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From Brain Drain to Reverse Brain Drain: Three Decades of Korean Experience

Department of Public Administration, College of Law, Kyung Hee University, 1 Hoeki Dong, Dongdaemoon-Ku, Seoul, 130-701, Korea

This paper examines three decades of the Korean experience of brain drain, that can be termed 'from brain-drain to reverse brain-drain', and governn.ent policies to deal with this phenomenon.

The results confirm the major role of economic factors in return-or-stay decisions of Korean scientists and engineers (KSEs) who earned PhDs in the US. And yet, when the difference in economic conditions between alternatives is narrowed, psy chological and emotional factors are identified to be important. In particular, this study suggests that some Confucian values work as an underlying element in KSEs' decisions. Consequently, this study indicates the importance of including a cultural analysis in the study of brain drain issues.

The Korean government tried to repatriate as many scientists and engineers as possible in the 1960s and 1970s. Yet, the effectiveness of policy measures during that period was limited. As the Korean economy continued to improve, many of the foreign educated scientists and engineers intended to return to Korea by the 1980s. From this time on, the Korean government adopted a policy to utilise the needed expertise of Koreans abroad, while helping them choose their residences by themselves.

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