S.Korea reports net inflow of migrants in 2022

SEOUL: South Korea reported a net inflow of migrants in 2022, following the normalisation of global travel amid eased concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic, data showed on Thursday.

The number of international migrants, referring to those who stay in and out of South Korea for 90 days or more, reached 1.12 million in 2022, up 26.8 per cent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

Of the figure, the arrivals accounted for 606,000, surpassing the number of individuals who departed the country, which reached 518,000, resulting in a net inflow of 88,000, reports Yonhap News Agency.

It marked a turnaround from a net outflow of 66,000 posted a year earlier, Statistics Korea noted.

The number of foreign arrivals especially shot up 87.2 per cent on-year to reach 413,000, far outpacing the 245,000 who have left the country.

Arrivals from China accounted for 95,000, trailed by Vietnam with 52,000 and Thailand with 35,000, with the three countries taking up 43.9 per cent of the total.

Among the total foreign arrivals, 33.4 per cent were visiting South Korea to find jobs, followed by education with 21.5 per cent.

Those who moved to the country permanently, including marriages, took up 12.7 per cent.