Koreans in South Africa - Demography

Demography

From 658 people in 1997—19% of all Koreans on the continent and little larger than the Korean community of 589 people in Ghana—their numbers doubled to 1,356 by 2001 and grew again by 155% to 3,452 in 2005, making then 44% of all Koreans in Africa and nearly five times the size of the next-largest community. Most are located in Johannesburg, with a smaller community in Cape Town. South Korean tourists generally choose Cape Town as their primary destination, due to Table Mountain and other famous natural attractions. By 2011, the Korean population of South Africa had grown another 9% to 4,186. Of South Korean nationals or former nationals in the country, 126 had South African nationality, 1,227 were permanent residents, 954 were international students, and the remaining 1,879 had other types of visas. Most resided in or Gauteng (2,240 people, 54% of all Koreans in the country) or Western Cape (1,800, or 43%). The Korean communities in those two provinces exhibit differing demographic characteristics: the community in Western Cape has a higher proportion of international students, and a sex ratio of 0.75 men for every woman; the community in Gauteng has a higher proportion of permanent residents, and a sex ratio of 1.77 men for every woman.

In 2010, South Korean news reports quoted South Korea's Ministry of Unification as claiming that as many as 1,000 North Korean guestworkers were in South Africa to assist in the construction of stadiums for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, including FNB Stadium (Soccer City). However, in interviews with South African media, project managers at the sites in question denied the reports.