✨ 🌍TKL #144 Ina Udonava on Korean Citizenship, Work, and Community

Episode Notes

🎙️ This Korean Life – Episode #144 with Ina Udonava 🌏

What does it really take for a foreign country to become home?

In this episode of This Korean Life, we sit down with Ina Udonava, whose remarkable journey has taken her from growing up in Belarus to building a career, community, and permanent life in South Korea. After first arriving in Korea in 2014, Ina navigated the challenges of adapting to a completely different culture before ultimately making one of the biggest decisions of her life—becoming a naturalized Korean citizen. ✨

We talk about those early years, the culture shocks she encountered, and the gradual transition from feeling like a foreign resident to seeing Korea as home. Ina also reflects on what it means to maintain her Belarusian roots while developing a Korean identity, and why she considers herself a true global citizen. 🌍

But Ina's story goes far beyond adapting to life abroad. As an academic, she brings her international perspective to research and teaching surrounding consumer behavior, digital payments, mobile technology, and the rapidly changing world of Asian business. We explore why Korea has become such a fascinating laboratory for digital innovation and where she believes technology and consumer trends could be heading next. 📱💳

We also dive into Ina's work with International World in Korea (IWIK) in Busan, where she helps create connections between Korea's local and international communities. We discuss what Busan offers that Seoul doesn't, the challenges international residents still face, and what Korean cities can do to make foreign residents feel like genuine participants in their communities rather than temporary visitors. 🤝🌊

Finally, we look at the bigger questions of identity, belonging, citizenship, and putting down roots in another country. What do you keep from the place you came from? What do you adopt from the place you now call home? And can you ever truly belong to both?

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