Difference between revisions of "Demographics of South Korea" - New World Encyclopedia

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The [[Korea]]n people are the most homogeneous people on earth. Although many nations have invaded and occupied Korea, and some have left their genetic marks, for the most part Koreans have maintained their racial purity. Although racial purity is one reason the Korean people have survived as a nation until today, that is not the fundamental reason. The fundamental reason for the survival and prosperity of the Korean people in the face of numerous challenges lies in their cultural heritage, their religious and philosophical traditions.
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==Background==
 
==Background==
Although a variety of different [[Asian]] peoples had migrated to the [[Korean Peninsula]] in past centuries, very few have remained permanently, so by 1990 both [[South Korea]] and [[North Korea]] were among the world's most ethnically homogeneous nations. The number of indigenous minorities was negligible. In South Korea, people of foreign origin, including [[Westerners]], [[Han Chinese|Chinese]], and [[Japanese people|Japanese]], were a small percentage of the population whose residence was generally temporary.  
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[[Image:KimLiPark.png|thumb|left|150px|Percentages of Kim Li Park clans in South Korea]]
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Although a variety of different [[Asian]] peoples had migrated to the [[Korean Peninsula]] in past centuries, few have remained permanently, so by 1990 both [[South Korea]] and [[North Korea]] numbered among the world's most ethnically homogeneous nations. The indigenous minorities population amounted to negligible number. In South Korea, people of foreign origin, including [[Westerners]], [[Han Chinese|Chinese]], and [[Japanese people|Japanese]], amounted to a small percentage of the population who generally resided in the country temporarily.  
  
[[Image:KimLiPark.png|thumb|left|150px|Kim Li Park]]
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Like their Japanese neighbors, Koreans tend to equate [[nationality]] or [[citizenship]] with membership in a single, homogeneous [[ethnic group]] or "[[race]]" (minjok, in Korean). Koreans view a common language and culture as important elements in Korean identity. The idea of multiracial or multi-ethnic [[nation-state|nations]], like [[India]] or the [[United States]], strikes many Koreans as odd or even contradictory. That consciousness of [[homogeneity]] constitutes a major reason why Koreans on both sides of the [[DMZ]] viewed their country's division as an unnatural and unnecessary tragedy.
Like their Japanese neighbors, Koreans tend to equate [[nationality]] or [[citizenship]] with membership in a single, homogeneous [[ethnic group]] or "[[race]]" (minjok, in Korean). A common language and culture also are viewed as important elements in Korean identity. The idea of multiracial or multiethnic nations, like [[India]] or the [[United States]], strikes many Koreans as odd or even contradictory. Consciousness of [[homogeneity]] is a major reason why Koreans on both sides of the [[DMZ]] viewed their country's division as an unnatural and unnecessary tragedy.
 
  
 
===Regional differences===
 
===Regional differences===
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[[Image:Gwangju city - view apts.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A view of Gwangju (in South Korea) that shows one of the world cup stadiums.]]
 
Against the background of ethnic homogeneity, however, significant regional differences exist.  
 
Against the background of ethnic homogeneity, however, significant regional differences exist.  
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Within South Korea, the most important regional difference exists between the [[Gyeongsang]] region, embracing [[Gyeongsangbuk-do]] and [[Gyeongsangnam-do]] provinces in the southeast, and the [[Jeolla]] region, embracing [[Jeollabuk-do]] and [[Jeollanam-do]] provinces in the southwest. The two regions, separated by the [[Jirisan]] Massif, nurture a rivalry said to reach back to the [[Three Kingdoms of Korea]] Period, which lasted from the fourth century to the seventh century C.E., when the kingdoms of [[Baekje]] and [[Silla]] struggled for control of the peninsula. Observers noted that interregional marriages rarely occur, and that as of 1990 a new four lane highway completed in 1984 between [[Gwangju]] and [[Daegu]], the capitals of Jeollanam-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do provinces, have been unsuccessful in promoting travel between the two areas.
  
Within South Korea, the most important regional difference is between the [[Gyeongsang]] region, embracing [[Gyeongsangbuk-do]] and [[Gyeongsangnam-do]] provinces in the southeast, and the [[Jeolla]] region, embracing [[Jeollabuk-do]] and [[Jeollanam-do]] provinces in the southwest. The two regions, separated by the [[Jirisan]] Massif, nurture a rivalry said to reach back to the [[Three Kingdoms of Korea]] Period, which lasted from the fourth century to the seventh century C.E., when the kingdoms of [[Baekje]] and [[Silla]] struggled for control of the peninsula.
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South Korea's political elite, including presidents [[Park Chung Hee]], [[Chun Doo Hwan]], and [[Roh Tae Woo]], have come mainly from the Gyeongsang region. As a result, Gyeongsang has been a special beneficiary of government development assistance. By contrast, the Jeolla region has remained comparatively rural, undeveloped, and poor. Chronically disaffected, its people rightly or wrongly have a reputation for rebelliousness. Regional bitterness intensified with the May 1980 [[Gwangju massacre]], in which government troops sent to quell an insurrection killed about 200 and perhaps many more inhabitants of the capital of [[Jeollanam-do]]. Many of the troops reportedly hailed from the Gyeongsang region.
 
 
Observers noted that interregional marriages are rare, and that as of 1990 a new four lane highway completed in 1984 between [[Gwangju]] and [[Daegu]], the capitals of [[Jeollanam-do]] and [[Gyeongsangbuk-do]] provinces, had not been successful in promoting travel between the two areas.
 
 
 
South Korea's political elite, including presidents [[Park Chung Hee]], [[Chun Doo Hwan]], and [[Roh Tae Woo]], have come largely from the Gyeongsang region. As a result, Gyeongsang has been a special beneficiary of government development assistance. By contrast, the Jeolla region has remained comparatively rural, undeveloped, and poor. Chronically disaffected, its people rightly or wrongly have a reputation for rebelliousness.  
 
 
 
Regional bitterness was intensified by the May 1980 [[Gwangju massacre]], in which about 200 and perhaps many more inhabitants of the capital of [[Jeollanam-do]] were killed by government troops sent to quell an insurrection. Many of the troops reportedly were from the Gyeongsang region.
 
  
 
==Stereotypes==
 
==Stereotypes==
Regional stereotypes, like regional dialects, have been breaking down under the influence of centralized education, nationwide media, and the several decades of population movement since the [[Korean War]]. Stereotypes remain important, however, in the eyes of many South Koreans.  
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Regional stereotypes, like regional dialects, have been breaking down under the influence of centralized education, nationwide media, and the several decades of population movement since the [[Korean War]]. Stereotypes remain important in the eyes of many [[South Korea]]ns. For example, Koreans tend to describe the people of [[Gyeonggi-do]], surrounding [[Seoul]], as cultured, and [[Chungcheong]] people, inhabiting the region embracing [[Chungcheongbuk-do]] and [[Chungcheongnam-do]] provinces, mild-mannered, manifesting true [[yangban]] virtues. The people view those from [[Gangwon-do (South Korea)|Gangwon-do]] in the northeast as poor and stolid, while Koreans perceive those from the northern provinces (now in [[North Korea]]) of [[Pyongan]], [[Hwanghae]], and [[Hamgyong]] as diligent and aggressive. [[Jeju]] Island is famous for its strong-minded and independent women.
For example, the people of [[Gyeonggi-do]], surrounding [[Seoul]], are often described as being cultured, and [[Chungcheong]] people, inhabiting the region embracing [[Chungcheongbuk-do]] and [[Chungcheongnam-do]] provinces, are thought to be mild-mannered, manifesting true [[yangban]] virtues. The people of [[Gangwon-do (South Korea)|Gangwon-do]] in the northeast were viewed as poor and stolid, while Koreans from the northern provinces (now in [[North Korea]]) of [[Pyongan]], [[Hwanghae]], and [[Hamgyong]] are perceived as being diligent and aggressive. [[Jeju]] Island is famous for its strong-minded and independent women.
 
  
 
==Population trends==
 
==Population trends==
The population of South Korea has grown rapidly since the republic's establishment in 1948. In the first official census, taken in 1949, the total population of South Korea was calculated at 20,188,641 people. The 1985 census total was 40,466,577. Population growth was slow, averaging about 1.1 percent annually during the period from 1949 to 1955, when the population registered at 21.5 million. Growth accelerated between 1955 and 1966 to 29.2 million or an annual average of 2.8 percent, but declined significantly during the period 1966 to 1985 to an annual average of 1.7 percent. Thereafter, the annual average growth rate was estimated to be less than 1 percent, similar to the low growth rates of most industrialized countries and to the target figure set by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs for the 1990s. As of [[January 1]], 1989, the population of South Korea was estimated to be approximately 42.2 million.
 
 
[[Image:Seoul-Namdaemun.Market-02.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Namdaemun Market Scene]]
 
The proportion of the total population under fifteen years of age has risen and fallen with the growth rate. In 1955 approximately 41.2 percent of the population was under fifteen years of age, a percentage that rose to 43.5 percent in 1966 before falling to 38.3 percent in 1975, 34.2 percent in 1980, and 29.9 percent in 1985. In the past, the large proportion of children relative to the total population put great strains on the country's economy, particularly because substantial resources were invested in education facilities. With the slowdown in the population growth rate and a rise in the median age (from 18.7 years to 21.8 years between 1960 and 1980), the age structure of the population has begun to resemble the columnar pattern typical of developed countries, rather than the pyramidal pattern found in most parts of the Third World.
 
 
The decline in the population growth rate and in the proportion of people under fifteen years of age after 1966 reflected the success of official and unofficial birth control programs. The government of President Syngman Rhee (1948-60) was conservative in such matters. Although Christian churches initiated a family planning campaign in 1957, it was not until 1962 that the government of Park Chung Hee, alarmed at the way in which the rapidly increasing population was undermining economic growth, began a nationwide family planning program. Other factors that contributed to a slowdown in population growth included urbanization, later marriage ages for both men and women, higher education levels, a greater number of women in the labor force, and better health standards.
 
 
Public and private agencies involved in family planning included the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Planned Parenthood Federation of Korea, and the Korea Institute of Family Planning. In the late 1980s, their activities included distribution of free birth control devices and information, classes for women on family planning methods, and the granting of special subsidies and privileges (such as low-interest housing loans) to parents who agreed to undergo sterilization. There were 502,000 South Koreans sterilized in 1984, as compared with 426,000 in the previous year.
 
  
The 1973 Maternal and Child Health Law legalized abortion. In 1983 the government began suspending medical insurance benefits for maternal care for pregnant women with three or more children. It also denied tax deductions for education expenses to parents with two or more children.
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The population of [[South Korea]] has grown rapidly since the republic's establishment in 1948. In 1949, South Koreans numbered 20,188,641 people, by 1985 that number doubled to 40,466,577. Population growth average about 1.1 percent annually from 1949 to 1955, accelerating between 1955 and 1966 to an annual average of 2.8 percent, declining between 1966 to 1985 to an annual average of 1.7 percent. The population growth rate has slowed to 0.4 percent in 2003, a rate expected to continue through 2015. By 2003, the population in South Korea reached an estimated 47,700,000.
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[[Image:Seoul-Namdaemun.Market-02.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Namdaemun Market Scene]]
  
As in China, cultural attitudes pose problems for family planning programs. A strong preference for sons—who in Korea's Confucian value system are expected to care for their parents in old age and carry on the family namemeans that parents with only daughters usually continue to have children until a son is born. The government has encouraged married couples to have only one child. This has been a prominent theme in public service advertising, which stresses "have a single child and raise it well."
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In 1955 41.2 percent of the population were under 15 years-of-age, falling to 38.3 percent in 1975, 34.2 percent in 1980, 29.9 percent in 1985, and 20 percent in 2002. In 2002, 68 percent of the population were 15 to 59 years-old, while 12 percent were 60 years-old or over. The slowdown in the population growth rate and a rise in the median age has begun to resemble developed countries.  
  
Total fertility rates (the average number of births a woman will have during her lifetime) fell from 6.1 births per female in 1960 to 4.2 in 1970, 2.8 in 1980, and 2.4 in 1984. The number of live births, recorded as 711,810 in 1978, grew to a high of 917,860 in 1982. This development stirred apprehensions among family planning experts of a new "baby boom." By 1986, however, the number of live births had declined to 806,041.
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The decline in the population growth rate after 1966 reflected the success of birth control programs. In 1962, the government of [[Park Chung Hee]] began a nationwide family planning program. Urbanization, later marriage ages for both men and women, higher education levels, a greater number of women in the labor force, and better health standards also lowered the population growth rate. In the late 1980s, the programs of distributing free birth control devices and information, classes for women on family planning methods, and the granting of special subsidies and privileges (such as low-interest housing loans) to parents who agreed to undergo sterilization retarded birth rates.
  
Given the size and age structure of the population in 1990, however, substantial increases are expected over the next few decades. According to the government's Economic Planning Board, the country's population will increase to between 46 and 48 million by the end of the twentieth century, with growth rates ranging between 0.9 and 1.2 percent. The population is expected to stabilize (that is, cease to grow) in the year 2023 at around 52.6 million people. In the words of Asiaweek magazine, the "stabilized tally will approximate the number of Filipinos in 1983, but squeezed into less than a third of their [the Philippines'] space."  
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The 1973 Maternal and Child Health Law legalized abortion. In 1983, the government began suspending medical insurance benefits for maternal care for pregnant women with three or more children, denying tax deductions for education expenses to parents with two or more children. As in [[China]], cultural attitudes pose problems for family planning programs. Korean parents have a strong preference for sons—who in Korea's [[Korean Confucianism|Confucian]] value system—they expect to care for them in old age and carry on the family name—means that parents with only daughters usually continue to have children until a son is born. The government has encouraged married couples to have only one child, promoting the theme in public service advertising, which stresses "have a single child and raise it well."
  
There were 452,000 births in 2006 (BR of 9.22) compared to 438,000 in 2005 (BR of 8.97). The birth rate in South Korea is one of the lowest in the world.
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In 2002, the age distribution in [[South Korea]] reached the following: 1–14 20 percent, 15–59 68 percent, 60+ 12 percent. Korean government expects the population to stabilize by the year 2023 at around 52.6 million people. In the words of Asiaweek magazine, the "stabilized tally will approximate the number of Filipinos in 1983, but squeezed into less than a third of their [the [[Philippines]]'] space." Korean mothers gave birth to 452,000 babies in 2006 (BR of 9.22) compared to 438,000 in 2005 (BR of 8.97), making birth rate in South Korea one of the lowest in the world.
  
 
===Population settlement patterns===
 
===Population settlement patterns===
South Korea was one of the world's most densely populated countries, with an estimated 425 people per square kilometer in 1989—over sixteen times the average population density of the United States in the late 1980s. By comparison, China had an estimated 114 people, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) 246 people, and Japan 323 people per square kilometer in the late 1980s. Because about 70 percent of South Korea's land area is mountainous and the population is concentrated in the lowland areas, actual population densities were in general greater than the average. As early as 1975, it was estimated that the density of South Korea's thirty-five cities, each of which had a population of 50,000 or more inhabitants, was 3,700 people per square kilometer. Because of continued migration to urban areas, the figure was doubtless higher in the late 1980s.
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[[Image:Seoul Building63.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Tallest Building in Korea]]South Korea stands as one of the world's most densely populated countries, with an estimated 482 people per square kilometer in 2003. About 70 percent of [[South Korea]]'s land area [[Geography of South Korea|mountainous]], forcing the population to concentrate in the lowland areas in densities greater than average.  
 
 
[[Image:Seoul Building63.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Tallest Building in Korea]]
 
In 1988 Seoul had a population density of 17,030 people per square kilometer as compared with 13,816 people per square kilometer in 1980. The second largest city, Pusan, had a density of 8,504 people per square kilometer in 1988 as compared with 7,272 people in 1980. Kyonggi Province, which surrounds the capital and contains Inch'on, the country's fourth largest city, was the most densely populated province; Kangwon Province in the northeast was the least densely populated province.
 
  
The extreme crowding in South Korea in 1990 was a major factor not only in economic development and in the standard of living but also in the development of social attitudes and human relationships. More than most other peoples, South Koreans have had to learn to live peacefully with each other in small, crowded spaces, in which the competition for limited resources, including space itself, is intense. Continued population growth means that the shortage of space for living and working will grow more severe. According to the government's Economic Planning Board, the population density will be 530 people per square kilometer by 2023, the year the population is expected to stabilize.  
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The extreme crowding in [[South Korea]] in 1990 proved a major factor not only in economic development and in the standard of living but also in the development of social attitudes and human relationships. Continued population growth means that the shortage of space for living and working will grow more severe. According to the government's Economic Planning Board, the population density will be 530 people per square kilometer by 2023, the year of expected population stabilization.
  
 
===Urbanization===
 
===Urbanization===
Like other newly industrializing economies, South Korea experienced rapid growth of urban areas caused by the migration of large numbers of people from the countryside. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Seoul, by far the largest urban settlement, had a population of about 190,000 people. There was a striking contrast with Japan, where Edo (Tokyo) had as many as 1 million inhabitants and the urban population comprised as much as 10 to 15 percent of the total during the Tokugawa Period (1600-1868). During the closing years of the Choson Dynasty and the first years of Japanese colonial rule, the urban population of Korea was no more than 3 percent of the total. After 1930, when the Japanese began industrial development on the Korean Peninsula, particularly in the northern provinces adjacent to Manchuria, the urban portion of the population began to grow, reaching 11.6 percent for all of Korea in 1940.
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South Korea's urban areas experienced rapid growth as farmers migrated to city factory jobs. [[Seoul]] had a population of about 190,000 people in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. During the closing years of the [[Joseon Dynasty]], and the first years of [[Korea under Japanese rule|Japanese colonial rule]], the urban population of Korea amounted to three percent of the total. The urban portion of the population grew to 11.6 percent in 1940. Between 1945 and 1985, the urban population grew from 14.5 percent to 65.4 percent of the total population.  
 
 
[[Image:Seoul-Samsungdong-buildings-01.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Seoul Samsungdong Buildings]]
 
Between 1945 and 1985, the urban population of South Korea grew from 14.5 percent to 65.4 percent of the total population. In 1988 the Economic Planning Board estimated that the urban portion of the population will reach 78.3 percent by the end of the twentieth century. Most of this urban increase was attributable to migration rather than to natural growth of the urban population. Urban birth rates have generally been lower than the national average. The extent of urbanization in South Korea, however, is not fully revealed in these statistics. Urban population was defined in the national census as being restricted to those municipalities with 50,000 or more inhabitants. Although many settlements with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants were satellite towns of Seoul or other large cities or mining communities in northeastern Kangwon Province, which would be considered urban in terms of the living conditions and occupations of the inhabitants, they still were officially classified as rural.
 
 
 
The dislocation caused by the Korean War accounted for the rapid increase in urban population during the early 1950s. Hundreds of thousands of refugees, many of them from North Korea, streamed into the cities. During the post-Korean War period, rural people left their ancestral villages in search of greater economic and educational opportunities in the cities. By the late 1960s, migration had become a serious problem, not only because cities were terribly overcrowded, but also because the rural areas were losing the most youthful and productive members of their labor force.
 
 
 
In the early 1970s, the Park Chung Hee government launched the Saemaul undong (New Community Movement) as a rural reconstruction and self-help movement to improve economic conditions in the villages, close the wide gap in income between rural and urban areas, and stem urban migration—as well as to build a political base. Despite a huge amount of governmentsponsored publicity, especially during the Park era, it was not clear by the late 1980s that the Saemaul undong had achieved its objectives. By that time many, if not most, farming and fishing villages consisted of older persons; relatively few able-bodied men and women remained to work in the fields or to fish. This trend was apparent in government statistics for the 1986-87 period: the proportion of people fifty years old or older living in farming communities grew from 28.7 percent in 1986 to 30.6 percent in 1987, while the number of people in their twenties living in farming communities declined from 11.3 percent to 10.8 percent. The nationwide percentages for people fifty years old or older and in their twenties were, in 1986, 14.9 percent and 20.2 percent, respectively (see Agriculture , ch. 3).
 
  
[[Image:Seoul nighview.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Night View of Seoul]]
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By the end of the twentieth century, the urban population reached 78.3 percent. Demographers attribute most of that urban increase to migration rather than to natural growth of the urban population. Urban birth rates have generally been lower than the national average. The urban population reaching 84 percent of the total population in 2003.  
In 1985 the largest cities were Seoul (9,645,932 inhabitants), Pusan (3,516,807), Taegu (2,030,672), Inch'on (1,387,491), Kwangju (906,129), and Taejon (866,695). According to government statistics, the population of Seoul, one of the world's largest cities, surpassed 10 million people in late 1988. Seoul's average annual population growth rate during the late 1980s was more than 3 percent. Two-thirds of this growth was attributable to migration rather than to natural increase. Surveys revealed that "new employment or seeking a new job," "job transfer," and "business" were major reasons given by new immigrants for coming to the capital. Other factors cited by immigrants included "education" and "a more convenient area to live."
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[[Image:Seoul-Samsungdong-buildings-01.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Seoul Samsungdong Buildings]]
  
To alleviate overcrowding in Seoul's downtown area, the city government drew up a master plan in the mid-1980s that envisioned the development of four "core zones" by 2000: the original downtown area, Yongdongp'o-Yoido, Yongdong, and Ch'amsil. Satellite towns also would be established or expanded. In the late 1980s, statistics revealed that the daytime or commuter population of downtown Seoul was as much as six times the officially registered population. If the master plan is successful, many commuters will travel to work in a core area nearer their homes, and the downtown area's daytime population will decrease. Many government ministries have been moved out of Seoul, and the army, navy, and air force headquarters have been relocated to Taejon.
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The dislocation caused by the [[Korean War]] accounted for the rapid increase in urban population during the early 1950s. Hundreds of thousands of refugees, many of them from [[North Korea]], streamed into the cities. During the post-Korean War period, rural people left their ancestral villages in search of greater economic and educational opportunities in the cities. By the late 1960s, migration had become a serious problem, not only because of terrible overcrowding in the cities, but also because the rural areas lost the most youthful and productive members of their labor force.
  
In 1985 the population of Seoul constituted 23.8 percent of the national total. Provincial cities, however, experienced equal and, in many cases, greater expansion than the capital. Growth was particularly spectacular in the southeastern coastal region, which encompasses the port cities of Pusan, Masan, Yosu, Chinhae, Ulsan, and P'ohang. Census figures show that Ulsan's population increased eighteenfold, growing from 30,000 to 551,300 inhabitants between 1960 and 1985. With the exception of Yosu, all of these cities are in South Kyongsang Province, a region that has been an especially favored recipient of government development projects. By comparison, the population of Kwangju, capital of South Cholla Province, increased less than threefold between 1960 and 1985, growing from 315,000 to 906,129 inhabitants.
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In the early 1970s, the [[Park Chung Hee]] government launched the [[Saemaul undong]] (New Community Movement) as a rural reconstruction and self-help movement to improve economic conditions in the villages, close the wide gap in income between rural and urban areas, and stem urban migration. By the 1970s, many, if not most, farming and fishing villages consisted of older persons; relatively few able-bodied men and women remained to work in the fields or to fish.  
  
Rapid urban growth has brought familiar problems to developed and developing countries alike. The construction of large numbers of high-rise apartment complexes in Seoul and other large cities alleviated housing shortages to some extent. But it also imposed hardship on the tens of thousands of people who were obliged to relocate from their old neighborhoods because they could not afford the rents in the new buildings. In the late 1980s, squatter areas consisting of one-story shacks still existed in some parts of Seoul. Housing for all but the wealthiest was generally cramped. The concentration of factories in urban areas, the rapid growth of motorized traffic, and the widespread use of coal for heating during the severe winter months have caused dangerous levels of air and water pollution. Although environmental awareness is increasing, a polluted environment will adversely affect the quality of life in the cities for some time to come.
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To alleviate overcrowding in [[Seoul]]'s downtown area, the city government drew up a master plan in the mid-1980s that developed four "core zones" in 2000: the original downtown area, [[Yongdongp'o-Yoido]], [[Yongdong]], and [[Ch'amsil]]. The plan established satellite towns. Rapid urban growth has brought familiar problems to developed and developing countries alike.
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The construction of large numbers of high-rise apartment complexes in [[Seoul]] and other large cities alleviated housing shortages to some extent. But that also imposed hardship on the tens of thousands of people obliged to relocate from their old neighborhoods because they could not afford the rents in the new buildings. Squatter areas consisting of one-story shacks still existed in some parts of Seoul.  
  
According to a 2006 study completed by the National Statistical Office, South Korea's population will peak at 49.3 million in 2018 and then start to decline due to the country's low birth rate.  South Korea has the lowest birth rate in the developed world, with an average of 1.08 children per woman. [http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/39101/story.htm]
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Only the wealthiest enjoyed housing with ample space. The concentration of factories in urban areas, the rapid growth of motorized traffic, and the widespread use of coal for heating during the severe winter months have caused dangerous levels of air and water pollution. Although environmental awareness has increased, a polluted environment will adversely affect the quality of life in the cities for some time to come. According to a 2006 study completed by the National Statistical Office, [[South Korea]]'s population will peak at 49.3 million in 2018 and then start to decline due to the country's low birth rate.  South Korea has the lowest birth rate in the developed world, with an average of 1.08 children per woman.  
 
 
==Koreans living overseas==
 
Large-scale [[emigration]] from Korea began around 1904 and continued until the end of [[World War II]]. During the [[Korea under Japanese rule]] period, many Koreans emigrated to [[Manchuria]] (present-day [[China]]'s northeastern provinces of [[Liaoning]], [[Jilin]], and [[Heilongjiang]]), other parts of China, the [[Soviet Union]], [[Hawaii]], and the continental [[United States]].
 
 
 
Most emigrated for economic reasons; employment opportunities were scarce, and many Korean farmers lost their land after the Japanese introduced a system of land registration and private land tenure, imposed higher land taxes, and promoted the growth of an absentee landlord class charging exorbitant rents. Koreans from the northern provinces of Korea went mainly to Manchuria, China, and [[Siberia]]. Many people from the southern provinces went to Japan. Koreans were conscripted into Japanese labor battalions or the [[Japanese army]], especially during World War II. In the 1940-44 period, nearly 2 million Koreans lived in Japan, 1.4 million in Manchuria, 600,000 in Siberia, and 130,000 in China. An estimated 40,000 Koreans were scattered among other countries. At the end of World War II, approximately 2 million Koreans were repatriated from Japan and Manchuria.
 
 
 
More than 4 million ethnic Koreans lived outside the peninsula during the early 1980s. The largest group, about 1.7 million people, lived in China. Most had assumed Chinese citizenship. The Soviet Union had about 430,000 ethnic Koreans. One observer noted that Koreans had been so successful in running collective farms in Soviet [[Central Asia]] that being Korean was often associated by other Soviets with being rich.
 
 
 
By contrast, many of Japan's approximately 700,000 Koreans had below-average [[standards of living]]. This situation occurred partly because of discrimination by the Japanese majority and partly because a large number of resident Koreans, loyal to the North Korean regime of [[Kim Il Sung]], preferred to remain separate from and hostile to the Japanese mainstream. The pro-North Korea [[Chongryon]] (General Association of Korean Residents in Japan) initially was more successful than the pro-South Korea [[Mindan]] (Association for Korean Residents in Japan) in attracting adherents among residents in Japan. Since diplomatic relations were established between [[Seoul]] and [[Tokyo]] in 1965, however, the South Korean government has taken an active role in promoting the interests of their residents in Japan in negotiations with the Japanese government. It also has provided subsidies to Korean schools in Japan and other community activities.
 
 
 
By the end of 1988 there were over 2 million South Korean overseas residents. [[North America]] was the preferred destination, as the choice of over 1.2 million. Korean immigrants in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]] gained a reputation for hard work and economic success. South Koreans also were overseas residents of Japan (at least 680,000), [[Central America|Central]] and [[South America]] (85,000), the [[Middle East]] (62,000), [[Western Europe]] (40,000), other Asian countries (27,000), and [[Africa]] (25,000). A limited number of South Korean government-sponsored migrants settled in [[Chile]], [[Argentina]], and other [[Latin American]] countries.
 
 
 
Because of South Korea's rapid economic expansion, an increasing number of its citizens reside abroad on a temporary basis as business executives, technical personnel, foreign students, and construction workers. A small number of overseas South Koreans had migrated back to South Korea primarily because of the much improved economic conditions and the difficulties in adjusting to living abroad.
 
  
 
===Ethnic groups===
 
===Ethnic groups===
South Korea is a homogeneous society with absolute majority of the population of [[Koreans|Korean]] ethnicity. In 1970, an estimate of 120,000 Chinese resided in South Korea. However, due to economic restrictions by the Korean government, the number fell to around 21,000 today. That number is suspect, however, due to the high number of Chinese who work and reside in Korea more or less permanently.
+
[[South Korea]] is a homogeneous society with absolute majority of the population of [[Koreans|Korean]] ethnicity. In 1970, an estimate of 120,000 [[Chinese]] resided in South Korea. Due to economic restrictions by the Korean government, the number officially fell to around 21,000 today. The actual number may be higher since many Chinese work and reside in Korea illegally. In a 10-year period starting in the late 1990s the number of Chinese in Korea exploded.  Estimates place at least 300,000 and possibly more than 1,000,000 Chinese in Korea fall into categories of Korean-Chinese (조선족), permanent residents and/or illegal Han Chinese (한족)immigrants .<ref>Yonhap News recently used the smaller number in an article.</ref><ref>Kim Hyung Jin, [http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/Engnews/20060829/480100000020060829091233E3.html "No 'real' Chinatown in S. Korea, the result of xenophobic attitudes"], (August 29, 2006). Retrieved February 26, 2008.</ref> <ref>A story on the Korean Hwakyo community by Tsinghua University reports the higher figure (“화교자본 끌어들이려면 화교사회 키워라”; in Korean)</ref> <ref>[http://www.tsinghua.co.kr/introduce/board_view_form.html?cpage=4&uid=193&board_id=2&keyfield=&search_text=], Tsinghua University e-Campus, 2003. Retrieved February 26, 2008.</ref>A large Chinese community lives in Seoul's Daerim/Namguro area and a smaller but established community in [[Seongnam]]That Chinese-Korean community, known as [[Hwakyo]] (화교) by the Koreans, distrusts ordinary Koreans and tend to avoid those unfamiliar to them. Migrant workers from the Philippines and Malaysia live and work and in the main cities, particularly Seoul. A small but growing number of foreigners related to business and education.  
 
 
In a 10-year period starting in the late 1990s the number of Chinese in Korea exploded.  It is estimated that there are at least 300,000 and possibly more than 1,000,000 "Chinese" in Korea who may fall into categories of Korean-Chinese (조선족), permanent residents and/or illegal immigrants who are Han Chinese (한족).<ref>Yonhap News recently used the smaller number in an article " No 'real' Chinatown in S. Korea, the result of xenophobic attitudes" by Kim Hyung Jin (August 29, 2006) http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/Engnews/20060829/480100000020060829091233E3.html
 
but a story on the Korean Hwakyo community by Tsinghua University reports the higher figure (“화교자본 끌어들이려면 화교사회 키워라”; in Korean) http://www.tsinghua.co.kr/introduce/board_view_form.html?cpage=4&uid=193&board_id=2&keyfield=&search_text=</ref> There is a large Chinese community in Seoul's Daerim/Namguro area and a smaller but established community in Seongnam.  This Chinese-Korean community, known as Hwakyo (화교) by the Koreans, distrusts ordinary Koreans and tend to avoid those unfamiliar to them.
 
 
 
There are migrant workers from the Philippines and Malaysia, and in the main cities, particularly Seoul, there is a small but growing number of foreigners related to business and education. The number of marriages between Koreans and foreigners has risen steadily in the past few years.  In 2005, 14 percent of all marriages in South Korea were marriages to foreigners (about 26,000 marriages).  Many Korean agencies encourage 'international' marriages to Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai women, adding a new degree of complexity to the issue of ethnicity. <ref> Onishi, Norimitsu. "Marriage brokers in Vietnam cater to S. Korean bachelors." February 21, 2007. International Herald Tribune.  http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/21/news/brides.php</ref>
 
 
 
There are also some 29,000 [[United States]] military personnel who are usually invisible to most Koreans because they are restricted to their bases.
 
 
 
==Languages==
 
The [[Korean language]] is spoken by a vast majority of the population. [[English language|English]] is widely taught in primary school, middle school and high school, and continues to be taught in higher education.
 
 
 
Middle school and High school students also begin to study a 2nd foreign language by their second year.  Most schools offer Japanese, Chinese, and German, and students can learn basic proficiency. Private academies teach various languages including [[Mandarin (linguistics)|Mandarin]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]], [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], and [[Arabic language|Arabic]].  Still, a great emphasis is placed on English for examination purposes.
 
 
 
==Nationality==
 
:'''noun:''' Korean(s)
 
:'''adjective''': Korean
 
  
 +
The number of marriages between Koreans and foreigners has risen steadily in the past few years. In 2005, [[South Korea]] marriages to foreigners accounted for 14 percent of all marriages (about 26,000 marriages).  Many Korean agencies encourage 'international' marriages to Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai women, adding a new degree of complexity to the issue of ethnicity.<ref> Norimitsu Onishi. "Marriage brokers in Vietnam cater to S. Korean bachelors." February 21, 2007. International Herald Tribune.</ref> 29,000 [[United States]] military personnel serve in Korea.
  
 
==Statistics==
 
==Statistics==
Line 114: Line 67:
 
| 2007
 
| 2007
 
| 49,044,790
 
| 49,044,790
| 0.394%
+
| 0.394 percent
 
|
 
|
*0-14 years: 18.3% (male 4,714,103/female 4,262,873)
+
*0-14 years: 18.3 percent (male 4,714,103/female 4,262,873)
*15-64 years: 72.1% (male 18,004,719/female 17,346,594)
+
*15-64 years: 72.1 percent (male 18,004,719/female 17,346,594)
*65 years and over: 9.6% (male 1,921,803/female 2,794,698)  
+
*65 years and over: 9.6 percent (male 1,921,803/female 2,794,698)  
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 2006
 
| 2006
 
| 48,846,823
 
| 48,846,823
| 0.42%
+
| 0.42 percent
 
|  
 
|  
*0-14 years: 18.9% (male 4,844,083/female 4,368,139)  
+
*0-14 years: 18.9 percent (male 4,844,083/female 4,368,139)  
*15-64 years: 71.8% (male 17,886,148/female 17,250,862)
+
*15-64 years: 71.8 percent (male 17,886,148/female 17,250,862)
*65 years and over: 9.2% (male 1,818,677/female 2,678,914)
+
*65 years and over: 9.2 percent (male 1,818,677/female 2,678,914)
 
|}
 
|}
  
Line 151: Line 104:
  
 
===Religions===
 
===Religions===
*'''Nonreligious:''' 45.4%
+
*'''Nonreligious:''' 45.4 percent
*'''[[Christianity]]:''' 26.34%
+
*'''[[Christianity]]:''' 26.34 percent
*'''[[Buddhism]]:''' 26.26%
+
*'''[[Buddhism]]:''' 26.26 percent
*'''[[Confucianism|Confucianists]]:''' 1%
+
*'''[[Confucianism|Confucianists]]:''' 1 percent
*'''Other:''' 1%
+
*'''Other:''' 1 percent
  
 
===Literacy===
 
===Literacy===
 
*'''Definition:''' age 15 and over can read and write  
 
*'''Definition:''' age 15 and over can read and write  
*'''total population:''' 97.9%
+
*'''total population:''' 97.9 percent
*'''male:''' 99.2%
+
*'''male:''' 99.2 percent
*'''female:''' 96.6% (2002)
+
*'''female:''' 96.6 percent (2002)
 +
<ref>Source: CIA World Factbook 2006</ref>
  
::''Source: CIA World Factbook 2006''
+
==Notes==
 +
<references/>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 +
*Hune, Shirley. ''Asian Americans: comparative and global perspectives''. Pullman, Washington: Washington State University Press, 1991. ISBN 978-0874220711
 +
*Kim, Hyŏng-nae, and Pok Song. ''Modern Korean Society: its development and prospect''. Korea research monograph, 30. Berkeley, California: Center for Korean Studies, Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, 2007. ISBN 978-1557290861
 +
*Sorensen, Clark W. Over the mountains are mountains: Korean peasant households and their adaptations to rapid industrialization. Korean studies of the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1988. ISBN 978-0295965079
 
*{{loc}}
 
*{{loc}}
 
*{{factbook}}
 
*{{factbook}}
 
==See also==
 
* [[Demographics of North Korea]]
 
* [[Koreans]]
 
* [[South Korea]]
 
* [[List of Korea-related topics]]
 
* [[Ethnic Chinese in Korea]]
 
* [[Vietnamese people in South Korea]]
 
* [[Filipinos in South Korea]]
 
* [[Ethnic issues in Japan]]
 
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
* [http://kosis.nso.go.kr/eng/index.htm Korean Statistical Information System]
+
All links retrieved July 26, 2022.
* [http://www.nso.go.kr/eng2006/emain/index.html National Statistical Office, Republic of Korea]
 
*[http://www.migrationinformation.org/Profiles/display.cfm?id=272 South Korea: Balancing Labor Demand with Strict Controls], Park Young-bum, Migration Information Source, December 2004.
 
  
{{Asia in topic|Demographics of}}
+
*[http://www.migrationinformation.org/Profiles/display.cfm?id=272 South Korea: Balancing Labor Demand with Strict Controls, Park Young-bum, Migration Information Source, December 2004].
{{Asia topic|Ethnic groups in}}
 
  
[[Category:South Korean society]]
+
{{Asia topic|Demographics}}
[[Category:Demographics by country|Korea, Republic of]]
+
{{Asia topic|Ethnic groups}}
  
 +
[[Category:Politics and social sciences]]
 +
[[Category:Korea]]
 
{{credits|140229654}}
 
{{credits|140229654}}

Revision as of 00:33, 27 July 2022


The Korean people are the most homogeneous people on earth. Although many nations have invaded and occupied Korea, and some have left their genetic marks, for the most part Koreans have maintained their racial purity. Although racial purity is one reason the Korean people have survived as a nation until today, that is not the fundamental reason. The fundamental reason for the survival and prosperity of the Korean people in the face of numerous challenges lies in their cultural heritage, their religious and philosophical traditions.

Background

Percentages of Kim Li Park clans in South Korea

Although a variety of different Asian peoples had migrated to the Korean Peninsula in past centuries, few have remained permanently, so by 1990 both South Korea and North Korea numbered among the world's most ethnically homogeneous nations. The indigenous minorities population amounted to negligible number. In South Korea, people of foreign origin, including Westerners, Chinese, and Japanese, amounted to a small percentage of the population who generally resided in the country temporarily.

Like their Japanese neighbors, Koreans tend to equate nationality or citizenship with membership in a single, homogeneous ethnic group or "race" (minjok, in Korean). Koreans view a common language and culture as important elements in Korean identity. The idea of multiracial or multi-ethnic nations, like India or the United States, strikes many Koreans as odd or even contradictory. That consciousness of homogeneity constitutes a major reason why Koreans on both sides of the DMZ viewed their country's division as an unnatural and unnecessary tragedy.

Regional differences

File:Gwangju city - view apts.jpg
A view of Gwangju (in South Korea) that shows one of the world cup stadiums.

Against the background of ethnic homogeneity, however, significant regional differences exist. Within South Korea, the most important regional difference exists between the Gyeongsang region, embracing Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gyeongsangnam-do provinces in the southeast, and the Jeolla region, embracing Jeollabuk-do and Jeollanam-do provinces in the southwest. The two regions, separated by the Jirisan Massif, nurture a rivalry said to reach back to the Three Kingdoms of Korea Period, which lasted from the fourth century to the seventh century C.E., when the kingdoms of Baekje and Silla struggled for control of the peninsula. Observers noted that interregional marriages rarely occur, and that as of 1990 a new four lane highway completed in 1984 between Gwangju and Daegu, the capitals of Jeollanam-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do provinces, have been unsuccessful in promoting travel between the two areas.

South Korea's political elite, including presidents Park Chung Hee, Chun Doo Hwan, and Roh Tae Woo, have come mainly from the Gyeongsang region. As a result, Gyeongsang has been a special beneficiary of government development assistance. By contrast, the Jeolla region has remained comparatively rural, undeveloped, and poor. Chronically disaffected, its people rightly or wrongly have a reputation for rebelliousness. Regional bitterness intensified with the May 1980 Gwangju massacre, in which government troops sent to quell an insurrection killed about 200 and perhaps many more inhabitants of the capital of Jeollanam-do. Many of the troops reportedly hailed from the Gyeongsang region.

Stereotypes

Regional stereotypes, like regional dialects, have been breaking down under the influence of centralized education, nationwide media, and the several decades of population movement since the Korean War. Stereotypes remain important in the eyes of many South Koreans. For example, Koreans tend to describe the people of Gyeonggi-do, surrounding Seoul, as cultured, and Chungcheong people, inhabiting the region embracing Chungcheongbuk-do and Chungcheongnam-do provinces, mild-mannered, manifesting true yangban virtues. The people view those from Gangwon-do in the northeast as poor and stolid, while Koreans perceive those from the northern provinces (now in North Korea) of Pyongan, Hwanghae, and Hamgyong as diligent and aggressive. Jeju Island is famous for its strong-minded and independent women.

Population trends

The population of South Korea has grown rapidly since the republic's establishment in 1948. In 1949, South Koreans numbered 20,188,641 people, by 1985 that number doubled to 40,466,577. Population growth average about 1.1 percent annually from 1949 to 1955, accelerating between 1955 and 1966 to an annual average of 2.8 percent, declining between 1966 to 1985 to an annual average of 1.7 percent. The population growth rate has slowed to 0.4 percent in 2003, a rate expected to continue through 2015. By 2003, the population in South Korea reached an estimated 47,700,000.

Namdaemun Market Scene

In 1955 41.2 percent of the population were under 15 years-of-age, falling to 38.3 percent in 1975, 34.2 percent in 1980, 29.9 percent in 1985, and 20 percent in 2002. In 2002, 68 percent of the population were 15 to 59 years-old, while 12 percent were 60 years-old or over. The slowdown in the population growth rate and a rise in the median age has begun to resemble developed countries.

The decline in the population growth rate after 1966 reflected the success of birth control programs. In 1962, the government of Park Chung Hee began a nationwide family planning program. Urbanization, later marriage ages for both men and women, higher education levels, a greater number of women in the labor force, and better health standards also lowered the population growth rate. In the late 1980s, the programs of distributing free birth control devices and information, classes for women on family planning methods, and the granting of special subsidies and privileges (such as low-interest housing loans) to parents who agreed to undergo sterilization retarded birth rates.

The 1973 Maternal and Child Health Law legalized abortion. In 1983, the government began suspending medical insurance benefits for maternal care for pregnant women with three or more children, denying tax deductions for education expenses to parents with two or more children. As in China, cultural attitudes pose problems for family planning programs. Korean parents have a strong preference for sons—who in Korea's Confucian value system—they expect to care for them in old age and carry on the family name—means that parents with only daughters usually continue to have children until a son is born. The government has encouraged married couples to have only one child, promoting the theme in public service advertising, which stresses "have a single child and raise it well."

In 2002, the age distribution in South Korea reached the following: 1–14 20 percent, 15–59 68 percent, 60+ 12 percent. Korean government expects the population to stabilize by the year 2023 at around 52.6 million people. In the words of Asiaweek magazine, the "stabilized tally will approximate the number of Filipinos in 1983, but squeezed into less than a third of their [the Philippines'] space." Korean mothers gave birth to 452,000 babies in 2006 (BR of 9.22) compared to 438,000 in 2005 (BR of 8.97), making birth rate in South Korea one of the lowest in the world.

Population settlement patterns

File:Seoul Building63.jpg
Tallest Building in Korea

South Korea stands as one of the world's most densely populated countries, with an estimated 482 people per square kilometer in 2003. About 70 percent of South Korea's land area mountainous, forcing the population to concentrate in the lowland areas in densities greater than average.

The extreme crowding in South Korea in 1990 proved a major factor not only in economic development and in the standard of living but also in the development of social attitudes and human relationships. Continued population growth means that the shortage of space for living and working will grow more severe. According to the government's Economic Planning Board, the population density will be 530 people per square kilometer by 2023, the year of expected population stabilization.

Urbanization

South Korea's urban areas experienced rapid growth as farmers migrated to city factory jobs. Seoul had a population of about 190,000 people in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. During the closing years of the Joseon Dynasty, and the first years of Japanese colonial rule, the urban population of Korea amounted to three percent of the total. The urban portion of the population grew to 11.6 percent in 1940. Between 1945 and 1985, the urban population grew from 14.5 percent to 65.4 percent of the total population.

By the end of the twentieth century, the urban population reached 78.3 percent. Demographers attribute most of that urban increase to migration rather than to natural growth of the urban population. Urban birth rates have generally been lower than the national average. The urban population reaching 84 percent of the total population in 2003.

File:Seoul-Samsungdong-buildings-01.jpg
Seoul Samsungdong Buildings

The dislocation caused by the Korean War accounted for the rapid increase in urban population during the early 1950s. Hundreds of thousands of refugees, many of them from North Korea, streamed into the cities. During the post-Korean War period, rural people left their ancestral villages in search of greater economic and educational opportunities in the cities. By the late 1960s, migration had become a serious problem, not only because of terrible overcrowding in the cities, but also because the rural areas lost the most youthful and productive members of their labor force.

In the early 1970s, the Park Chung Hee government launched the Saemaul undong (New Community Movement) as a rural reconstruction and self-help movement to improve economic conditions in the villages, close the wide gap in income between rural and urban areas, and stem urban migration. By the 1970s, many, if not most, farming and fishing villages consisted of older persons; relatively few able-bodied men and women remained to work in the fields or to fish.

To alleviate overcrowding in Seoul's downtown area, the city government drew up a master plan in the mid-1980s that developed four "core zones" in 2000: the original downtown area, Yongdongp'o-Yoido, Yongdong, and Ch'amsil. The plan established satellite towns. Rapid urban growth has brought familiar problems to developed and developing countries alike. The construction of large numbers of high-rise apartment complexes in Seoul and other large cities alleviated housing shortages to some extent. But that also imposed hardship on the tens of thousands of people obliged to relocate from their old neighborhoods because they could not afford the rents in the new buildings. Squatter areas consisting of one-story shacks still existed in some parts of Seoul.

Only the wealthiest enjoyed housing with ample space. The concentration of factories in urban areas, the rapid growth of motorized traffic, and the widespread use of coal for heating during the severe winter months have caused dangerous levels of air and water pollution. Although environmental awareness has increased, a polluted environment will adversely affect the quality of life in the cities for some time to come. According to a 2006 study completed by the National Statistical Office, South Korea's population will peak at 49.3 million in 2018 and then start to decline due to the country's low birth rate. South Korea has the lowest birth rate in the developed world, with an average of 1.08 children per woman.

Ethnic groups

South Korea is a homogeneous society with absolute majority of the population of Korean ethnicity. In 1970, an estimate of 120,000 Chinese resided in South Korea. Due to economic restrictions by the Korean government, the number officially fell to around 21,000 today. The actual number may be higher since many Chinese work and reside in Korea illegally. In a 10-year period starting in the late 1990s the number of Chinese in Korea exploded. Estimates place at least 300,000 and possibly more than 1,000,000 Chinese in Korea fall into categories of Korean-Chinese (조선족), permanent residents and/or illegal Han Chinese (한족)immigrants .[1][2] [3] [4]A large Chinese community lives in Seoul's Daerim/Namguro area and a smaller but established community in Seongnam. That Chinese-Korean community, known as Hwakyo (화교) by the Koreans, distrusts ordinary Koreans and tend to avoid those unfamiliar to them. Migrant workers from the Philippines and Malaysia live and work and in the main cities, particularly Seoul. A small but growing number of foreigners related to business and education.

The number of marriages between Koreans and foreigners has risen steadily in the past few years. In 2005, South Korea marriages to foreigners accounted for 14 percent of all marriages (about 26,000 marriages). Many Korean agencies encourage 'international' marriages to Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai women, adding a new degree of complexity to the issue of ethnicity.[5] 29,000 United States military personnel serve in Korea.

Statistics

Year Population (July est.) Growth rate (est.) Age structure (est.)
2007 49,044,790 0.394 percent
  • 0-14 years: 18.3 percent (male 4,714,103/female 4,262,873)
  • 15-64 years: 72.1 percent (male 18,004,719/female 17,346,594)
  • 65 years and over: 9.6 percent (male 1,921,803/female 2,794,698)
2006 48,846,823 0.42 percent
  • 0-14 years: 18.9 percent (male 4,844,083/female 4,368,139)
  • 15-64 years: 71.8 percent (male 17,886,148/female 17,250,862)
  • 65 years and over: 9.2 percent (male 1,818,677/female 2,678,914)

Age structure

Growth

  • Birth rate: 10 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
  • Total fertility rate: 1.08 children born/woman (August 2006 est.)
  • Death rate: 5.85 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
  • Infant mortality rate: 6.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
  • Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio

  • at birth: 1.13 male(s)/female
  • under 15 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
  • 15-99 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
  • total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Life expectancy

  • total population: 77.04 years
  • male: 73.61 years
  • female: 80.75 years (2006 est.)

Religions

  • Nonreligious: 45.4 percent
  • Christianity: 26.34 percent
  • Buddhism: 26.26 percent
  • Confucianists: 1 percent
  • Other: 1 percent

Literacy

  • Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  • total population: 97.9 percent
  • male: 99.2 percent
  • female: 96.6 percent (2002)

[6]

Notes

  1. Yonhap News recently used the smaller number in an article.
  2. Kim Hyung Jin, "No 'real' Chinatown in S. Korea, the result of xenophobic attitudes", (August 29, 2006). Retrieved February 26, 2008.
  3. A story on the Korean Hwakyo community by Tsinghua University reports the higher figure (“화교자본 끌어들이려면 화교사회 키워라”; in Korean)
  4. [1], Tsinghua University e-Campus, 2003. Retrieved February 26, 2008.
  5. Norimitsu Onishi. "Marriage brokers in Vietnam cater to S. Korean bachelors." February 21, 2007. International Herald Tribune.
  6. Source: CIA World Factbook 2006

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Hune, Shirley. Asian Americans: comparative and global perspectives. Pullman, Washington: Washington State University Press, 1991. ISBN 978-0874220711
  • Kim, Hyŏng-nae, and Pok Song. Modern Korean Society: its development and prospect. Korea research monograph, 30. Berkeley, California: Center for Korean Studies, Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, 2007. ISBN 978-1557290861
  • Sorensen, Clark W. Over the mountains are mountains: Korean peasant households and their adaptations to rapid industrialization. Korean studies of the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1988. ISBN 978-0295965079
  • This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain.

External links

All links retrieved July 26, 2022.

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