Total population
164,490 (South Korea, 2005 estimate); 50,000 (North Korea, estimate)
Regions with significant populations
Seoul, Incheon, Busan and other cities
Language(s)
Chinese language, Korean language
Religion(s)
Unknown
Related ethnic groups
Han Chinese
Korean name
Hangul ??
Hanja ??
Revised Romanization hwagyo
McCune-Reischauer hwagyo
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese ????
Simplified Chinese ????
Hanyu Pinyin Hánguó huáqiáo
Ethnic Chinese in Korea have existed as a recognizable community for at least 120 years. Most trace their origin back to Shandong province on the east coast of China. Of the first wave of immigrants to come to Korea, the majority in South Korea have since moved to Taiwan or the United States; more than 90% of current Chinese residents came after the reform and opening up of the People’s Republic of China.[1]
The number and composition of the Chinese community in North Korea is not well-known; they may be descendants of early immigrants, or more recent expatriate businessmen. One 2000 estimate by a Christian missionary group put their number at 181,900, up from 152,400 a decade previously, and claims that they became largely urbanized after World War II