Visitors participate in a cultural event held in Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul on May 7, 2023. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — Eight out of 10 expats in South Korea said they were “satisfied” with their life here, but around 20 percent of foreigners here experienced discrimination, a survey showed Wednesday.
Around 40.8 percent of the respondents said they were “extremely satisfied” with their life in South Korea, while another batch of 39.6 percent replied they were “a little satisfied,” according to the survey carried out by Statistics Korea.
The survey was carried out on 25,000 expats last year. In 2022, the number of foreigners residing in South Korea was estimated at 1.75 million.
The respondents mostly expressed satisfaction with their living environment and people.
Pessimists, however, outnumbered optimists in terms of income, the data also showed.
Among the respondents, 43.4 percent identified language barriers as one of the challenges they encounter in South Korea, while 27.8 percent mentioned cultural differences as another obstacle. They were able to choose more than one answer.
Around 19.7 percent of the expats said they encountered discrimination during their stay in South Korea.
Expats tended to face more discrimination at shops, restaurants, banks and workplaces as opposed to schools, universities and public organizations.
Among the respondents who faced discrimination, 58 percent cited their nationalities as the main cause, followed by their ability to speak Korean with 27.9 percent, and their appearances with 8.3 percent.
(Yonhap)
