It's just how things are now.
The standard of living around the world has gone up and countries that produced the sort of talent that would seek immigration into the US at all costs are increasingly beginning to not bother.
Why bust your ass and end up in a country that has only equal or worse standard of living than back home? Not only that, but compound it with a minority status?

Originally Posted by A Can of Man

It's just how things are now.
The standard of living around the world has gone up and countries that produced the sort of talent that would seek immigration into the US at all costs are increasingly beginning to not bother.
Why bust your ass and end up in a country that has only equal or worse standard of living than back home? Not only that, but compound it with a minority status?

So why did you come back?

You must prefer life in the US to South Korea.

Apparently the Washington Post is reporting that the CIA paid this mook $5million. It makes sense why he wanted to go back. $5Mil goes a LOT farther in Iran than here in the US. Assuming he gets to keep it.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/07...cted-cia-home/

The original story.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...l?hpid=topnews

Originally Posted by Chukpike

So why did you come back?

You must prefer life in the US to South Korea.

I'm just telling it as it is with a lot of people.
I have my own reasons.

5 million?
I suppose they got all the information they needed out of him anyway.
But this guy is very brave/stupid if he thinks that the Iranians won't deal with him when he gets back. Maybe he had no choice... threat to family and all.

Originally Posted by A Can of Man

I'm just telling it as it is with a lot of people.
I have my own reasons.

5 million?
I suppose they got all the information they needed out of him anyway.
But this guy is very brave/stupid if he thinks that the Iranians won't deal with him when he gets back. Maybe he had no choice... threat to family and all.

Maybe Iranian intelligence was in on it from the beginning.?

Originally Posted by MontyB

Really, I did.
I have no problem living in the USA but we both felt the quality of life in New Zealand suited us better so it may be more accurate to say that few from 3rd world s**tholes give up the opportunity to live in the USA the rest of us don't rate it any better than where we came from.

Really??? wow...I'm super grateful that my parents and my country (USA) for permitting me the opportunity to live in a city, state, and country with all the resources necessary to become successful and accomplish my dreams...yes, things are not always perfect, but we're waayyyyyy better than any other country..by far...my niece arrived here in Texas as an exchanged student from korea about a year ago, speaking no english what so ever,...I onced asked her why US?? why not Europe...her answer was simple..."Because everyone dreams on the endless possibilities the US has to offer"..with that being said, I'm even more honored and rejoice on the fact that this is my home ...It may not have been a place for you and your family, but it is to me, and hundrends of immigrants that struggle, survive, and even die to get here and call the US home....

Originally Posted by HokieMSG

Maybe Iranian intelligence was in on it from the beginning.?

I strongly believe that too...there's no tellin' with those damn terrorist...

Dunno...
if Iranian intelligence was in on it from the start, why would they have him go all the way to the US to admit/confirm things?
I think of all the reasons stated, a defection gone wrong is most likely.

As for the standard of living argument:
In this day and age, there are only two reasons why most South Koreans would come to the US with an intent to stay for a very long time:
1) To get away from annoying relatives and acquaintances.
2) Can't deal with the level of competition back at home.
Both are contributing factors to South Korea's extremely high suicide rate.
There are other reasons but they're not very common.
I know a few who did come here thinking there would be a lot of possibilities only to be heavily disappointed. But those who came for those two reasons don't have as many 2nd thoughts.

Originally Posted by A Can of Man

Dunno...
if Iranian intelligence was in on it from the start, why would they have him go all the way to the US to admit/confirm things?
I think of all the reasons stated, a defection gone wrong is most likely.

As for the standard of living argument:
In this day and age, there are only two reasons why most South Koreans would come to the US with an intent to stay for a very long time:
1) To get away from annoying relatives and acquaintances.
2) Can't deal with the level of competition back at home.
Both are contributing factors to South Korea's extremely high suicide rate.
There are other reasons but they're not very common.
I know a few who did come here thinking there would be a lot of possibilities only to be heavily disappointed. But those who came for those two reasons don't have as many 2nd thoughts.

I think it was Lewis Black that said "The America that immigrants seek today ceased to exist in the 1950s".
Don't get me wrong here I am not for an instant saying that the US is not a great place to live but rather it is one of many great places to live and that in the end it boils down to which place is the best fit for you.

As for this guy I think we will know shortly what actually happened, if he lasts a week without having an "accident" then there is a good chance this was a set up from the beginning and if his car suddenly explodes while he is washing it on a Sunday morning then it was probably a botched defection.

Originally Posted by MontyB

I think it was Lewis Black that said "The America that immigrants seek today ceased to exist in the 1950s".

Unfortunately the America that is available today is still far ahead of whatever country may be in second place.

It would probably be good for the US to publish how awful life in the US really is, so immigrants would stop coming. Hollywood should be able to produce some great propaganda to stop people from coming.

Like show people all the Werewolf's and Vampires that infest the Pacific Northwest.

In California we have tried a endless list of Earthquake Disaster Movies, but unfortunately they still made California look to promising.

If we only made more believable movies, the US would not be overrun with immigrants; legal, illegal or defectors.

Originally Posted by Chukpike

Unfortunately the America that is available today is still far ahead of whatever country may be in second place.

It would probably be good for the US to publish how awful life in the US really is, so immigrants would stop coming. Hollywood should be able to produce some great propaganda to stop people from coming.

Like show people all the Werewolf's and Vampires that infest the Pacific Northwest.

In California we have tried a endless list of Earthquake Disaster Movies, but unfortunately they still made California look to promising.

If we only made more believable movies, the US would not be overrun with immigrants; legal, illegal or defectors.

Except for your first sentence, your points are pretty much dead on the money.
The image of America that many people abroad have is simply unrealistic and is a fantasy that no longer exists. There are many things to consider when moving abroad:
- Legal rights (right to work etc)
- Language barrier
- Cultural conflict
It used to be that the quality of life in America was so much better than life where they came from (where usually poverty, malnutrition, disease and even war were commonplace) that it was worth going through all those hurdles hoping that their children would have a better future.

In the present, unless you are a poor person from a poor country, the advantages between living in the US as opposed to your home country are not as pronounced. This is why the obstacles involved in living in America become a much bigger factor.

Also there are increasingly more things that the US is starting to lag behind. For those who know, the incentive of moving here is not that great. In case you haven't noticed, last year was the first year that the H1B quota was not filled. More and more people are simply not bothering with settling into America.

However, this news is slow to spread and most folks in their own country who have never been to the US don't know that things aren't like they were 20 or 30 years ago.
You're right Chukpike, if they knew, less people would come.
The only problem is, the desperately poor in the desperately poor countries will still try to enter.