Total population | |
---|---|
29,167 [1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Paris, Nice, Villeurbanne, Grenoble, Strasbourg, Toulouse | |
Languages | |
Korean, French | |
Religion | |
Christianity and Mahayana Buddhism [2] | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Korean diaspora, Koryo-Saram |
Koreans in France numbered 29,367 individuals as of 2014 [update], making them the 3rd-largest Korean diaspora community in Western Europe, according to South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. [3]
Korean migration to France began in 1919, when the government of France issued work permits to 35 Korean migrant labourers. [4] From a community of just 3,310 in 1988, their numbers more than tripled by 2000, and then grew a further 30% by 2007. [5] [6] However, from 2009 to 2011, their population shrank by 14%. [3] The vast majority live in Paris — about two-thirds, according to 2011 data, compared with four-fifths a decade before — with the largest concentrations in the 15th arrondissement. There are more than twice as many women as men; the population has grown more gender-imbalanced as compared to a decade prior. [7] [3] Unlike in the United States or Canada, with their large Korean American and Korean Canadian communities, few Koreans in France seek to naturalise as French citizens. [8] Among all South Korean nationals or former nationals in France, 786 (6%) have become French citizens, 2,268 (18%) are permanent residents, 6,325 (50%) are international students, and the remaining 3,305 (26%) hold other kinds of visas. [3]
Aside from South Korean expatriates, children adopted from Korea into French families form another portion of France's Korean population; most were adopted at between ages three and nine. [9] The number of North Korean refugees has also been on the rise. [10]
Koreans in France are served by five Korean-language weekend schools, the oldest and largest of which is the Paris Hangul School, established 18 August 1974; it enrolled 170 students as of 2007. [11] Four others, in Villeurbanne, Grenoble, Strasbourg, and Toulouse, were established between 1994 and 2000; they enrolled a further 78 students. [12] [13] [14] [15] A significant number also attend French universities; in total, about half of the Korean population in France are estimated to be students, falling from two-thirds a decade ago. [7] [3]
Not many French people know that their country has a Korean community at all. [4] In many cases, Koreans are mistaken for Chinese and thus lumped in as economic refugees. [16]
As of 2001, only about 200 of the South Koreans in France were members of internationally married couples consisting of a South Korean partner and a French partner. [7] Such couples experienced a number of cultural conflicts, most commonly over the rigour of their children's education. [8]
Portrayals in popular culture of Koreans in France include the 2004 South Korean television series Lovers in Paris; its popularity has resulted in an increase in the number of Korean tourists visiting France. [4] A more recent one is Hong Sang-soo's 2008 film Night and Day. [17]
Total population | |
---|---|
29,167 [1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Paris, Nice, Villeurbanne, Grenoble, Strasbourg, Toulouse | |
Languages | |
Korean, French | |
Religion | |
Christianity and Mahayana Buddhism [2] | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Korean diaspora, Koryo-Saram |
Koreans in France numbered 29,367 individuals as of 2014 [update], making them the 3rd-largest Korean diaspora community in Western Europe, according to South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. [3]
Korean migration to France began in 1919, when the government of France issued work permits to 35 Korean migrant labourers. [4] From a community of just 3,310 in 1988, their numbers more than tripled by 2000, and then grew a further 30% by 2007. [5] [6] However, from 2009 to 2011, their population shrank by 14%. [3] The vast majority live in Paris — about two-thirds, according to 2011 data, compared with four-fifths a decade before — with the largest concentrations in the 15th arrondissement. There are more than twice as many women as men; the population has grown more gender-imbalanced as compared to a decade prior. [7] [3] Unlike in the United States or Canada, with their large Korean American and Korean Canadian communities, few Koreans in France seek to naturalise as French citizens. [8] Among all South Korean nationals or former nationals in France, 786 (6%) have become French citizens, 2,268 (18%) are permanent residents, 6,325 (50%) are international students, and the remaining 3,305 (26%) hold other kinds of visas. [3]
Aside from South Korean expatriates, children adopted from Korea into French families form another portion of France's Korean population; most were adopted at between ages three and nine. [9] The number of North Korean refugees has also been on the rise. [10]
Koreans in France are served by five Korean-language weekend schools, the oldest and largest of which is the Paris Hangul School, established 18 August 1974; it enrolled 170 students as of 2007. [11] Four others, in Villeurbanne, Grenoble, Strasbourg, and Toulouse, were established between 1994 and 2000; they enrolled a further 78 students. [12] [13] [14] [15] A significant number also attend French universities; in total, about half of the Korean population in France are estimated to be students, falling from two-thirds a decade ago. [7] [3]
Not many French people know that their country has a Korean community at all. [4] In many cases, Koreans are mistaken for Chinese and thus lumped in as economic refugees. [16]
As of 2001, only about 200 of the South Koreans in France were members of internationally married couples consisting of a South Korean partner and a French partner. [7] Such couples experienced a number of cultural conflicts, most commonly over the rigour of their children's education. [8]
Portrayals in popular culture of Koreans in France include the 2004 South Korean television series Lovers in Paris; its popularity has resulted in an increase in the number of Korean tourists visiting France. [4] A more recent one is Hong Sang-soo's 2008 film Night and Day. [17]