Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Young-su bows while issuing a public apology during a briefing at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, Monday, after Air Force fighter jets accidentally dropped bombs on residential areas last Thursday. Yonhap
If it seems like there are a lot of foreigners living in South Korea now a days it is because there are compared to the recent past:
The number of foreign residents in Korea reached a record high last year, accounting for more than 5 percent of the country’s total population, justice ministry data showed Monday.
According to the Korea Immigration Service, a justice ministry agency, the number of foreigners living in Korea stood at 2.65 million, making up 5.17 percent of the total population. This marks an increase of 126,127 from the previous high in 2019 and surpasses the 4.89 percent level recorded in 2023.
Over the past decade, Korea has seen a steady rise in foreign residents, from 1.9 million in 2015 to 2.52 million in 2019. Although the numbers declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they rebounded in 2022 and have continued to rise since.
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The USS Carl Vinson arrives at a key naval base in the southeastern city of Busan on March 2, 2025. (Yonhap)
