Foreign visitors browse inside a retail store in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
- Overseas Koreans form the largest group as employment remains high among foreign nationals
Islamabad – The number of foreign nationals living in South Korea reached nearly 1.7 million as of May last year, according to newly released government statistics.
Data published Tuesday by the Statistics Korea showed that the total number of foreign residents aged 15 and above who had stayed in the country for more than 91 days stood at 1.69 million, marking an 8.4 percent increase compared with the previous year.
Among the various categories of foreign residents, overseas Koreans holding foreign citizenship represented the largest share at 24.2 percent. They were followed by non-professional employment visa holders at 19 percent, while international students accounted for 14 percent. Permanent residents made up 9.6 percent of the total.
By nationality, ethnic Koreans from China formed the biggest group, representing 29.9 percent of all foreign residents, followed by nationals from Vietnam, who accounted for 16 percent.
The report also highlighted employment trends among foreign nationals. Around 65.5 percent of foreigners living in the country were employed as of May. Among those working, 10.8 percent said they were seeking new jobs, with low income cited as the main reason.
In terms of earnings, about 32 percent reported a monthly income between 2 million won (approximately $1,362) and 3 million won.
Despite steady employment levels, 12.9 percent of foreign residents said they had experienced financial difficulties during the previous year, according to the data.
BY: Nadeem Faisal Baiga
Leave a Reply