Why Do South Korea’s Scientists and Engineers Delay Returning Home? Renewed Brain Drain in the New Millennium

Abstract

Despite South Korea’s stability and economic prosperity following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, scientists and engineers who have received their doctorates in the US in recent years opt to remain there in larger numbers than previous generations. This article describes the changing nature of the brain drain problem that has continued to plague South Korea during its ascent into a developed economy. A review of the factors that discourage educated, high-quality human capital from returning to South Korea reveals renewed brain drain.