Minorities in South Korea

This case study explores the situation of foreigners living in South Korea. The aim of the article is to show how many foreigners live in South Korea and why they choose this country for their destination as well as how they are perceived by the Koreans. Today’s homogeneous Korean society is the result of a long period of isolation as well as the Korean mentality, characterised by a sense of superiority grounded in a pride in the people’s origins and traditions. Researchers today show that there is an increasing number of foreign residents in Korea, a country which attracts foreigners with its cultural richness, wide range of development opportunities and disposable income relative to tax. However, due to the Korean attachment to culture, people coming to the Korean Peninsula have difficulties adopting and developing careers and making friends with the natives. One important turning point in Korean history is the end of the Korean War, when the American army was stationed in various parts of the country for many years. It was the first time the Koreans had been forced to live with such a large group of foreigners from outside of Asia. It is estimated nowadays that about 96% of population of the Republic of South Korea are native Koreans. About two million foreigners make up the remaining 4%.