es ▁and ▁min ers ▁from ▁South ▁Korea ▁to ▁come ▁as ▁Gast arbe iter ; ▁their ▁rec ruit ment ▁of ▁labour ers ▁specifically ▁from ▁South ▁Korea ▁was ▁driven ▁not ▁just ▁by ▁economic ▁necessity , ▁but ▁also ▁by ▁a ▁desire ▁to ▁demonstrate ▁support ▁for ▁a ▁country ▁that , ▁like ▁Germany , ▁had ▁been ▁divided ▁by ▁ide ology . ▁The ▁first ▁group ▁of ▁min ers ▁arrived ▁on ▁ 1 6 ▁December ▁ 1 9 6 3 , ▁under ▁a ▁programme ▁paid ▁for ▁largely ▁by ▁the ▁South ▁Korean ▁government ; ▁German ▁enter pr ises ▁were ▁not ▁responsible ▁for ▁travel ▁costs , ▁but ▁only ▁for ▁w ages ▁and ▁language ▁training . ▁They ▁had ▁high ▁levels ▁of ▁education ▁compared ▁with ▁other ▁Gast arbe iter ▁of ▁the ▁same ▁era ; ▁over ▁ 6 0 % ▁had ▁completed ▁high ▁school ▁or ▁t ert i ary ▁education . ▁N urs es ▁began ▁arriv ing ▁in ▁large ▁numbers ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 6 . ▁Kore ans ▁were ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁few ▁non - Europe an ▁groups ▁rec ru ited ; ▁West ▁German ▁migration ▁policy ▁generally ▁ex cluded ▁workers ▁of ▁African ▁and ▁Asian ▁origin ▁during ▁the ▁ 1 9 5 0 s ▁through ▁ 1 9 7 0 s . ▁After ▁living ▁in ▁Germany , ▁some ▁Kore ans ▁migr ated ▁on wards ▁to ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁under ▁the ▁relax ed ▁entrance ▁standards ▁of ▁the ▁Im m igration ▁and ▁National ity ▁Act ▁of ▁ 1 9 6 5 . ▁Though ▁the ▁South ▁Korean ▁workers ▁came ▁on ▁limited - term ▁contract s ▁and ▁most ▁initially