He is now running a business in Seoul. Another friend of mine, an executive of a securities firm, has found his life almost devastated after living by himself for more than 10 years. He no longer feels so close to his wife, whom he only meets once a year. But the wife refuses to return home, even though their two children are already mature enough to manage without their mother. Still, he takes pride in the two children who have made it to prestigious universities in the United States.
Many parents feel uneasy about sending their young children abroad by themselves.
So the mothers decide to accompany them. These men, usually in their 40s, know that they would have few chances of finding jobs in the United States or Canada that are as lucrative as their current jobs. So they agree to be left home alone. They also find this type of separation less risky than immigrating to a foreign country. It is difficult to estimate accurately just how many fathers are living in this way.