The Following Year, South Korea Would Become A Multiracial Country.

Next year, South Korea will become a “multiracial and multicultural nation” according to the OECD, with more than 5% foreign nationals. Before South Korea, Japan (2.38%) absorbed foreign labor at a slower rate.

On Oct. 27, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety reported 2.514 million foreign nationals in Korea as of September, or 4.89% of the 51.37 million population. With visas, there are 1.957 million long-term residents and 557,000 short-term residents.

Foreign visitors declined to 3.79% in 2021 owing to COVID-19, but rose to 4.37% last year. Foreign workers entering the nation through job permits have increased, bringing it close to 5% this year. Since COVID-19, the number of international students and workers has increased, and the share of documented foreigners is likely to top 5% of the population for the first time next year, said a Ministry of Public Administration official.

International organizations and census statistics use the 5% foreigner threshold to describe multiracial and multicultural countries. South Korea was the first multiracial nation outside Europe and North America. Japan has only 2.38% foreign-born people (2.99 million out of 125.41 million) after allowing foreign workers in 1989.

Foreign workers are predicted to increase in Korea due to an unprecedentedly low birth rate and an aging population. Korea is becoming Asia’s first multiracial and multicultural nation, thus experts argue the system must be changed. “The ‘5% foreigner’ means that residents will encounter foreigners or people from foreign cultural backgrounds at any time and any place, including schools, workplaces, and streets, and South Korea is the first Asian country to reach this stage,” said Sookmyung Women’s University Graduate School of Public Policy social welfare professor Kim Ok Nyéo.

At least one in 20 residents must be a foreigner, second-generation immigrant, or naturalized citizen to become multiracial and multicultural. The 429,000 unauthorized immigrants in Korea may put the country at 5% foreigners. Adding unauthorized immigrants raises the ratio to 5.72%.

Some think the migratory population, including resident foreigners, may have approached 5%. Working parents and their second-generation children can live in Korea on a compatriot visa, and the number of children born from immigrant marriages is rising. Migrants include naturalized citizens, second-generation immigrants, and birthright residents.

According to the OECD, 4.3% of South Koreans were migrants in 2021. OECD countries with the highest migrant populations were Luxembourg (73.6%), Israel (58.1%), Switzerland (54.1%), Australia (52.6%), and New Zealand (49.2%). Immigration is actively promoted in these nations. However, the US had 26.2% migrants compared to 21.4% in the EU. Turkey (3.0%), Mexico (2.0%), Japan (2.5%), and Bulgaria (3.8%) had the lowest immigration populations.

Some worry that Korea could follow other countries that welcomed foreign labor and faced social and cultural problems as the number of foreigners grows fast. Social issues include complaints against foreigners receiving national health insurance, school discrimination, and religious conflicts may result.

“Migrants will have a significant economic and cultural impact on society if their number exceeds 5%,” said Korea Multicultural Family Support Association President Ahn Hyun Sook. “Therefore, embracing cultural diversity is of utmost importance.”