Korean people
The
Korean people are one of the main
East Asian
ethnic groups. Most Koreans live in the
Korean Peninsula and speak the
Korean language.
North Koreans call Koreans
Chosŏn-in (; ) or
Chosŏn saram (; ), while
South Koreans call Koreans
Hangugin (; ) or
Hanguk saram (; ). See
Names of Korea,
Korean romanization,
Hangul and
Hanja.
Korea's population is highly homogeneous both ethnically and linguistically, with only small minorities, such as
Chinese and
Japanese, present in
North and
South Korea.
Koreans are generally believed to be of
Tungusic-
Altaic linguistic lineage [
1], linking them with
Mongolians and other
Central Asians, as well as with the
Japanese.
Though they have interbred with other East Asian ethnic groups over the ages, Koreans have retained much of the physicalities of their
Northern Mongoloid migration group, including tall stature, long bridged noses, higher cheekbones, and the
Mongolian spot (
monggo-banjum), a genetic predisposition for a bluish birthmark on the lower body which remains until early childhood.
North Korea and South Korea share a common heritage, but the
political division since 1945 has resulted in some divergence of modern culture.
The language of the Korean people is the
Korean language, which uses
hangul as its main writing system. There are around 71 million speakers of the Korean language worldwide.
Koreans in the United States
More than 2 million ethnic Koreans live in the U.S., mostly in metropolitan areas. A handful are descended from laborers who migrated to
Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A significant number are descended from
orphans of the
Korean War, in which the U.S. was a major ally of
South Korea. Thousands were adopted by American (mostly
Caucasian) families in the years following the war, when their plight was covered on
television. The vast majority, however, immigrated or are descended from those who immigrated after the
Hart-Cellar Act of 1965 abolished national immigration quotas.
The largest Korean-American community is in
Los Angeles, California;
Los Angeles' Koreatown district is extensive and recognized by the city. Many smaller Korean enclaves exist in surrounding communities of
Southern California, notably in
Orange County. Another significant Korean enclave is found in
New York City, which includes
Manhattan Koreatown, although the main concentration are found in the borough of
Queens.
Other Korean enclaves can be found in the suburbs of
Seattle and
Tacoma,
Washington;
Houston, Texas;
Bergen County, New Jersey; and
Cook County, Illinois. As many Korean Americans have prospered economically and dispersed to live in
suburban areas, ethnic enclaves in the traditional sense do not exist in many areas, although Korean churches and Korean-oriented commercial districts serving the distributed population can often be found. States with the largest Korean populations are
California,
New York,
Washington,
Texas,
Pennsylvania,
New Jersey,
Illinois, and
Virginia.
Koreans in the former Soviet Union
Approximately 450,000 ethnic Koreans reside in the former
USSR, primarily in the newly independent states of
Central Asia. There are also large Korean communities in southern
Russia (around
Volgograd), the
Caucasus, and southern
Ukraine. These communities can be traced back to the Koreans who were living in the
Russian Far East during the late 19th century. These Koreans are also known as
Goryeoin (고려인, 高麗人; literally, "
Goryeo person(s)"), or
Koreisky in
Russian. It is estimated that approximately 1,145 Goryeoin are living in the
CIS, including 106,852 in
Russia, 22,000 in
Uzbekistan, 20,000 in
Kyrgyzstan, 17,460 in
Kazakhstan, 8,669 in the
Ukraine, 2,000 in
Belarus, 350 in
Moldova, 250 in
Georgia, 100 in
Azerbaijan, and 30 in
Armenia.
In 1937,
Stalin deported approximately 200,000 ethnic Koreans to
Kazakhstan and
Uzbekistan, on the official pretense that the Koreans might act as spies for Japan.
Probably as a consequence of these ethnic ties,
South Korea was the second largest import partner of
Uzbekistan, after
Russia, and one of its largest foreign investors. The car manufacturer
Daewoo set up a
joint venture (August 1992) and a factory in
Asaka,
Andizhan province, in Uzbekistan.
There is also a separate ethnic Korean community in the Russian island of
Sakhalin, where Koreans relocated by Japan as labourers were stranded after the island became Soviet territory after
World War II.
The
2002 census gave a population of 148,556 Koreans in Russia, of which 75,835 were male and 72,721 female.[
2]
Koreans in China
Ethnic Koreans in China form one of the
56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the
People's Republic of China. It is considered one of the "major minorities".
There are about 2 million ethnic Koreans in China, and they mostly occupy northeastern China, especially in the
Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in
Jilin Province, where they numbered 854,000 in 1997.
Koreans in Japan
Koreans in Japan are called
Zainichi Chōsenjin (, for North Koreans) or
Zainichi Kankokujin (, for South Koreans) in Japanese and
Jaeil Gyopo (; ) in Korean. There are 529,000 Koreans in
Japan, amounting to 40.4% of the non-Japanese
population of the country. Three-quarters of the Koreans living in Japan are Japanese-born, and most are legal
aliens.
Koreans in other countries
Large
Koreatowns can also be found in
Australia and
Canada. The largest Korean community in
Europe is in
Germany, and there is a Koreatown in
London. There are also Koreatowns in
Latin american countries such as
Mexico,
Argentina and
Brazil.
*
Commonwealth of Independent States Report, 1996*
Demographics of North Korea*
Demographics of South Korea*
List of Korea-related topics*
Korean Food Glossary*
Korean American Museum*
Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan)*
Koryo Saram – The Koreans of Central Asia*
Sources – Koreans of Central Asia
