Koreans in France

Koreans in France
Koreans in France
Total population
14,738 (2009)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Paris, Villeurbanne, Grenoble, Strasbourg, Toulouse
Languages

Korean, French

Religion

Mahayana Buddhism[2]

Related ethnic groups

Koreans

Koreans in France numbered 14,738 individuals as of 2009, making them the 19th-largest Korean diaspora community in the world, and the 3rd-largest in Europe, according to South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.[1]

Contents

Migration history

Korean migration to France began in 1919, when the government of France issued work permits to 35 Korean migrant labourers.[3] From a community of just 3,310 in 1988, their numbers more than tripled by 2000, and then grew a further 30% by 2007.[4][1] The vast majority live in Paris—nearly 80%, according to 2000 data— with the largest concentrations in the 15th arrondissement. There are nearly twice as many women as men.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7] The number of North Korean refugees has also been on the rise.[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.[3]

Education

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.[9] Four others, in Villeurbanne, Grenoble, Strasbourg, and Toulouse, were established between 1994 and 2000; they enrolled a further 78 students.[10][11][12][13] A significant number also attend French universities; in total, 65% of the Korean population in France are estimated to be students.[5]

Inter-ethnic relations

Not many French people know that their country has a Korean community at all.[3] In many cases, Koreans are mistaken for Chinese and thus lumped in as economic refugees.[14]

Only about 200 of the South Koreans in France are members of internationally married couples consisting of a South Korean partner and a French partner.[5] Such couples experience a number of cultural conflicts, most commonly over the rigour of their children's education.[6]

Notable people

See also

References

Notes

Sources

Further reading

  • Lim, Young-hee (November 2004), "History of Koreans in France", International Conference on Korean Historical Materials and the History of Koreans in Europe, University of Bonn 

External links


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