Not to Study, But to Experience: Parental Aspirations, Children's Happiness and Alternative Pathways to Going Global in South Korea

South Korea has been known for high rates of ‘early study abroad’ (ESA) or jogi yuhak participation, in which pre-college students go abroad for an international education. However, this trend has declined recently. Instead, many Korean parents and their children are seeking the benefits of ‘studying abroad’ without leaving Korea for long periods. Based on in-depth interviews with Korean parents, I explore various strategies they employ to provide their children, aged 4–12, with ‘study abroad experiences’ without actually studying abroad for an extended period. These approaches include English immersion programmes, such as English kindergartens and camps designed to expose children to foreign cultures and languages. I analyse how Korean parents’ aspirations to nurture ‘happy children’ while securing their future success shape diverse strategies that transcend traditional local–global and sedentary–mobile dichotomies. This highlights more complex motivations behind educational choices, emphasizing goals beyond mere capital accumulation or lifestyle consumption.