To date there has been little explicit theorization concerning the role of risk in global migration studies. Drawing upon Beck’s concept of the ‘risk society,’ this paper presents an investigation of the interplay between societal risk and micro-level migration decision-making. Thick historical contextualization and interview data are used to examine the process of decision-making of South Koreans’ migration to New Zealand. Four risk factors were found to contribute to their ‘exit’ decisions: South Korea’s highly competitive, work-oriented society brought about by compressed modernity; North Korea’s threat of war and the South’s consequent political and military culture; the home nation’s obsession with education and academic performance; and the difficulties of reconciling traditional collectivist values with upward mobility. It is argued that while elements of risk may be universal, they need to be understood within specific cultural contexts and in relation to how they influence peoples’ lived experiences.

中文翻译：

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风险社会、焦虑与退出：韩国移民决策案例研究

迄今为止，几乎没有关于风险在全球移民研究中的作用的明确理论。本文借鉴贝克的“风险社会”概念，对社会风险与微观移民决策之间的相互作用进行了调查。厚厚的历史背景和访谈数据被用来检验韩国人移民新西兰的决策过程。研究发现四个风险因素影响了他们的“退出”决定：压缩的现代性带来了韩国高度竞争、以工作为导向的社会；朝鲜的战争威胁和韩国随之而来的政治和军事文化；本国对教育和学业成绩的痴迷；以及调和传统集体主义价值观与向上流动的困难。