South Korea Relocation Index

How South Korea scores

Reliable healthcare system for residents | Strong infrastructure and personal safety overall

• Peace and conflict safety84
• Immigrant safety88
• Visa accessibility53
• Residence permit realism58
• Labor market access77
• Healthcare88
• Civil rights82
• Discrimination safety84
• Status security61
• Infrastructure reliability85
• Cost of living sustainability82

Recent news impact

Recent announcements and oversight findings point to limited near-term improvement in immigrant labor rights monitoring and procedural openness (notably for foreign seasonal workers), but also include administrative actions and asylum/immigration process outcomes (e.g., stay refusal notices and refugee non-acceptance public notices). Net effect is slightly positive for relocation conditions for some categories, but overall remains mixed due to ongoing enforcement/denial notices.

• Labor Access Change

  Ministry of Justice published results from a fact-finding/inspection period focused on human rights and labor protection for foreign seasonal workers, indicating follow-up direction aimed at improving protections.

• Residence Policy Change

  Ministry of Justice announced a comprehensive overhaul of a regional/cluster visa framework intended to align settlement with local industries, implying clearer pathways for some residents tied to regional economic roles.

• Asylum Policy Change

  Korea Immigration Service published refugee-status non-acceptance decisions for designated cases, signaling continued restrictive outcomes in the asylum process for those affected.

Sources

• Freedom House: South Korea (Freedom in the World 2026)Freedom House
• OECD: Health at a Glance 2025 – Korea (Country Notes PDF)OECD
• World Bank: Logistics Performance Index – Korea, Rep. (indicator page)World Bank
• Korea (Immigration) – English: Permanent Residency (F-5) overview (Easy to Find, Practical Law)Easy Law / Korean government portal
• Korea: Immigration Control Act (English) – Law.go.krKorean Law Information Center (KLRI)
• Korea: Refugee Act (English) – Law.go.krKorean Law Information Center (KLRI)
• 법무부, 외국인 계절근로자 인권·근로보호를 위한 실태점검 결과 발표Ministry of Justice (Republic of Korea)
• 광역형 비자 제도, 지역산업·지역정주 중심으로 전면 개편Ministry of Justice (Republic of Korea)