1.76 million foreigners live in South Korea; 3.4% of population

South Korea's foreign population has surpassed 1.76 million, accounting for 3.4 percent of the population. / Korea Times file

By Park Si-soo

South Korea's foreign population has surpassed 1.76 million, accounting for 3.4 percent of the population, 2016 government data showed.

The number was just short of the population of South Jeolla Province, one of the biggest provinces, which was 1.79 million, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said.

At the end of 2016, 1,764,664 foreigners were living here, up 3.1 percent, or 53,651, from the previous year, the data showed. It was a threefold increase from 536,627 in 2006.

Nearly 60 percent of them live in Seoul and surrounding areas.

Gyeonggi Province was the biggest home to foreign residents with 32.4 percent, or 571,384. Seoul was second with 22.9 percent, or 404,037, followed by South Gyeongsang Province with 6.5 percent, or 114,594.

In Gyeonggi Province, Ansan, an industrial city, was the biggest foreigner-concentrated area with 79,752, followed by Suwon with 54,284.

In Seoul, Yeongdeungpo-gu was the biggest foreigner-concentrated district with 55,427 out of 25 "gu"s.

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