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Foreign residents in southeastern Korea earn $21,400 a year on average
Cranes are used to assemble a vessel at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipyard in Dong District, Ulsan, July 31. Yonhap
By Park Ung
Language barrier tops foreign residents' list of hurdles, government report says
Nearly 60 percent of foreign workers in Korea’s southeastern region work in manufacturing and mining, earning an average of 30 million won ($21,400) a year, according to Statistics Korea.
The agency on Tuesday released a report on the demographics and characteristics of non-Korean residents in the southeast region comprising Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province — a manufacturing hub that employs a significant number of foreign workers.
A 2023 Bank of Korea report found that the region produces 40.8 percent of the nation’s automobiles, 27.7 percent of its auto parts, 79.3 percent of its ships and 47.5 percent of its refined petroleum.
Since the 1950-53 Korean War, the southeastern region has been at the heart of government-led economic development, particularly in heavy industry. Ulsan became the site of Korea’s first industrial complex in 1962, and as the state shifted from light to heavy and chemical industries in the 1970s, new complexes emerged in export-oriented port cities across the region, including Pohang and Busan.
As of last year, roughly 215,000 foreign residents lived in Korea’s southeast, an increase of 45,000 over the past decade. South Gyeongsang Province accounted for the largest share with 117,000, followed by Busan at 63,000 and Ulsan at 34,000.
In 2023, 97,972 foreigners aged 15 and older were employed in the region, down 5.4 percentage points from 2015.
Underscoring the region’s dependence on heavy industry, 59.2 percent of foreign workers are in mining and manufacturing compared to just 14.7 percent in sectors such as business and personal and public services, and 10.2 percent in wholesale, retail, lodging and food service.
Permanent, full-time employees made up the overwhelming majority of foreign workers in the region at 76.8 percent, far outpacing day laborers (12.7 percent) and the self-employed (10.5 percent).
The agency said the region’s manufacturing dominance is closely linked to this figure, noting that production jobs are more likely to employ regular staff.
By industry, foreign workers in the southeast earned the most in business and personal and public services, averaging 31 million won a year, followed by 30 million won in mining and manufacturing and 25 million won in construction.
In 2024, 75.2 percent of foreign workers in the region said they were satisfied with their jobs, while 65 percent were satisfied with their income. Overall, 83.2 percent said they were satisfied with life in Korea.
When asked about their biggest challenge, 37.4 percent cited language barriers, followed by 26.9 percent who reported no particular difficulties and 17 percent who cited loneliness.
Among the 215,000 foreigners in the region, men made up 64.6 percent and women 35.4 percent. By age, people in their 30s made up the largest share at 32.3 percent, followed by those in their 20s at 29.5 percent and those in their 40s at 14.8 percent.
By nationality, Vietnamese were the largest group of foreign workers at 22.2 percent, followed by Chinese nationals who are ethnic Koreans at 12.4 percent and other Chinese nationals at 7.6 percent.