By SIMON COLLINS
Koreans are falling in love with New Zealand, making this country first-equal with Canada as a place to live and visit.
The president of Seoul-based Shinsegae Emigration Service, Phillip Park, said in Auckland this week that New Zealand and Canada each attracted 35 per cent of Korean
emigrants - well ahead of the United States with 27 per cent and Australia with 3 per cent.
South Korean migrants to this country almost doubled to 3388 in the year to August, up from 1770 at the same time last year.
In the same period, Korean tourist arrivals jumped by 25 per cent to 99,682, making South Korea New Zealand's fifth biggest tourist market behind Australia, the United States, Britain and Japan.
Tourism NZ chief executive George Hickton told the Korea-NZ Business Council this week that Korean tourist numbers would reach 165,000 by 2006-07.
By then, he expects Korean visitors to equal the number of Japanese visitors, even though Japan's population is more than 2 1/2 times South Korea's.
Mr Park said Koreans were attracted by New Zealand's "green nature, small population, good education system, good welfare system, not much racism compared with other countries and low living costs".
Michelle Lee, a Korean migrant who now manages Davenports City Consultants in Auckland, said many Korean parents did not want their children to grow up in South Korea's intensely competitive education system, where students are under pressure from preschool age to get into the top schools and from there to the top universities.
"Korean students do not have free time, like New Zealand - they have so much homework," she said.
"Parents want their children to have a happy life. They love New Zealand."
Mr Park said Koreans also found it easier to find business opportunities here than in Canada.
"In Canada a lot of Korean people are already in business there so for new immigrants it's very difficult," he said. "New Zealand is much easier because there are not many immigrants already here."
Mr Park said Australia was less popular because of tighter immigration rules and a perception of greater racism.
