Korean Canadian

Korean Canadians
한국계 캐나다인
韓國系 캐나다人

Notable Korean Canadians: Grace Park • Yonah Martin Sandra Oh • Bryan Lee O'Malley
Total population
223,322 (2009 South Korean gov't figures) 141,875 (2006 Canadian Census)
Regions with significant populations
Ontario 69,540 British Columbia 50,490 Alberta 12,045 Quebec 5,310 Manitoba 2,190 Nova Scotia 795 Saskatchewan 740 New Brunswick 625 Prince Edward Island 70 Newfoundland and Labrador 60 Yukon 10
Languages
Korean, Canadian English and Canadian French
Religion
Protestantism (50%), Catholicism (25%), No affiliation (20%), Buddhism (4%)
Related ethnic groups
Koreans
Footnotes
Regional figures above based on Canadian census. South Korean government figures based on consular registrations. All South Korean citizens intending to reside overseas for more than 90 days are required by law to register with the South Korean consulate nearest their overseas residence. Failure to register can have negative consequences for taxes and real estate purchases, and overseas-born children who are not registered may have difficulty enrolling in South Korean schools.

Korean Canadians are Canadians of Korean descent. According to South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, there were 223,322 Koreans or people of Korean descent in Canada as of 2009, making them the fourth-largest Korean diaspora population (behind Koreans in China, Koreans in the United States, Koreans in Japan and ahead of Koreans in Russia). In addition, the South Korean government has estimated that there are at least 100,000 Koreans living illegally in Canada.

History

The first Koreans to come to Canada were local Christians sent by Canadian missionaries as seminary students. Very few settled in Canada; as late as 1965, the total permanent Korean population of Canada was estimated at only 70. However, with the 1966 reform of Canadian immigration laws, South Korean immigration to Canada began to grow. Between 1970 and 1980, 18,148 Koreans immigrated to Canada, and another 17,583 came in the following decade. In the late 1990s, South Korea became the fifth-largest source of immigrants to Canada. Toronto has the country's largest absolute number of Koreans, but Vancouver is experiencing the highest rate of growth in its Korean population, with a 69% increase since 1996. Montreal was the third most popular destination for Korean migrants during this period. In 2001, the number of Korean emigrants headed for Canada exceeded the number headed for the United States. The number of temporary residents has also grown ever since the Canadian government granted a visa waiver to South Korea; South Korea was the largest supplier of international students to Canada in the late 1990s. Aside from South Korea, some immigrants are also drawn from among the population of Koreans in China.^{[citation needed]}

The 1990s growth in South Korean migration to Canada occurred at a time when Canadian unemployment was high and income growth was low relative to the United States. One pair of researchers demonstrated that numbers of migrants were correlated with the exchange rate; the weakness of the Canadian dollar relative to the United States dollar meant that South Korean migrants bringing savings to Canada for investment would be relatively richer than those going to the United States. Other factors suggested as drivers behind the growth of South Korean immigration to Canada included domestic anti-Americanism and the large presence of Canadian English teachers in local hagwon.

Demographics

2007 figures from the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade showed 86,084 Canadian citizens, 72,077 permanent residents, 20,738 people on student visas, and 19,271 other temporary residents. The Canada 2001 Census recorded 101,715 Canadians of Korean descent, but Korean community leaders and media organisations suspected that it undercounted the population, especially mobile short-term residents such as English as a Foreign Language students. According to the Canada 1996 Census, 53.6% of Korean immigrants to Canada had attended a four-year tertiary institution, as compared to 23% of the general population. However, because their qualifications and technical certifications are often not recognised by Canadian employers, Korean immigrants often take jobs not commensurate with their education; 40% worked in family-owned businesses, and their average personal income is only 67% that of the average Canadian resident.

See also

• List of people of Korean descent in Canada

References

• Han, J. D.; Ibbott, Peter (2005), "Korean Migration to North America: Some Prices That Matter", Canadian Studies in Population 32 (2): 155–176, retrieved 2009-02-23 
• Kwak, Min-Jung (July 2004), "An Exploration of the Korean-Canadian Community in Vancouver", Research on Immigration and Integration in the Metropolis Working Paper Series 4 (14), retrieved 2007-07-11 
• Lindsay, Colin (2001), The Korean Community in Canada, Profiles of Ethnic Communities in Canada #14, Statistics Canada, ISBN 978-0-662-46523-2, retrieved 2011-03-13 
• Yoon, In-Jin (2006), "Understanding the Korean Diaspora from Comparative Perspectives", Transformation & Prospect toward Multiethnic, Multiracial & Multicultural Society: Enhancing Intercultural Communication, Asia Culture Forum, retrieved 2007-07-11 
• 《재외동포현황》 [Current Status of Overseas Compatriots], South Korea: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2009, retrieved 2009-05-21 

External links

• Multicultural Canada website includes digitized issues of Minjoong Shinmoon newspaper