Immigrants and Expatriates in Korea - South Korea

South Korea

See also: Foreign relations of South Korea and Demographics of South Korea

South Korea is among the world's most ethnically homogeneous nations. Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, South Korea has been far more open to foreign, especially American, influence than its northern brother. South Korea is a homogeneous society with absolute majority of the population of Korean ethnicity. In 1970, an estimated 120,000 Chinese resided in South Korea. However, due to economic restrictions by the South Korean government, the number may have fallen to as low as 21,000. In the 10-year period starting in the late 1990s, the number of Chinese in Korea exploded. It is estimated that there are at least 300,000 and possibly more than 1,000,000 Chinese citizens living in South Korea as permanent residents or illegal immigrants, including Joseonjok (Hangul: 조선족 Hanja: 朝鮮族, Chinese citizens of Korean descent) and Han Chinese. There is a large Chinese community in Seoul's southwestern area (Daerim/Namguro) and a smaller but established community in Seongnam. Ethnic Chinese in Korea are known as Hwagyo (Hangul: 화교 Hanja: 華僑) by the Koreans.

There are migrant workers from Southeast Asia and increasingly from Central Asia (notably Uzbekistan, mostly ethnic Koreans from there, and Mongolians), and in the main cities, particularly Seoul, there is a small but growing number of foreigners related to business and education. The number of marriages between Koreans and foreigners has risen steadily in the past few years. In 2005, 14% of all marriages in South Korea were marriages to foreigners (about 26,000 marriages); most were rural Korean men marrying other Asian women from poor backgrounds. Korean men in age brackets up to their 40s outnumber slightly younger Korean women, both due to a high sex ratio and the drop in the birth rate since the 1960s, leading to a huge demand for wives. Many Korean agencies encourage 'international' marriages to Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipina, Indonesian, and Thai women, adding a new degree of complexity to the issue of ethnicity.

The number of expatriate English teachers hailing from English-speaking nations has increased from less than 1,000 in 1988 to over 20,000 in 2002, and stands at more than 22,000.

There are 28,500 United States military personnel and civilian employees throughout the country, an increasing number of whom are also accompanied by family members.

There were more than 854,000 total foreigners in South Korea in 2008, including migrant workers, English teachers, and imported brides.

Most Koreans still believe that their population is of a single racial bloodline, and Korean media sometimes create the impression that foreigners are dangerous, including requiring HIV/AIDS tests for non-ethnic Korean foreigners who work in South Korea.