18,000 South Koreans Leave Cities To Settle In Rural Areas In 2014, Young Koreans In Their 30's Account to 27.2 Percent Of Resettlers

Urban cities offer a lot of opportunities, especially to those who are still young and adventurous. Some people find joy in seeing hundreds of cars along the streets, tall buildings, and thousands of people walking here and there.

However, statistics shows that 18,864 South Koreans left the cities last year to settle in rural areas. 27.2 percent of these figures are young Koreans in their 30s, Korea Times reported on Wednesday.

Among them is Park Chang Hee who decided to transfer to North Gyeongsang Province just this year. 31-year-old Park and her husband Kim Min Young are now living in a small village after they left Seoul in April.

"My husband and I rarely spent time together because we came home from work late at night," says Park. "One day, we just pictured what we would be like in our old age. We realized the picture was not what we wanted to have."

She goes on, "My mother-in-law really helped us settle here. We were lucky. It might not be easy for strangers to settle in a new place. So we want to help others to live in a rural village by giving them an opportunity to experience rural life for six months or one year in the near future."

She also adds that living in the rural area is stress-free.

"Here I don't have to spend money to refresh because I am living without stress!"

On other hand, South Korean Chung Man Gyoo says he does not miss the city life after he decided to move in a small farming town in the eastern hills, Reuters reported on May 9, 2012.

"I now wake up in the morning with pleasure," Chung says. "I also have more time to be with my wife and talk with her. Our relationship has never been closer."

The website adds that the "Asian Development Bank estimates the urban population across Asia will rise by 1.1 billion people by 2030."

Meanwhile, 37-year-old Yoo Jung Sang says he could not bear the financial difficulty after he moved to South Chungcheong Province to become a farmer.

"I thought farming would be easy to deal with because my father is a farmer and I am familiar with his work," Yoo says. "But the reality was different."

He adds, "I couldn't endure the financial difficulty because the farming was not as lucrative as I expected. After all, I realized that I was not the kind of person who loves rural life."

Yoo is back in his previous job as bus driver in Seoul after spending a couple of years in the rural area.