Who Moves and Where Do They Go? Generational Differences in Urban‐to‐Rural Migration in South Korea

ABSTRACT Research on counterurbanization has often emphasized macrolevel structural changes, such as urban expansion and population redistribution, while overlooking the selective nature of migration in relation to individuals' life‐course transitions. Yet, migration between urban and rural areas constitutes a key spatial process mediating major life changes. Drawing on a life‐course perspective, this study examines generational differences in migration determinants and spatial preferences among young and older migrants who relocated from Seoul, South Korea, to rural areas. At the individual level, binary logistic regression identifies factors associated with migration; at the regional level, rural typologies—Creative–Innovation Area, Eco‐Welfare Rural Residential Area, and Remote Agricultural‐Based Area—derived through fuzzy clustering (Fuzzy C‐Means) are incorporated into a multilevel logistic model. The results show that young adults' rural migration is closely associated with life‐course transitions related to family formation and employment conditions, with particularly high mobility observed among non‐employed and career‐interrupted women. In contrast, older adults' migration reflects active‐aging motivations, particularly retirement timing and health status. Regionally, Creative–Innovation Areas attract younger migrants, while Eco‐Welfare and Remote Agricultural‐Based Areas appeal to older migrants. These findings demonstrate that rural areas function as multilayered socio‐spatial arenas that mediate generational life transitions.