South Korea’s Foreign Population Soars To Over Two Million, Marking A Major Milestone In June’s Record Growth

Sunday, July 27, 2025

South Korea has reached a important milestone successful June, pinch its overseas resident organization surpassing 2 million. This maturation reflects nan country’s expanding entreaty arsenic a destination for professionals, students, and workers from astir nan world. Factors specified arsenic nan country’s economical opportunities, divers industries, and beardown acquisition institutions proceed to pull group globally. The emergence successful overseas nationals besides signifies South Korea’s increasing world integration, arsenic nan organization becomes much divers and interconnected pinch world trends. This displacement is expected to lend to nan nation’s continued economical and taste evolution.

The organization of overseas residents and taste Koreans holding overseas citizenship successful South Korea has reached an all-time precocious of 2.73 million, pinch Chinese nationals making up almost a 3rd of this figure, arsenic per nan astir caller authorities study released connected Sunday.

As of nan extremity of June, South Korea had 1.56 cardinal registered overseas nationals, while nan number of taste Koreans holding overseas citizenship stood astatine 552,419, based connected migration information from nan Ministry of Justice. In addition, nan state hosted 620,403 overseas visitors connected short-term stays, including tourists.

This milestone follows a important diminution successful nan overseas organization owed to nan COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to nan pandemic, South Korea’s overseas resident organization had reached a grounds precocious of 2.52 cardinal successful 2019. However, by 2021, nan fig dropped sharply to 1.96 cardinal owed to nan recreation restrictions and disruptions caused by nan world wellness crisis.

After nan pandemic-related decline, nan overseas organization began to recover, rebounding to 2.51 cardinal by 2023. By nan adjacent of past year, nan number of overseas residents had climbed to an all-time precocious of 2.65 million, marking a coagulated betterment and reflecting nan gradual return to normalcy successful world recreation and migration. The latest information shows a 1.5 percent summation compared to nan erstwhile month, continuing this upward trend.

Breaking down nan numbers by nationality, Chinese nationals formed nan largest group among overseas residents, making up 35.6 percent of nan full population, which equates to 972,176 individuals. They were followed by Vietnamese nationals astatine 341,153, Americans astatine 196,664, Thais astatine 173,710, and Uzbeks astatine 98,457. This highlights nan diverseness of South Korea’s overseas population, pinch a important beingness from some neighboring Asian countries and Western nations.

The demographic floor plan of overseas residents successful South Korea besides reveals an absorbing trend, pinch astir half of them being betwixt nan ages of 20 and 39. This property group represents a important information of nan workforce, students, and young professionals who person chosen South Korea arsenic their destination for work, study, aliases business opportunities.

In position of visa status, nan largest group of overseas residents, astir 20 percent, holds F-4 visas, which are issued to overseas Koreans. These individuals are granted residency based connected their taste Korean background. Around 12 percent of overseas residents successful nan state are connected E-9 visas, which are specifically for non-professional workers, specified arsenic laborers successful various sectors. Other important groups see holders of F-5 imperishable residency visas, D-2 student visas, and B-2 tourer visas, which together dress up nan remainder of nan overseas population.

Geographically, complete half of South Korea’s overseas organization resides successful Seoul and its surrounding metropolitan area, which remains nan country’s superior hub for employment, education, and business. The remainder of nan overseas organization is distributed crossed different regions, including nan cardinal Chungcheong area and nan confederate provinces, pinch a notable attraction successful areas adjacent business zones and awesome universities.

The summation successful overseas residents besides reflects nan broader inclination of globalization, arsenic South Korea continues to pull talent, skilled workers, and students from astir nan world. This displacement has contributed to nan increasing diverseness of nan population, bringing caller taste influences, skills, and world perspectives to nan country.

As South Korea continues to unfastened up its borders pursuing nan pandemic, nan number of overseas residents is expected to support rising. This description will play a captious domiciled successful South Korea’s efforts to fortify its world ties, support its economy, and foster a much multicultural society. With continued maturation successful migration and world exchange, nan overseas organization successful South Korea is apt to proceed shaping nan country’s demographic and economical scenery successful nan years to come.