South Korea's Chinese Compatriots: Compatriots Move Out of Seoul in Third Quarter as Incheon and Gyeonggi Gain
The residential map of South Korea's foreign-national compatriots, including its ethnic Korean Chinese compatriots, is shifting: statistics on the movement of foreign residents released by the Ministry of Justice on October 26 show that compatriots of foreign nationality made 27,187 interregional moves in the third quarter of 2026, from July to September, with Seoul recording a net outflow of 1,123 people while Incheon gained a net 678 and Gyeonggi Province a net 423.
By destination, Gyeonggi received the most movers at 11,733, followed by Seoul at 6,603, Incheon at 2,874 and South Chungcheong Province at 1,776. Net movement told a different story: Seoul took in 6,603 compatriots but lost 7,726, for a net outflow of 1,123, while Incheon, Gyeonggi and South Chungcheong posted net inflows of 678, 423 and 129. Seoul's net outflow ran for three consecutive months, at 410 in July, 362 in August and 351 in September, while Incheon and Gyeonggi recorded net inflows in every month of the quarter.
By residence status, Seoul's net outflow included 780 holders of the overseas Korean (F-4) status and 283 permanent residents (F-5). Incheon's net inflow included 482 F-4 holders and 150 permanent residents, while Gyeonggi's included 191 F-4 holders and 192 permanent residents.
Foreign nationals other than compatriots moved in the opposite direction, with a net inflow of 1,064 into Seoul and a net outflow of 1,153 from Gyeonggi over the same period.
The ministry's figures aggregate compatriots of all foreign nationalities, including Chinese compatriots of Korean ethnicity; no separate total for Chinese compatriots was published. The statistics also do not link each mover's origin and destination, so it cannot be assumed that those who left Seoul all moved to Incheon or Gyeonggi.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：仁川唐人街街景，仁川是中国同胞在韩国的传统聚居城市之一。照片：Mobius6，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: A street in Incheon Chinatown, South Korea. Photo: Mobius6, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
