South Korea’s foreign population hits record 2.73M in June

ISTANBUL

South Korea’s foreign population hit a record 2.73 million, with one in three being Chinese, Yonhap News reported Sunday, citing government data.

As of the end of June, there were 1.56 million registered foreigners in the country, along with 552,419 Koreans holding foreign citizenship, based on immigration figures from the Ministry of Justice. Additionally, 620,403 foreigners were in the country on short-term stays, such as tourism.

Previously, South Korea saw a record 2.52 million foreign residents in 2019, but that number dropped significantly to 1.96 million in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It rebounded to 2.51 million in 2023 and hit a new high of 2.65 million by the end of that year.

By nationality, Chinese made up the largest group at 35.6%, or 972,176, followed by Vietnamese with 341,153, Americans were at 196,664, Thais came in at 173,710, and Uzbeks were 98,457.

More than half of all foreign residents were living in Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area, with others spread across the central Chungcheong region and southern provinces. Nearly half were aged between 20 and 39.

Around 20% held F-4 visas for overseas Koreans, while approximately 12% had E-9 visas for non-professional workers. Other visa types included F-5 permanent residency, D-2 student and B-2 tourist visas.