Last year, foreign nationals residing in South Korea mainly relocated to Seoul and South Gyeongsang Province, while ethnic Koreans tended to leave Seoul and settle in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, according to recent findings.
According to data released by the Ministry of Justice on January 19, a total of 376,971 foreigners and ethnic Koreans changed their place of residence within the country in 2025. This amounts to an average of approximately 31,414 people moving each month.
Looking at the net migration by region for general foreign nationals (excluding ethnic Koreans), Seoul recorded the highest net inflow with 2,185 people, followed by South Gyeongsang Province with 939. In contrast, Gyeonggi Province saw the largest net outflow, with a decrease of 3,462 people.
The Ministry of Justice analyzed that this movement was largely influenced by the relocation of non-professional employment (E-9) visa holders and international students (D-2), who make up a significant portion of the general foreigner population.
The trend was different for ethnic Koreans. While Seoul saw a net outflow of 4,624 ethnic Koreans, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province recorded net inflows of 3,025 and 1,572, respectively. The ministry explained that this reflects the migration tendencies of overseas Koreans (F-4 visa holders) and permanent residents (F-5 visa holders).
The Ministry of Justice plans to actively utilize the results of this statistical analysis in the development of future immigration policies, including the implementation of region-specific and metropolitan visa systems, as well as the advance announcement of visa quotas.
Minister of Justice Jeong Seongho stated, "We will closely monitor the scale and direction of interregional movement among foreign nationals residing in South Korea, systematically analyze the relevant data, and pursue data-driven, scientific immigration and diaspora policies."
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