Immigration to South Korea

Immigration to South Korea is rising quickly due to a recent multicultural policy, with over 220,000 accepted in 2014.^[1] This was a 14.1% increase over the previous year - Between 2009 and 2014, the number of immigrants have been rising 9.3% annually. As of August 2016, there are over 2 million foreign immigrants accounting for 4% of the total population.^[2]

From 2018, the South Korean government will actively pursue massive immigration to counter the declining working population from 2017. Nearly 5 million immigrants are needed by 2020, 10 million by 2030 and over 17 million by 2060, at which point immigrants will represent over 44% of the total working population.^[3]

Statistics

Nationalities of legal foreign immigrants in South Korea as of August 2016.^[4]

Rank	Country	Population
1	China	1,045,533
2	United States	150,778
3	Vietnam	144,362
4	Thailand	92,417
5	Philippines	54,182
6	Uzbekistan	53,816
7	Cambodia	45,610
8	Indonesia	42,110
9	Japan	41,236
10	Mongolia	35,091
11	Nepal	33,221
12	Taiwan	30,985
13	Russia	30,098
14	Canada	27,363
15	Sri Lanka	27,360
16	Myanmar	21,534
17	Bangladesh	15,151
18	Pakistan	12,511
19	Hong Kong	11,460
20	India	10,637
21	Australia	9,764
22	United Kingdom	7,896
23	New Zealand	3,917
-	Others	87,846
-	Total	2,034,878

Government agencies

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.^[5]

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.

Migrant laborers

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.^[6]

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.^[7] 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.^[8] Other migrants come from South and Southeast Asia.

Interracial marriage

Since the 21st century, interracial marriages in South Korea have grown rapidly and has become highly diverse today - The number of countries represented by foreign husbands and wives have increased from 88 countries in 2001 to 143 countries in 2015.

In the 1990s, many brides from neighboring Asian nations such as China and Vietnam have originally immigrated to farming communities in South Korea's countryside. Since the 2000s, the trend spread nationwide and diversified to include all women in East and Southeast Asia. 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.

Foreign husbands have also increased significantly. In 2001, there were only 967 foreign husbands living in South Korea. In 2015, 2433 American, 1218 Japanese and 1109 Canadian husbands had settled in the country, along with many from a diverse number of European nations. Korean women have also married significantly more South Asian men from countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India or Iran than Korean men marrying women from these countries. This was also true for African men, such as those from Nigeria, who have visited Korea more often than others. Many husbands from these countries have settled in the country after coming to Korea originally for work experience or study.

Korean men married significantly more women from Post-Soviet states such as Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Belarus than vice versa. This was also true for wives from many Central American nations, some South American nations and all East Asian and Southeast Asian nations.

However, other Asians immigrating to the country to marry Koreans have been consistently declining since 2007, while Western husbands and wives settling in the country with Koreans instead have been consistently rising in the same period.^[9]

Foreign husbands and wives married to Koreans living in South Korea as of 2015^[10]

Rank	Nationality	Husbands	Wives	% Female
1	Vietnam	894	39,953	97.8
2	China	4,689	30,969	89.0
3	China (Ethnically Korean)	7,190	15,940	68.9
4	Japan	1,220	11,641	90.5
5	Philippines	328	11,039	98.0
6	Cambodia	45	4,510	99.0
7	United States	2,440	752	23.4
8	Thailand	75	2,746	97.4
9	Mongolia	104	2,280	95.5
10	Uzbekistan	75	2,066	96.5
11	Canada	1,109	186	14.3
12	Russia	82	1,079	92.9
13	Nepal	149	932	86.0
14	Pakistan	810	105	11.7
15	Taiwan	79	744	90.9
16	United Kingdom	723	69	8.7
17	Indonesia	72	572	88.8
18	Kyrgyzstan	10	472	97.9
19	Australia	316	66	17.3
20	France	311	59	16.2
21	Bangladesh	305	50	14.5
22	Laos	1	301	99.7
23	Sri Lanka	239	61	20.4
24	New Zealand	221	21	8.7
25	Germany	197	49	16.9
26	Hong Kong	44	197	82.0
27	Kazakhstan	12	223	94.9
28	India	152	29	15.8
29	Malaysia	20	132	86.8
30	Russia (Ethnically Korean)	8	136	94.4
31	Nigeria	137	0	0.0
32	Myanmar	36	86	70.6
33	Iran	108	9	7.9
34	South Africa	93	19	17.0
35	Ireland	98	9	8.4
36	Turkey	72	24	25.0
37	Peru	35	58	62.0
38	Mexico	36	50	57.6
39	Italy	69	11	13.9
40	Ukraine	15	62	80.5
41	Morocco	42	36	46.8
42	Spain	48	24	33.3
43	Brazil	32	41	56.3
44	Singapore	22	48	68.6
45	Netherlands	41	6	12.8
46	Poland	21	26	54.3
47	Egypt	41	4	9.3
48	Switzerland	36	6	19.4
49	Sweden	27	12	30.8
50	Romania	6	23	79.3
51	Belarus	5	22	80.8
52	Colombia	10	16	60.0
53	Norway	22	3	12.5
54	Belgium	22	4	13.0
55	Hungary	9	14	59.1
56	Austria	12	8	40.0
57	Denmark	15	1	6.3
56	Argentina	5	10	66.7
57	Tunisia	7	7	50.0
58	Paraguay	2	12	85.7
59	Jordan	12	3	21.4
60	Finland	6	7	53.8
61	Ghana	11	1	8.3
62	Algeria	2	10	83.3
63	Ethiopia	4	8	66.7
64	Israel	8	4	33.3
65	Bulgaria	6	6	50.0
66	Albania	8	3	27.3
67	Greece	10	1	9.1
68	Chile	4	6	60.0
69	Czech Republic	5	4	44.4
70	Portugal	9	1	11.1
71	Guatemala	0	9	100.0
72	Uganda	9	0	0.0
73	Cameroon	6	3	33.3
74	Syria	6	3	33.3
75	Kenya	6	2	25.0
76	Honduras	2	6	75.0
77	Dominican Republic	2	6	75.0
78	Yemen	4	4	50.0
79	Tajikistan	1	8	87.5
80	Ecuador	4	4	50.0
81	Tanzania	6	1	14.3
82	British Virgin Islands	1	6	85.7
83	Bolivia	0	6	100.0
84	Moldova	2	4	66.7
85	Armenia	2	4	66.7
86	Croatia	5	1	16.7
87	Latvia	1	4	80.0
88	Uruguay	1	4	80.0
89	Venezuela	1	4	80.0
90	Turkmenistan	0	4	100.0
91	Afghanistan	5	0	0.0
92	Cuba	3	2	40.0
93	Slovenia	5	1	16.6
94	Nicaragua	0	5	100.0
95	Serbia	3	2	40.0
96	El Salvador	1	3	75.0
97	Democratic Republic of the Congo	4	0	0.0
98	Costa Rica	4	1	20.0
99	Madagascar	0	4	100.0
100	Ivory Coast	4	0	0.0
-	Others	47	25	34.7
-	Total	23,272	128,336	84.6

Recent history

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, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. However, migrants also come from Nigeria, Ghana, Russia, Colombia 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]

Issues with current immigrant policies

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]

Temporary workers and illegal immigrants

Since 1991 Korea has experienced a large influx of foreign workers. Approximately 10,000 Asian workers came to Korea under a newly established trainee program in 1992. In June 1996, there were 57,000 trainees in Korea. Despite its growth, the trainee program also had problems—namely that the trainees became undocumented workers due to wage differentials, and that they were not protected by the Labor Standard Law as they were not considered laborers.

Since 2004, the Korean government has followed the "Employment Permit Program" for foreigners, the product of a decade of interaction between Korean citizens and foreign migrant workers. Legally, foreigners are allowed to enter mainly to fulfill low-wage jobs, and they are excluded from receiving social services. Public opinion data shows that Korean citizens retain a discriminatory attitude towards foreign workers.

Immigration violations of human rights

There are many reports from legal and illegal immigrants which have jailed in many prisons in South Korea because of small problems or misunderstanding their visas for long time. Also, there are some reports about beating and abusing the prisoners. South Korea immigration also forced them to buy the deportation ticket.

Foreign brides and children of multicultural families

Foreign brides and their multicultural children are growing into a major political issue. Sending countries are likely to worry about their immigrants due to deep-rooted discrimination against foreigners in Korea. Now, most immigration into Korea comes from Southeast Asia, and immigrant treatment, particularly if there is abuse of foreign brides, is likely to provoke not only domestic problems, but also diplomatic tension. What immigration there has been, is frequently so focused on the birth-rate problem that it is more properly called bride-importing than immigration.^[15]

The terms "kosian" or "onnurian" refer to a person of mixed heritage, most commonly applied to children of a South Korean father and a Southeast Asian mother.^[16] The term "Kosian" was coined in 1997 by intercultural families to refer to themselves,^[17] but its use spread in the early 2000s as international marriages became increasingly common in rural areas.^[18] It is considered offensive by some who prefer to identify simply as Korean.^[19][20]

Notes and references

External links

• Korea Immigration Service

Immigrants and expatriates in Korea
Pre-Korean division	Chinese French Germans Indians Russians Vietnamese
North Korea	Americans Japanese
South Korea	Brazilians Filipinos Indonesians Jews Malaysians Mongolians Nepalis Pakistanis
See also	Ethnic minorities in North Korea Immigration to South Korea Demographics of North Korea Korean diaspora Immigration policy of South Korea