Rural migration in Korea: a transition to the modern era

Because industrialization and modernization have been stressed as characteristics of an advanced society, pre-industrial and early industrial societies have often been depicted as sedentary and stable in the literature on migration; however, findings have begun to appear that question such depictions. In this paper, we examine the migration patterns of the rural Korean population during Japanese colonial rule (1910–1945), the period immediately preceding full-scale industrialization. In order to determine whether the population can be characterized as mobile or sedentary, we examine patterns of geographic mobility in association with migration distances and in association with migrants' ages. Our results suggest that during this era, as Korea headed down the road to modernity, individual movements followed mixed migration patterns. Specifically, migration in Korea prior to modernization exhibited both a stable-oriented pattern and a life-at-stake-oriented pattern. These findings confirm the context-specific diversity of migration processes across different societies and historical periods.