restrictions. If you have tattoos, piercings, facial hair, or prefer wearing hijab/niqab or blue jeans this is no issue.
South Korean law prohibits political activities by foreigners. Even peaceful demonstrations can turn violent at any time. They can lead to significant disruptions to traffic and public transportation.
Over 15 years, the sleep duration of the Korean population increased from 411.1 min (SD 22.5) in 2004 to 434.5 min (SD 26.1) in 2019 (p for trend <0.001). This increase was observed for all age groups. Over the study period, while bedtime showed no significant change, wake time was generally delayed for all age groups.
4B movement, South Korean feminist activist movement and political stance defined by four deliberate refusals: bihon (“no marriage”), bichulsan (“no childbirth”), biyonae (“no dating”), bisekseu (“no sex [with men]”).
Disadvantages
While some countries may have threatened to ban the sale of Coca-Cola, and in certain countries this has actually been enforced for certain periods of time, today there are just two countries in the world where the soda cannot be bought or sold – Cuba and North Korea.
A more detailed analysis using 65 alleles at 19 polymorphic loci was performed on six populations. Both analyses demonstrated genetic evidence of the origin of Koreans from the central Asian Mongolians. Further, the Koreans are more closely related to the Japanese and quite distant from the Chinese.
South Korea is the only developed country where tattooing is considered a procedure that only medical professionals are capable of legally performing. While tattoos are not illegal, tattoo artists face fines of up to 50 million won ($35,464) as well as prison terms for practicing their craft.
The "forbidden 5th floor" refers to a restricted, unlisted floor in Pyongyang's Yanggakdo International Hotel, missing from elevator panels, rumored to house North Korean surveillance operations (CCTV monitoring, phone taps, communications equipment) for hotel guests, featuring propaganda posters, and often accessed by curious tourists via stairwells before tour operators added warnings after the Otto Warmbier incident, making it a symbol of North Korea's secretive control over foreigners.
Kiribati, a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean, is one of the least visited countries in the world. With its remote location, the country often sees fewer than 6,000 international visitors annually.
From the dynamic landscapes and cultural heritage of Zambia and Zimbabwe to the historical significance of former nations like Zaire and Zululand, these countries hold special tales and traditions.
Ranked: Countries With the Fewest Children by Population Share. Hong Kong (12.6%), South Korea (12.9%), and Japan (14.0%) have the fewest children as a share of the population in 2025. Relatedly, they also have some of the highest shares of seniors.
China now has the highest number and percentage of only children in the world due to their policy that strongly encouraged young families to have solely one child.
After being high in the early decades after Independence, India's TFR has fallen rapidly. India's fertility rate is now far lower than the Sub-Saharan countries that it was comparable with in the 1950s, and has fallen below the world average.