Foreigners surpass 1.2 million for the first time

Press Release 대변인실
02) 2110-3009
source - http://www.immigration.go.kr/indeximmeng.html


Foreigners surpass 1.2 million for the first time
- The number of people entering and exiting Korea exceeded 20 million

The number of foreign nationals staying in Korea recorded at 1,208,544 in the first half of 2010, up 4.6% from the previous year. This is the first time Korea saw the number of foreigners within its territory surpassing the 1.2million mark.
Short-term visitors were the main contributor to the increase of foreigners with a rise of 13.5% year on year.
Registered foreigners showed only a slight increase of 0.4% while students and spouse of Korean nationals rose by 8.4% and 8.2% respectively.
The number of overseas Koreans who have reported Korean residence is up by 37.5% backed by eased requirement for acquiring the status.
However the number of illegal aliens shrank by 7.0% as a result of sustained promotion activities and stringent enforcement of laws by the government.
Meanwhile the number of travelers crossing Korea's border topped 20 million for the first time since the data is available, posting a whopping 21% increase year on year. More specifically, outbound Korean travelers jumped by 31.7% and inbound foreign entrants rose only a modest 8.7%.


1. Foreign residents in Korea
As of June 30, 2010, The number of foreign nationals staying in Korea recorded at 1,208,544 in the first half of 2010, up 4.6% from 1,155,654 of the previous year. This is the first time Korea saw the number of foreigners within its territory surpassing the 1.2million mark. The Increase is mainly from the 13.5% rise in the number of foreigners staying in Korea for less than 90 days(270,186) with the purpose of visit including tourism, transition, and short-term business.
The purpose of stay of foreigners living in Korea consist of employment(556,948 or 46.1%), spouse of nationals(136,556 or 11.3%), and students(82,096 or 6.8%) among others.
※ Unskilled employment accounts for 513,402 or 92.2% of employment visa issued for foreigners.
Registered foreigners who live in Korea over 91 days increased only modestly by 0.4% to 876,401.
Chinese nationals took up the largest portion of registered foreigners in Korea( 485,667 or 55.4%) followed by Vietnamese(89,024 or 10.2%), Filippinos(38,971), US citizens(31,535), and the Thai(27,835). Others include Indonesia, Taiwan, Mongolia, and Japan.
The local areas where foreign residents reside the most isGyeonggi (269,670 or 30.8%), Seoul(253,392 or 28.9%), Gyeongnam(54,611), and Incheon(48,652).
Spouse of Korean nationals numbered 136,556, up by 8.2% year on year.
The marriage migrants came mainly from China(66,546 or 48.7%), followed by Vietnam(32,472 or 23.8%), Japan,(10,189) the Philippines, and Cambodia(3,705).
Female spouses accounted for the majority of 87%(118,773), leaving males spouse at only 13%.
Foreigners who came to Korea to study stood at 82,096 posting a substantial 8.4% increase year on year.
Chinese students formed the largest student group followed by Mongolian Vietnamese, Japanese and US citizens. This reveals that most students came from Asian countries(95.3%).
By gender, female students account for 41,477 or 50.5% only slightly higher than 40,619 of male students.
People who came to Korea under the visa status of work-visit recorded 297,756, down 5.2% from the previous year.
By nationality, China rank first with the number of work-visit visa holders amounting 290,710 or 97.6%, leaving Uzbekistan(4,419), Russia(2,069), and Kazakhstan(418) in a distant behind.
Overseas Koreans who reported their Korean residence increased 37.5% to 61,957 taking up 5.1% of total foreigners in Korea.
The dramatic increase of overseas Koreans who reported Korean residence is attributable to eased eligibility requirements for the residence report system.
By nationality, the US tops the list of overseas Koreans who reported their Korean residence with an actual figure of 33.625 or 54.3% while China(13,348 or 21.5%) and Canada(8,686 or 14%) taking up the second and third position respectively.
※ Overseas Koreans who reported residence refers to people who are granted with F-4 status and reported that they have a residence in Korea with the intention to stay in the country over 90 days. These people do not fall under the category of registered foreigners by the Immigration Control Act. These people are issued with residence report number serving as an ID number, enabling them to receive health insurance benefits and engage in employment in any fields except for unskilled areas.
Illegal aliens numbered 174,049, accounting for 14.4% of the total foreigners living in Korea, which is down 7.0% year on year thanks to the sustained promotion efforts and stringent enforcement of laws by the government.
By nationality, China topped the list with number of illegal aliens of 80,474 or 46.2%, followed by Vietnam(14,656 or 8.4%), Thailand, Mongolia, The Philippines, Uzbekistan, and Bangladesh.
The status of stay for people who overstay their visa include tourism and transition at 62,863 or 36.1%, unskilled work at 50,371 or 28.9%, and business/intra-corporate transfer at 24,711.
2. The number of entries and exits in the 2010 first half.
More than 20 million people have crossed Korea's port of entry in the first half for the first time since the record has been kept. This is a whopping 21% improvement from a year earlier.
More specifically, Korean nationals who left from and arrived at Korea numbered 12,171,707 up 31.5% from the previous year whereas foreign nationals stood at 8,191,018, down 8.2% year on year.
The number of Korean nationals who left Korea for an oversea travel showed a sharp increase of 31.7% from a year ago standing at 6,087,838.
The reason why this figure went up by a large margin can be found in the recovery in the Korean economy as well as in the potential demand from people who had been refraining from overseas trips amid the spread of H1N1 flu.
Considering that July and August are a major holiday season, the increase trend is expected to continue in the coming months.

The number of Koreans leaving Korea for 154 countries stood at 5,569,555.
The most visited destinations for Korean travelers was China(1.37 million or 24.5%), Japan(1.03 million or 18.5%), the US(460,000), and Thailand(350,000).
The major age group of Korea travelers who exit the country is people in their 30s(1.24 million) followed by the 40s(1.23 million) and 50s(1.01 million). People in their 30s and 40s account for about half of the outbound Korean travelers(44.3%).
The number of foreigners entering Korea posted at 4,139,263 or up 8.7% from the previous year.
However, despite the fact that a large number of foreigners visited Korea, they matches up to only 68% of Korean nationals traveling abroad. This means the deficit in the tourism industry may continue.
Foreigners entering Korea excluding airline crews numbered at 3,659,178.
By nationality, the largest number of foreigners entering Korea came from Japan(1.45million or 39.6%), China(755,000 or 20.6%), the US(340,000), Taiwan(216,000) and Thailand(108,000) in the descending order.
The number of Chinese tourists who entered Korea increased a whopping 38.3% year on year. This figure is expected to go up even further when the simplified visa procedures for Chinese nationals take hold.
People from Thailand(up 42.6%), Hong Kong(up 7.9%), and the US(up7.3%) increased whereas Japanese tourists(down 4.4%) shrank.

※ Japanese tourists posted a sharp growth of 40% in 2009 year on year and seemed to lose pace in the first quarter. This figure turned to a growth trend since May.
The largest age group of these holiday-makers are people in their 20s standing at 800,000(21.8%) followed by the 30s(800,000) and 40s(730,000). All together people in their 30s and 40s account for about half(43.6%) of foreigners who enter Korea for the given period.

An estimated 2.98 million(72%) people visited Korea with tourism or transition visa, topping the list of foreigners crossing Korea's border in the first half of 2010 leaving airline crew(48,000 or 11.6%) in the distant second, work-visit(146,000) in the third, and business/investment(145,000) in the fourth.
If the trend holds up, the Ministry of Justice expects, the number of people entering and leaving Korea will exceed a remarkable 40 million, a highest record in the history.
The Ministry of Justice has made an unsparing effort to improve services and simplify visa issuance procedures, resulting in more friendly and swift immigration inspection system. This has laid the foundation for Incheon International Airport Immigration Office to win the service award for five consecutive years. In the days ahead, the Ministry of Justice will continue to do its best to provide friendly environment for foreign tourists entering Korea.