I Was Always Going to Leave
How could a country change overnight? Contribution and residence are two different decisions. Moving to the United States was never sudden — it was always part of the plan.
How could a country change overnight?
Until only a year ago, I saw South Korea as a country where state power could still intrude far too deeply into an individual's life.
Systems may change. Governments may change. Laws may change.
But institutions, cultures, habits, and the ways people exercise power do not transform overnight.
That is why I have never seriously expected the society I want to see to fully arrive within my generation.
Perhaps it will change. I hope it does.
But I cannot build my entire life around waiting for that possibility.
So, in a sense, my decision to eventually move to the United States was already made a long time ago.
The plan was simple.
Build something valuable. Make money. Accumulate enough capital and business strength to choose where I live. Then move.
Not because I hate Korea.
And not because I believe America is perfect.
It is simply a question of where I want to place the foundation of my own life.
I can continue doing business in Korea. I can continue contributing to Korea. I can continue caring about what happens here.
But contribution and residence are two different decisions.
A person has only one lifetime.
I do not want to spend mine waiting for society to become ready for the life I want to live.
So I will build the resources, freedom, and leverage necessary to choose for myself.
And when the time comes, I will go.
That was not a sudden decision.
It was always part of the plan.