German Living in Korea?

Are you a German retiree and looking for a cheap place to retire? Well look no further than South Korea:

In one of the southernmost points of the Korean Peninsula, hours away from the nearest city, a couple of dozen houses with sloping, red-tiled roofs and large white walls dot the side of a hill here. More are under construction, separated from one another by wide, sometimes cobblestone streets.

On closer inspection, as the setting sun enveloped the hill in a warm glow one recent evening, large and, well, German-looking men could be seen standing on a terrace or in a yard next to garden dwarfs and white picket fences. German could be heard, not only from the men, but also from the Koreans here.

Yes that is right folks, there is a German village in South Korea. So who is populating this village? Well Koreans of course:

The authorities here in Namhae County took the invitation a step further by carving this village out of a mountain facing the sea. They offered cheap land and construction subsidies to any Korean nurse or miner who had lived in Germany for at least 20 years, requiring that they build houses in one of five German architectural models. The village will eventually accommodate up to 75 houses.

The village has drawn a small community of Koreans and some Germans, who may not have ever imagined whiling away their retirement days in a corner of South Korea that is visited by few Koreans, though famous for its garlic.

Just what Korea needs a German village with Koreans in it that are not even there:

Not everybody thinks the village project, at $7.5 million, has been a success so far. Ha Young Je, the head of Namhae County, whose predecessor conceived of the German village idea, said some of the house builders still lived in Germany and rented out their homes.

“We give them privileges,” Ha said. “But they go to Germany every nine months to renew their residency there. This becomes a holiday home for them.”

Sign me up for this tourist attraction. What is also interesting about this whole thing is that the above pictured homes don’t really look German when compared to this picture:

Anyway since the residents are moving in and then moving right back out, Namhae now has an even better idea to attract American retirees:

Still, Namhae County – where the population is fast decreasing and aging – is planning to build an American village for Korean-American retirees. This time, Ha said, the county will require the new residents to give up their American citizenship, so that they will live here full time.

Some how I don’t think the Arizona retirement communities are worrying about Namhae county yet.