In a time of growing competition for tertiary education, international students represent an important resource. However, more work is required to detail the factors that influence destination choice in study abroad. Drawing from a representative sample (n = 620) of the adult population over 19 in the Republic of Korea, the present study examined the ideal choice of study abroad destinations for Koreans. The analysis tested for differences in their perceived country image of China, Japan and US and the demographic variables (age, educational attainment and monthly income) of those who selected the European Union, US, or other locations as their ideal primary study choice. ANCOVAs found that only US competence image (p < 0.05) and age (p < 0.01) were significant indicators of destination choice. These results suggest that country image and demographic background are not accurate predictors for destination choice. In fact, individual perceptions may be less important than country-level variables in the initial stages of study abroad destination choice.