2.46 million foreigners living in Korea "the highest ever"...the sight of a multicultural society

[Anchor]
Last year, the number of foreigners residing in Korea reached 2.46 million, breaking the record for the second consecutive year.

With 4.8% of the total population in Korea, Korea is also on the verge of official entry into a multicultural society.

Reporter Kim Hyun-ah reports.

[Reporter]
Like the title of an entertainment program, the term "Korean foreigner" is not unfamiliar.

Last year, the number of foreigners residing in Korea increased 8.9% year-on-year to nearly 2.46 million.

It has been the highest for two consecutive years since 2022, when the daily recovery of COVID-19 began in earnest.

The number of foreign residents compared to the total population is 4.8%, and the OECD's 'multi-racial and multicultural standard' of 5% is at hand.

[Cho Sang-min / Director of Social Integration Support Division, Ministry of Public Administration and Security: The number of foreign residents increased by 200,000 compared to the previous year. The increase in foreign workers and international students accounts for a large proportion. For the time being, we expect the number of foreign residents to continue to increase.

Gyeonggi Province has the highest number of foreign residents by city and province with about 810,000 people, followed by Seoul with about 450,000 people, but
In terms of
growth rate, Jeollanam-do increased by 18.5%, Gyeongnam by 17%, and Ulsan by 15.6%, up more than 7% in all metropolitan governments except Seoul.

The number of areas where foreigners live in each city, county and district also increased to 127, with 28 out of the 30 areas increasing being non-metropolitan areas.

The influx of foreigners is in line with the active efforts of each local government to attract immigrants and international students due to the decline in the fertility rate,

It is time for immigration and population policies that fit our reality.

I'm Kim Hyunah of YTN.


Video editing: Choi Yeon-ho
Design: Park Yoo-dong