Immigrants in Korea less happy, more worried than native-born residents: report

A woman holds her baby at a job fair in Seoul held for individuals who immigrated to Korea through marriage, Sept. 5, 2024. Newsis

Immigrants in Korea are less happy and more worried about their future than native-born residents, according to a recent study.

A report from the Korea Institute of Public Administration, a government-sponsored research institute, showed that only 55.7 percent of immigrants reported being happy, compared to 82.6 percent of native-born residents.

It is unclear whether these sentiments indicate a deterioration or improvement, as this is the institute's first survey of its kind.

Asked whether they were worried about their future, 39.5 percent of immigrants said they were, while 23.9 percent of native-born residents gave the same response.

This study was conducted for two months beginning Aug. 1, 2024, to estimate how immigrants of four subgroups ― naturalized citizens, permanent residents (F-5 visa), migrant spouses (F-6) and Korean descent visa holders (F-4) ― view their lives here in terms of social integration.

The rate of dissatisfaction and anxiety was especially high among migrant spouses, it showed.

According to the report, 38.4 percent of immigrants perceive their financial situation as “not stable,” compared with 18.7 percent among native citizens. In general, immigrants also have more negative views about their economic prospects, with 26.4 percent saying they believe it will worsen five years from now, while only 14.5 percent of native-born residents hold the same view.

Moreover, many immigrants feel isolated.

When asked whether there is someone they can and would ask for help when they are ill or lonely, 12.1 percent and 10.5 percent said there is none, respectively, compared with 8.6 percent and 8.3 percent among native-born residents.

According to Kim Moon-hyun, who led the study, one of the most noticeable findings is that general perceptions about life are particularly negative among individuals who immigrate to Korea through marriage.

“This deserves more attention from policymakers, given that there are more state programs designed to support migrant spouses than other subgroups,” the researcher told The Korea Times on Tuesday. “More research should be conducted on that particular issue, including whether policies targeting them actually improve their lives.”

In the report, Kim noted that isolation from family members in their birth countries and their negative experiences in Korean society as possible reasons for the pessimism observed among the immigrant subgroup.

“Migrant spouses’ negative perceptions appear to stem from a sense of relative deprivation as a result of discrimination they and their children may have experienced in Korean society, which may have been exacerbated further by the gap between their expectations and their reality here,” the report said. “Central and local governments need to look into these results in more depth by, for example, understanding the importance of various policies introduced for them and improving policy quality.”

According to data from the Ministry of Justice, the number of long-term foreign residents in Korea has increased steadily in recent years. As of December 2024, the figure surpassed 2 million, which accounts for about 77 percent of all foreign nationals here.

With the country’s total fertility rate remaining further below the replacement level of 2.1, the proportion of foreign-born residents is expected to continue to swell for many years to come, the report said.