Immigration — South Korea · Synthesis
A long homogeneous and closed society cautiously opening up under the pressure of the world's lowest fertility rate — workers, international marriages and students.
Citoyen synthesis for the Immigration category in South Korea. Grounded in the sector's quantitative data (Ministry of Justice, Statistics Korea, OECD). All values are the latest realized observation available — never a forecast. Assessments are kept distinct from sourced facts. Data last updated: June 2026.
1. State of play — where immigration stands
A small but growing foreign share. Foreign residents represent a still-small share of the population (of the order of 4 to 5%), but rising. South Korea has long been a homogeneous society little open to permanent immigration.
Opening under demographic pressure. The world's lowest fertility rate and lightning-fast ageing (see Economy and Health categories) are pushing South Korea to open more to foreign workers, out of economic necessity — as Japan is doing.
Workers and employment permits. South Korea uses foreign worker programmes (the Employment Permit System 'EPS') for sectors facing shortages (industry, agriculture, care, construction), often drawing from South-East Asia.
'Multicultural families'. International marriages (often between Korean men in rural areas and foreign women) have created 'multicultural families', slowly transforming a homogeneous society and raising integration challenges.
International students. The intake of international students is growing, supported by cultural attractiveness ('hallyu', the Korean Wave) and the needs of universities facing demographic decline (see Education category).
“Long a homogeneous society, South Korea is opening up to immigration out of demographic necessity, as Japan is.”
2. Outlook — where immigration is heading
A demographic necessity. The demographic crisis makes labour immigration increasingly necessary; the challenge is to attract and integrate in a society unused to immigration.
Expanding work programmes. Expanding foreign worker programmes and reflecting on more lasting immigration are on the agenda, in a sensitive social debate.
Integration and discrimination. The integration of foreign workers and multicultural families, and the fight against discrimination, are growing challenges.
Social acceptability. The evolution of public opinion on immigration, in a historically homogeneous society, determines the pace of opening.
The open questions. Three issues will shape the period: (1) opening up under demographic pressure; (2) expanding work programmes; (3) achieving integration and combating discrimination.
“'Multicultural families' (international marriages) and foreign workers are slowly transforming the society.”
3. International comparison — South Korea among its peers
Placed in its environment, South Korea is, like Japan, a long-closed society cautiously opening out of demographic necessity.
Three takeaways. (1) A small but larger share than Japan. At ≈ 4–5%, the South Korean foreign share is larger than Japan's (≈ 2–3%), but far below Germany (≈ 19%), France (≈ 13%) and the EU average.
(2) A demographic turning point. Like Japan, South Korea is opening its doors under pressure from the world's lowest fertility rate.
(3) Specific forms. 'Multicultural families' (international marriages) are a particularly prominent immigration pathway in South Korea.
International comparison — immigration
| Country | Immigrants / foreigners (% pop.) | Profile | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | ≈ 19% | asylum / work | high |
| France | ≈ 13% | family / student | moderate |
| European Union | ≈ 13–14% | variable | varied |
| Japan | ≈ 2–3% | work (opening) | cautious turning point |
| South Korea | ≈ 4–5% | work / marriages | recent opening |
Sources: Ministry of Justice, Statistics Korea, OECD. The share measures foreign residents (a narrower definition than 'foreign-born'). '≈' denotes a rounding.
Data mobilized (data-journalism base)
| Data | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign share (population) | ≈ 4–5% | Ministry of Justice / Statistics Korea (Citoyen chart) |
| Trend | cautious opening | Ministry of Justice |
| Workers (EPS) | employment permit programmes | Ministry of Employment |
| Multicultural families | international marriages | Statistics Korea |
| Driver | world's lowest fertility rate | Statistics Korea |
Sources (national analyses and references)
Ministry of Justice (foreign residents, visas) · Ministry of Employment and Labour (EPS system) · Statistics Korea (multicultural families) · OECD (International Migration Outlook).
Methodological note — the synthesis keeps sourced facts distinct from assessments, stays neutral, dates each figure, and does not extrapolate beyond the sources. The share measures foreign residents, a narrower definition than 'foreign-born'. All values are the latest realized observation available (no forecast). Note generated by AI, human review required. Same safeguards as the rest of the observatory.