| A 3D installation of Seoul's city brand I.Seoul.U stands in Yeouido Hangang Park. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government |
By Kim Bo-eun
Seoul needs to prepare better to address the needs of the aging foreign population in the city, experts say. The suggestions come at a time when Korea is grappling with the extremely grave demographic challenges of its fast-aging population.
The foreign population in the capital has been getting older over the years ― with those aged over 50 accounting for 36.2 percent as of 2020, up from 28.3 percent in 2019, according to data from the Korean Statistical Information Service. Foreign nationals in their 50s accounted for 20 percent, those in their 60s 13.1 percent and those in their 70s and above 3.1 percent.
With the growing percentage of older foreign residents, local governments need to start preparing to address their needs, experts say.
"Foreign residents face the same needs as their Korean counterparts: access to medical services, and a stable source of income," said Lee Hye-sook, a research fellow in the department of urban society research at Seoul Institute.
Needs also exist for communities where foreign residents can meet and associate with people of the same nationality and cultural background, which the local government can play a role in setting up, she said.
"As the capital and a global city, the time has come for the Seoul government to offer relevant support," Lee said.
Seoul has a higher percentage of foreign national residents that stay for more than five years, compared to other parts of the country, data from the Seoul Institute shows. People of foreign nationality who stay longer in the city are mostly marriage immigrants or ethnic Koreans of foreign nationality. Based on this data, the Seoul government projects that a growing percentage of foreign national residents in the city will spend their senior years here.
Foreign national residents are anticipated to make increasing use of medical care.
"Aged care will be a massive issue ― both residential care and hospital facilities," said Rod Rothwell, a 53-year-old university lecturer in business from Australia who has lived in Korea for more than 25 years. He made the point that foreign national residents would likely have less family support here.
Tim, a Korean American who has resided in Seoul for five years and only wished to be identified by his first name, agreed that medical services will be a concern. "Banking is also very stressful with the online banking setup," he said, which illustrates the need to streamline the process for foreign residents.
| People take the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) at a university in Seoul in this file photo. Korea Times file |
"The foreign population tends to be younger than the local population, as one of the main purposes of entering the country is for work, and different regions show differing concentrations of foreign residents, but it appears necessary to look into the phenomenon," said Woo Hae-bong, head of the center for demographic monitoring and evaluation at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs.
The foreign population of Seoul has grown over the past decade, to account for 4.6 percent of the capital's total population as of 2020. Given the overall growth trend, the number of foreign residents in Seoul is expected to continue increasing in the coming years.
Seoul has the second-highest proportion of foreign residents (20.6 percent) in the country, after Gyeonggi Province with 33.3 percent.
Foreign nationals living in Seoul were categorized into the following: ethnic Koreans of foreign nationality, foreign national workers, international students, marriage migrants, children of foreign national residents and foreign nationals who have obtained Korean nationality.
By nationality, Korean Chinese accounted for 49.2 percent of Seoul's foreign population, followed by Chinese (16.4 percent), American (5.6 percent) and Vietnamese (5.2 percent).
Data showed that foreign residents account for over 10 percent of the populations of several districts in southwestern Seoul ― such as Yeongdeungpo, Geumcheon and Guro districts. Other districts with foreign residents accounting for close to 10 percent are Jung, Yongsan and Jongno districts in central Seoul.