{
  "id": 9855289,
  "title": "Number of foreigners in Korea reaches 2.8 million in August",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/number-of-foreigners-in-korea-reaches-2-8-million-in-august",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-25T23:12:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/society/20260926/number-of-foreigners-in-korea-reaches-28-million-in-august"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The number of foreign nationals residing in South Korea surged to 2.87 million in August, marking a 5.3% increase from the previous year, according to government statistics released on Saturday. As of the end of August, long-term residents, defined as those with permanent or extended stays, numbered 2.25 million, while short-term visitors, including tourists, accounted for 629,406 individuals, as per immigration data from the justice ministry.\n\nChinese nationals constituted the largest demographic among foreign residents, accounting for 34.6% of the total, or 995,562 people. Vietnamese nationals followed with 383,244, and Americans came in third with 181,325. The overall foreign population grew from 2.73 million in August 2025 to the current figure, despite a slight decline from 2.9 million in July.\n\nOut of the 1.64 million registered foreign nationals in Korea, 51.5% resided in the Seoul metropolitan area, while 21.3% were concentrated in the southeastern provinces of North and South Gyeongsang. The foreign population has consistently grown since 2021, when the number fell below 2 million, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.",
  "summary": "The number of foreign nationals in Korea reached 2.87 million last month, up 5.3 percent from a year earlier, government data showed Saturday. As of end-August, long-term foreign residents stood at 2.25 million, while those on short-term stays, including tourists, came to 629,406, according to immigration data from the justice ministry. By nationality, Chinese nationals accounted for the largest…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "No. of foreigners in S. Korea reaches 2.8 mln in Aug.",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/no-of-foreigners-in-s-korea-reaches-2-8-mln-in-aug",
        "published": "2026-09-25T22:05:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Number of foreigners in Korea reaches 2.8 million in August",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/number-of-foreigners-in-korea-reaches-2-8-million-in-august-9858573",
        "published": "2026-09-25T23:27:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}