According to information published in the Korea Times in December 2023, the number of foreign nationals residing in Korea reached a record high of 1.43 million in May.

Data released by Statistics Korea also showed a record high of 923,000 foreigners are working in South Korea, with more than half aged 30 or younger.

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Number of foreigners in South Korea to hit record high in 2023. Photo: Korea Times

This trend is in line with the forecast by Statistics Korea that by 2072 in Korea, 1 in 3 people in the working age group of 15-64 will be foreign citizens, if the demographic crisis in Asia's fourth-largest economy is not resolved.

Data compiled in May 2023 showed that the total number of foreign nationals living in South Korea increased 9.9% from a year earlier, and was the highest since 2012, when the South Korean government began compiling the data.

“The increase compared to the same period in 2022 is due to the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to a wave of unskilled workers from abroad and international students coming to Korea,” said a senior official at Statistics Korea.

Of the total 1.43 million foreigners in Korea, 813,000, or 56.8%, are men, and 617,000, or 43.2%, are women. By nationality, there are 201,000 Vietnamese citizens, and 135,000 Chinese citizens.

However, in terms of annual growth, the number of Vietnamese people coming to Korea has increased rapidly to 32,000 people, far exceeding Chinese citizens with an increase of 5,000 people.

In addition, the 923,000 foreigners coming to work in Korea in 2023 also marked an increase compared to the same period in 2022 of 80,000, equivalent to an increase of 9.5%. The mining and manufacturing sectors are the industries that employ the most foreign workers in Korea.

The number of foreign students coming to Korea will also increase by 14.1% in 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 to 188,000. Of which, students from Vietnam account for 38.3%, followed by China with 27.7%, and Uzbekistan with 6.4%.

Vietnamese workers honored as successful examples in Korea

Vietnamese workers honored as successful examples in Korea

Vietnamese citizen Vu Van Giap was awarded by the Korean Ministry of Employment and Labor as a successful example after working in Korea.