44% of foreign residents in Korea report discrimination, yet remain happier than locals: survey

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More than four out of 10 foreign residents in Korea say they have experienced discrimination, most commonly based on their country of origin, yet nearly eight in 10 of them did not raise complaints, largely because they believed doing so would not lead to change, a new survey found.

Despite these experiences, a majority of foreign residents reported relatively high levels of happiness and life satisfaction in Korea — higher than those of Korean nationals.

The findings were released Tuesday by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as part of the 2025 Survey on Korean Attitudes and Values, conducted by KSTAT Research. The nationwide survey, which polled 6,180 respondents, was the ninth edition of the study, which was first launched in 1996 and has been conducted every three years since 2013.

This year’s survey expanded its scope by including teenagers for the first time and conducting a separate survey of foreign residents who have lived in Korea for more than two years, aiming to capture a broader picture of social perceptions in Korea.

According to the findings, 43.7 percent of foreign residents said they have experienced discrimination while living in Korea. Among those respondents, 52.9 percent cited their country of origin as the likely basis for discrimination, followed by Korean language proficiency (12.6 percent), appearance (9.9 percent) and occupation (5.2 percent).

However, only 22 percent said they had requested corrective action after experiencing discrimination, while 78 percent said they had not. Among those who stayed silent, the most common reason was the belief that raising concerns would not lead to meaningful change, cited by 42.2 percent. Another 33 percent said they did not want to cause trouble, while 12.4 percent said they did not know how to file a complaint.

Even so, foreign respondents expressed relatively high levels of contentment. In a survey to measure happiness and overall satisfaction among foreign nationals, 55.9 percent said they felt "generally happy" and 56.1 percent said they were "satisfied" with their lives.

Both figures were higher than those reported by Korean nationals, whose happiness and satisfaction levels stood at 51.9 percent and 52.9 percent, respectively.

The survey also suggested growing acceptance of multiculturalism among Koreans. About 66 percent of Korean respondents said multiculturalism helps address labor shortages, while 61.3 percent said it produces positive effects such as strengthening social inclusion.

More than half — 56.5 percent — said multiculturalism does not weaken national cohesion, and 58.2 percent disagreed with the idea that it undermines pride in Korea’s long-standing homogeneous national identity.

Graphic by Bae So-young

What Koreans think

When asked about Korea’s desired future direction, respondents most frequently selected "a country with a mature democracy," marking the first time the option surpassed "a wealthy economy," which had ranked first in every survey since 1996. The shift appears to reflect a heightened sense of urgency about the value of democratic maturity amid recent challenges.

Nearly half, or 46.9 percent, rated Korea’s current level of democracy as high, more than double the share who rated it as low, at 21.8 percent.

However, perceptions of social conflict remained strong. A majority of respondents, 82.7 percent, said "political polarization between progressives and conservatives" is the most severe form of conflict in today’s Korea. This was followed by tensions between employers and workers (76.3 percent) and between the upper class and working classes (74 percent).

Perceived conflict between the Seoul metropolitan area and regional areas rose to 69 percent, up 11.6 percentage points from 2022, while perceived conflict between genders climbed to 61.1 percent, an increase of 10.7 percentage points. Intergenerational conflict between older and younger generations also edged up to 67.8 percent.

When asked to identify the most urgent issues facing the country, respondents ranked income inequality first at 23.2 percent, followed by job creation at 22.9 percent and housing-related issues at 13.2 percent. Income inequality overtook employment as the top concern for the first time, having risen from 20 percent in the 2022 survey.

The survey also found that more than half of Koreans are using generative artificial intelligence (AI), with mixed views of its impact on employment.

About 55.2 percent said they use generative AI an average of 3.3 times per day, most commonly as a personal assistant (50.5 percent) or for text generation (35.5 percent). Among those who do not use AI, more than half said they lacked knowledge of how to use it, pointing to the need for education beyond simple access to technology.

Concerns that AI could worsen job inequality by replacing human labor were widespread, cited by 64.3 percent of respondents. At the same time, 51.8 percent expressed expectations that AI-driven efficiency could lead to shorter working hours and job sharing, reflecting a combination of anxiety and optimism.

A culture ministry official said the survey serves as "a key reference for policymaking," and noted that "beginning in 2026, the government plans to conduct it annually to support more data-driven policy decisions."