A total of 428,000 foreign nationals entered the RoK for stays of more than 90 days last year, down from 451,000 in 2024. The figures exclude unauthorized entrants.
Vietnamese nationals accounted for 98,000 long-term arrivals, surpassing Chinese nationals at 94,000. Americans ranked third with 23,000 arrivals. Together, the three nationalities represented over half of all long-term foreign entrants.
Visitors admire cherry blossoms in bloom in Seoul, South Korea in April 2024. Photo by Kim Anh |
The number of arrivals from Vietnam has increased as more people come for education, training and seasonal employment, Yoo Su-deok, head of the ministry’s population projection team said, adding that the shrinking population of ethnic Koreans in China also contributed to the trend.
Foreign arrivals for employment totaled 160,000, down 2.4% from a year earlier. The number of non-professional workers declined 24.4% to 73,000, while professional workers fell 14.1% to 13,000.
Employment remained the leading reason for long-term entry, accounting for 37.4% of arrivals, followed by education and training at 25.2%. Permanent residency and marriage each represented a smaller share of long-term migration.
Separately, South Korea recorded a net inflow of its own citizens on long-term stays in 2025. The number of Koreans returning to the country for stays exceeding 90 days fell 7% to 257,000, while departures declined 6.5% to 233,000, leaving more citizens returning than leaving.
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