Ethnic Composition of South Korea: 99.8% Korean

South Korea is one of the world's most ethnically homogeneous nations.

• Ethnic Koreans: 99.8% (~51.5 million of 51.7M total, 2023).
• Foreign residents: ~2.3% (1.2M) — mostly Chinese (Joseonjok/Chaoxianzu), Vietnamese, Thai, American, Uzbek, Russian, Filipino, Mongolian. Many are ethnic Koreans with foreign citizenship.
• Naturalized citizens / multicultural families: Growing rapidly (~300,000+), but still <1% of total.

Minority Groups

• Chinese (Joseonjok): ~700,000 — ethnic Koreans from China (Jilin, Liaoning, Heilongjiang); distinct dialect, culture.
• Vietnamese: ~200,000 — marriage migrants, workers, students.
• Others: Filipinos, Thais, Uzbeks, Mongolians, Americans, Canadians — mostly professionals, spouses, students.
• North Korean defectors: ~34,000 (resettled, South Korean citizens).

Government policy (since 2000s) promotes multicultural families support centers, but social integration challenges persist. The 2020 census was the first to collect detailed ethnicity data.