Immigration to South Korea

Nationalities of foreign residents in South Korea as of December 2018. These figures exclude those who have naturalized. 245,000 Westerners live in South Korea.[3]

Rank	Country	Population
1	China	1,070,566
2	Thailand	197,764
3	Vietnam	196,633
4	United States	151,018
5	Uzbekistan	68,433
6	Japan	60,878
7	Philippines	60,139
8	Russia	54,064
9	Indonesia	47,366
10	Cambodia	47,012
11	Mongolia	46,286
12	Taiwan	41,306
13	Nepal	40,456
14	Kazakhstan	30,717
15	Myanmar	28,074
16	Canada	25,934
17	Sri Lanka	25,828
18	Bangladesh	16,641
19	Australia	14,279
20	Pakistan	13,275
21	Malaysia	12,227
22	Hong Kong	12,119
23	India	11,945
-	Others	94,647
-	Total	2,367,607

Immigration policy is overseen by the Ministry of Justice through the Korea Immigration Service. Related ministries include: Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The Nationality Act, Immigration Control Act, Multicultural Families Support the Act, and Framework Act on Treatment of Foreigners are the foundation of immigration policy in Korea.

The government of Korea initiated a discussion whether to establish independent Immigration Office to accommodate fast-growing immigration and to prepare inclusive and rational immigration policies, from 2003, without progress. The Foreigner Policy Committee headed by the Prime Minister is responsible for coordinating policies concerning foreigners, which had formerly been handled by multiple ministries. However, its role is limited due to a shortage of resources and manpower. Establishing an Immigration Office is expected to solve these problems by concentrating all the related resources and manpower under one umbrella.[4]

According to the UN Recommendations on Statistics of International Migration (revised in 1998), long-term international immigration is recorded after an individual enters a country and establishes his usual place of residence there for more than a year. So, When Korea government build new policies, immigrant laborers and children of illegal migrants should be counted to follow this guideline.

The Republic of Korea is a signatory to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. The Korean government is the competent authority to determine refugee status in Korea.

Korea used to be a migrant-source country, sending farmers, miners, nurses, and workers to the United States, Germany, and the Middle East. The Korean diaspora numbers 6.82 million as of 2009, including 2.34 million in China and 2.1 million in the United States, a slight decline of 220,000 since 2007.[5]

The South Korean economy grew almost non-stop from near zero to over a trillion dollars in less than half a century

Korea experienced government-initiated rapid economic growth from the 1970s on, which has been called the "Miracle on the Han River". Until the end of the 1980s, Korea was able to sustain its development without foreign laborers because it had enough cheap labor. In the 1990s, however, Korea's plummeting birth rate and growing cost of labor caused labor shortages especially in the so-called "3D jobs" (for "dirty, dangerous, and difficult").

Economic development and urbanization led many people to leave rural areas and move to the city in search of jobs and better living conditions. However, according to Confucian norms, the eldest son must remain in the countryside with his parents. A chronic shortage of marriageable women arose in rural areas, and international marriages began to fill this unmet demand. Most international marriage cases are handled by dating service companies that earn a commission.

Many migrant workers live in Korea, particularly in the industrial suburbs of Gyeonggi Province such as Siheung and Ansan, where foreigners account for 7.6% of the population.[6] The largest number of migrants come from China; out of a total of 55,154 D-3 visa holders in 2005, 17,787 were from China.[7] Other migrants come from South and Southeast Asia.

Since the 21st century, number of international marriages in South Korea has grown rapidly. The number of countries represented by foreign husbands and wives has increased from 88 countries in 2001 to 143 countries in 2015.

Starting from late 1990s, a lot of rural areas of South Korea suffered shortages of women, who tended to move to cities more than men. So many men started bringing in women from neighboring Asian countries such as China and Vietnam. The trend reached its peak in the 2000s and started slowing down in 2010s when the government enforced tighter regulations on international marriage, after loads of domestic violence incidents happening from international couples.[8] For example, in 2001 there were 5,700 Japanese wives married to Korean men living in South Korea - Their immigration to Korea more than doubled to 11,631 in 2015.

Korean men married significantly more women from Post-Soviet states such as Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan than vice versa.

Number of western husbands and wives settling in the country with Korean spouses have been consistently rising.[9]

Spouses of Korean nationals can acquire Korean citizenship more easily than other foreigners. For this reason thousands of spouses naturalize every year.

Foreign husbands and wives married to Koreans living in South Korea as of 2018[10]

Rank	Nationality	Total	Husbands	Wives
1	China	58,706	12,710	45,996
2	Vietnam	42,460	2,182	40,278
3	Japan	13,738	1,231	12,507
4	Philippines	11,836	419	11,417
5	Cambodia	4,496	217	4,279
6	Thailand	4,411	96	4,315
7	United States	3,658	2,683	975
8	Mongolia	2,438	147	2,291
9	Uzbekistan	2,425	114	2,311
10	Russia	1,494	109	1,385
11	Canada	1,320	1,102	218
12	Taiwan	1,213	94	1119
13	Nepal	901	172	729
-	Others	10,110	5,539	4,571
-	Total	159,206	26,815	132,391

In 2007 the UN declared Korea an official receiving country. The number of foreigners in South Korea grew from 390,000 in 1997 to 1 million in 2007. Among these are 630,000 temporary laborers, as well as 100,000 foreigners married to South Korean nationals. Furthermore, there are 230,000 illegal immigrants.

Main sending countries are Asian countries, such as China, Vietnam, Mongolia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Uzbekistan. There are also migrants from Nigeria, Ghana, Russia, and the United States.[11]

From June 14, 1998, those who have at least one Korean parent are automatically granted Korean nationality from birth, regardless of their decisions on whether to choose the nationality of the foreign parent or the country of birth (if born outside Korea).

Requirements for General Naturalization include:

• Must have had domicile address in R.O.K. for more than five consecutive years
• Must be a legal adult according to Korean Civil Law
• Must have good conduct
• Must have the ability to maintain living on his/her own assets or skills; or is a dependent member of a family so capable. Applicants must have basic knowledge befitting a Korean national; such as understanding of the Korean language, customs and culture

The South Korean Government says it wants to create a multicultural society and foreigner-friendly environment.[12]

As described in the new national plan for immigration policy, the government claims a world-class Korea welcoming of foreigners. However, critics argue that the government's goals and policies are fundamentally discriminatory. In response, the South Korean government introduced new regulations in April 2014, which meant foreign spouses would have to pass a Korean-language proficiency test and earn a minimum wage of $14,000.[13][14]

• Refugees in South Korea

• Korea Immigration Service