The number of foreigners residing in Korea for more than three months exceeded 2 million for the first tie last year.
Korea JoongAng Daily reports that this highlights the country’s transition into a multicultural society.
According to data released by Statistics Korea, the foreign population as of November 2024 reached 2.04 million. This accounts for 3.9 per cent of the total population. The increase was driven by the expansion of the foreign worker permit system and efforts by local government to attract international students.
Several municipalities now have foreign populations exceeding 10 per cent of their residents. This reflects the growing dependence on migrant workers in construction, agriculture, and manufacturing sectors.
But the country’s maturity as an inclusive society has been called into question after a shocking video emerged from a brick factory in Naju. In the video, a Sri Lankan worker is bound to a pile of bricks and lifted by a forklift while colleagues mocked him.
Foreign workers face structural barriers to speaking out. Under current rules, kif they fail to secure government approval to change employers within 90 days after living a workplace, they risk deportation. This leaves them highly vulnerable to workplace abuse.
Improving public perceptions of foreign workers is also urgent. They sustain industries that many Koreans avoid and fill gaps in the domestic labor market. Although cultural and language differences may slow their adjustment to the fast pace of Korean workplaces, such differences should not be grounds for ridicule or contempt.
