A foreign worker communicates with his Korean colleague through an AI translator at a construction site in the greater Seoul area, Dec. 10. Yonhap
More than nine out of 10 foreign nationals in Korea wish to extend their stay, according to a report released Tuesday, as the country becomes more diverse and quality of life improves.
The report, compiled jointly by Statistics Korea and the Korea Immigration Service, analyzed the quality of life for 1.56 million foreign residents this year. They included temporary workers, highly skilled professionals, students, ethnic Koreans and spouses of Korean citizens.
Of the respondents, 90.4 percent expressed a desire to remain in Korea after their current stay ends, up from 89.6 percent in 2023. Permanent residents and naturalized Koreans were not included in the survey.
A total of 61.6 percent of the aforementioned respondents this year said they were thinking about extending their visas. The other 16.9 percent seek to secure permanent residency and another 10.3 percent want to acquire Korean citizenship.
The findings come as Korea is on the cusp of becoming a multicultural society, which, according to the OECD, is defined by foreign nationals exceeding 5 percent of the total population. The foreign population reached 4.89 percent in 2023.
In 2023, Korea experienced the second-fastest growth rate of immigrants globally, at 50.9 percent, trailing only the United Kingdom, which saw a 52.9 percent increase, according to the OECD.
Under the circumstances, 84.3 percent of the surveyed foreign nationals said they were satisfied with life in Korea this year. The rate went up from 80.4 percent in 2022.
Over the 2022-24 period, the ratio of those satisfied with their job advanced from 68.6 percent to 72.6 percent.
The ratio of those satisfied with their income also moved up from 53.3 percent to 58.2 percent.
Concerning housing conditions, the ratio of those who are satisfied increased from 79.2 percent to 84 percent.
The 2024 report showed that foreign workers totaled 1.01 million, representing an increase of 87,000 individuals, or 0.2 percentage points, from a year earlier.
It was the first time that the number surpassed the 1 million mark, as Korea is grappling with a declining population and is increasingly relying on immigrant workers to do a range of jobs.
Of the 1.01 million, 956,000 were wage workers, the majority of whom were employed by small and medium-sized enterprises.
A total of 51.2 percent of these wage workers earned a monthly income of between 2 million won ($1,389.94) and 3 million won. The ratio went up from 50.6 percent in 2023.
In the 2022-23 period, those earning 3 million won or more per month also rose from 35.8 percent to 37.1 percent.
When asked about the difficulties of living in Korea, 34.7 percent of foreign nationals surveyed this year responded with "None." However, 29.8 percent identified language as a barrier, while 13 percent cited loneliness.
With regard to discrimination, 17.4 percent of respondents said that they have experienced it.
About 54.5 percent of those who felt they were discriminated against said it was due to their country of origin, while 31.2 percent attributed it to the language barrier.
The victims of discrimination responded passively, with only 15.3 percent publicly addressing the issue.
Among foreign nationals with children, under 18, 35.7 percent reported facing challenges in their children's education, with more than half of which citing difficulty helping with homework. Nearly half of the foreign residents expressed that their children's education costs are burdensome.
When asked to identify the obstacles to becoming a member of Korean society, 44.7 percent cited language as a barrier, while 11.8 percent considered religion a problem.