This study was conducted to assess the psychosocial adjustment of Korean-American physicians in the aspect
of personal satisfaction after returning to Korea. A questionnaire was mailed to 72 Korean-American
physicians who were practicing medicine in Korea and forty physicians responded. These physicians,
typically in their 50s, lived in America for 21-30 years before coming back to Korea. The most frequent
motives for them to come back to Korea were giving back to their native country, longing for their native
country, filial duty, and suggestions from their colleagues or professors to move back. Eighty percent of
them were extremely satisfied or slightly satisfied with their work in Korea, and only 10% are extremely
or slightly dissatisfied with their decision to return. Although most of them are content for the time
being in Korea, only 12.5% have definite plans to stay in Korea after retirement. The variables that were
most significantly related to personal satisfaction of returning to Korea were how well treated at work and
how much satisfied with job rather than other factors such as motives for returning, duration of staying in
America and in Korea, and family situation.
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