Millennial Moved to Seoul to Start Over and Build a Career in Korea

Stéphanie Guillaume visited South Korea for the first time when she was 22. She spent 10 days there with two friends, and the moment she arrived in Seoul, the capital, it felt like home.

When she returned to Lausanne, Switzerland, where she grew up, she told her mother that she wanted to live in South Korea one day.

It wasn’t until a decade later, in 2022, that Guillaume finally turned her dream into reality. All it took was a single conversation with a friend, who had asked her what she was doing in Switzerland.

“I was like, that’s a good question. I don’t have an answer for it,” Guillaume, 35, told Business Insider.

She was working in sales for a grocery chain, a job she took after her previous digital marketing role ended when the company she worked for went bankrupt.

“I wasn’t satisfied with my life,” Guillaume said. “I just realized that time passed, and I was like, oh my God, it’s going to be two years here, and I don’t even like this job.”

With no children or partner at that point, she felt free to make the move. With that, Guillaume applied for a student visa through a language program.

Seven months later, she packed up her bags and said goodbye to her family.

Starting afresh

When Guillaume arrived in Seoul, she hit the ground running. Her classes, held at Kookmin University, began within a week of her arrival.

Although she’d picked up some basic conversational Korean over the years by watching dramas and listening to music, the structure of a formal program helped her make real progress, especially in writing, reading, and grammar.

“I had class every day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The rest of the day was spent on homework,” she said.

At the same time, Guillaume was looking for a more permanent place to stay. She managed to find an apartment and a roommate — one of her classmates — quickly.

It took her a few months to settle down into her new life properly, she said.

Since then, Guillaume has moved twice. She now lives in a studio apartment near Seoul Forest. She paid a deposit of 10 million Korean won, or about $7,000, and the monthly rent is about 1.167 million Korean won, or about $810. This also covers management fees, internet, cable TV, and a bed.

Her building features communal areas, including workspaces, a meeting room, and a gym. Although her apartment comes with a washer, there’s also a shared laundry room and a communal kitchen for residents to use.

The best part of her apartment is that the forest is only a 10-minute walk away, she said: “When I feel overwhelmed, I need to have some nature nearby.”

Guillaume says she completed about a year and three months of the two-year language program before switching to a business visa. She is now preparing to launch a travel experience business.

Dealing with the paperwork and other administrative tasks of starting a business in South Korea has not been easy, she said, adding that she had to get a friend’s help.

Building a life in Seoul

In recent years, South Korea has emerged as an increasingly popular choice for foreigners seeking to live abroad.

Data from the Ministry of Justice showed that the number of foreigners living in South Korea at the end of 2024 stood at 2.65 million, a 5.7% increase from the previous year.

When Guillaume first arrived, she said she made it a priority to put herself out there and meet new people.

“The first year, that was my plan. I had a target of going out to at least one event a week,” she added.

These days, she’s built a small circle of Korean girlfriends and a wider network of expats she’s met at various events and through a Rotary club.

Looking back, Guillaume says her time in South Korea has been a period of growth. Moreover, being self-employed gives her the freedom to plan her schedule.

“I structure it how I want. For now, that’s a big luxury compared to working a 9-to-5,” she said.

Most days start slowly.

“In the morning, I drink tea or hot water, and I just go and stand outside. Or if I feel like it, I’ll walk around the block for 15 minutes with my mug,” she said.

On other days, she’ll practice yoga or meditate before diving into work. If there’s an event to attend, she’ll make time for that, too.

“I see my friends during the weekend mostly, but I also allow myself one or two days during the weekdays if someone wants to meet up,” Guillaume said.

If there’s anything she misses about Switzerland, it’s the abundance of nature and how it encourages her to slow down. Although South Korea is fast-paced, she says she appreciates how stores often stay open late.

“In Switzerland, if you live in the city, we open at 8 a.m. and we close at 6, 7 p.m. If you live in the countryside, then it’s 5 p.m.,” she said.

Having built a new life in Seoul, Guillaume says there’s one thing she’ll tell anyone thinking about moving abroad: Make sure you’re comfortable being alone.

Otherwise, it helps to have a strong support system, she said.

“Either someone who is already there, or people back home whom you can count on and who’ll reach out if you’re not giving news,” she said.

Do you have a story to share about moving to Asia? Contact this reporter at agoh@businessinsider.com.