Koreans in the Arab world

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Koreans in the Arab world
Total population
c. 24,000[1][2]
Regions with significant populations
 United Arab Emirates10,356[3]
 Saudi Arabia5,189[1]
 Qatar3,000[4]
 Algeria1,158[5]
 Kuwait1,000[6]
 Egypt995[7]
 Jordan592[8]
 Oman468[9]
 Morocco369[10]
 Bahrain282[11]
 Tunisia196[12]
 Syria162[13]
 Iraq113[14]
 Yemen112[15]
 Libya111[16]
 Sudan101[17]
 Lebanon76[18]
 Mauritania43[19]
 Palestine13[20]
Languages
Korean, Arabic, English, French
Religion
Buddhism, Christianity, Islam
Related ethnic groups
Korean diaspora

Koreans in the Arab world used to form a major part of the worldwide Korean diaspora. Koreans started coming to the Arab world in large numbers in early 1970s as migrant labourers; between 1975 and 1985, 1.1 million Koreans came for work, which made it the third-most popular destination for Korean emigrants.[21] Eventually, most returned home or moved on to other countries, and as of 2014, the South Korean government's own figures showed over 24 thousand of their nationals living in the region. However, South Korean nationals are present in all of the region's countries, and North Korean workers also have a growing presence in several of them.[2]

History

Though Korea had a long history of trading contact with the

Zainichi Koreans).[23]

The growth in the South Korean migrant worker population reflected a deliberate policy of the government to promote manpower exports; they had established a special department for this purpose as early as the mid-1960s, and in the 1970s, construction enterprises were given priority in order to facilitate their entry into overseas markets.

Hyundai Construction; Koreans were described as having a "competitive advantage" over workers of other nationalities due to their discipline and level of skill, which some commentators attributed to South Korea's practise of universal male conscription. Unlike their Western competitors, Koreans worked around the clock in shifts; huge lighting systems were installed to facilitate night work.[25] A survey of migrants showed that 73% were between 25 and 40 years old; under half (48%) of the regular workers were married, while 69% of contract workers were.[26]

The receiving countries were concerned about the effect that long-term residence of migrant workers could have on their societies; they preferred Korean workers because they were unaccompanied by family members and so stayed only for short periods.[27] The typical length of an assignment in the region was three years.[25] Migration to the region would peak in 1982 and 1983.[21] Wages were around four to five million won, roughly twice what could be earned in South Korea at the time, and workers typically remitted 80% of their salaries. Families used saved remittances to purchase houses or start businesses. However, migration was not a success for everyone: roughly one-in-ten workers returned from the Middle East reported a decrease in income, usually due to inability to find suitable work. The hot, dry climate and long work hours also resulted in health problems for many workers, and the medical bills whittled away at their savings.[28]

Several factors in the late 1980s contributed to decreasing the amount of Korean migration. Increasing labour unrest initiated by South Korean workers provided one stimulus for the localisation of the workforce.[29] South Korea's rising labour costs were another reason. During the latter half of the 1980s, the proportion of Korean labourers working on construction projects for Hyundai declined from 70% to only 20–30% during the 1980s, with the shortfall being taken up by local labourers instead.[21][30] By 1990, only 56,000 South Korean migrant workers went abroad to any destination, a drop of over 70% since 1982.[31] By 1992, the wage gap between South Korea and the rich countries of the Middle East had largely disappeared.[32] The South Korean population would shrink over the following decade before rebounding slightly to 13,008 by 2009. Over the next two years, the population would show rapid growth of nearly 27%, reaching 16,461 by 2011. Nearly three-quarters of that recent population growth was driven by increased migration to the United Arab Emirates.[2][33]

Furthermore, in an echo of the South Korean policy of the 1970s and 1980s, the North Korean government has also been sending its workers abroad to earn hard currency for their country recently. As of 2009, there were estimated to be six thousand North Korean workers in various Arab countries, including Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen; like the South Koreans two decades earlier, they also work primarily in construction-related trades such as welding and carpentry.[34]

By country

Bahrain

Bahrain was a minor destination for South Korean migrant workers in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

study abroad exchanges between the two countries.[35]

Egypt

Egypt was a relatively minor destination for Korean migrant workers.[21] The Cairo Korean School, founded on 5 December 1979, is one of the region's few Korean day schools; it enrolled 27 students at the elementary level as of 2007.[37] However, their student numbers have been falling, and from 2002 until 2008 they did not even hold any graduation ceremony.[38] There is also a Korean church in Cairo, which conducts various outreach activities.[39] As of 2011, South Korean consular statistics recorded 995 of their nationals or former nationals living in Egypt, with 886 in Cairo and surroundings, and 109 living in other parts of the country. 21 are Egyptian nationals, 65 are international students, and 909 have other kinds of visas. Their population has remained roughly stable since 2009.[7]

The Korean School in Cairo (카이로한국학교), a South Korean international school, is in New Cairo.[40]

Iraq

The first group of nine South Korean workers arrived in

ROK army engineers to Iraq.[41] Later the South Koreans expanded their presence, creating an entirely new division, the Zaytun Division, consisting of 3,600 troops; they were sent to Iraq in September 2004. As of March 2007, about 1,600 remained; another 400 were expected to return home in April, with the others departing by the end of the year.[42][43] There were also 113 South Korean civilians in Iraq as of 2011.[14]

Jordan

Jordan was a minor destination for South Korean migrant workers in the 1970s and 1980s. The first group of 90 migrant workers arrived in 1975; from then until 1985, a total of 12,544 came to the country. The number reached its peak with 2,404 in 1980 but fell to less than a quarter that level by 1985.[21] By 2011, the country had the Arab world's seventh-largest Korean population. From 356 in 2009, the number of South Korean nationals grew by 66% to 592 in 2011. Among them, 48 were international students, while 544 held other types of visas; none had become Jordanian nationals. The vast majority (556, or 94%) lived in Amman or its surroundings, with another 14 living at Irbid, and 22 in other places.[8][33]

South Koreans in the country pursue a variety of professions. Some are interested in investing in construction projects in the country.

Won Ho Chung, an Arabic-speaking comedian who rose to fame in the region through the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour in 2007.[47][48]

Kuwait

Koreans in

Filipinos, and Pakistanis, they were described as being at the bottom of the social structure, "ridiculed and stripped of their rights".[51] Nor did they spend much of their money locally; as meals and housing were provided for them in their work camps, it was estimated that they remitted 80% of their earnings back to South Korea.[52] In spite of these difficulties, between 1975 and 1985, 63,898 South Korean workers came to Kuwait, and as late as 1990, roughly 10,000 were estimated to remain.[21] Kuwait's only school for Korean nationals, the Kuwait Hangul School, was established in 1991.[53] Most South Koreans returned home in the following decade, and as of 2011, only 1,000 South Korean nationals resided in the country. There were no known former South Korean nationals with Kuwaiti nationality; six were international students, and the remainder had other kinds of visas.[6]

There was formerly a small contingent of

Gyeonggi-do have been deployed to bases in Kuwait, including Camp Arifjan, in support of the US Army.[54] In 2005, a group calling itself Kuwait Mujahideen claimed to have killed a Korean national as part of an attack on a US Army base in Umm Al-Hayman near Al Ahmadi.[55]

North Korean companies have established a greater presence in Kuwait recent years, and the government of South Korea estimated that there are roughly three or four thousand North Korean construction workers in the country as of 2004.[49][56] Air Koryo, the national airline of North Korea, began operating weekly flights between Pyongyang and Kuwait City in 2011.[57]

Libya

Though Libya did not receive its first South Korean workers until 1977, it quickly became a popular destination; it was the only Arab country which experienced consistent growth in the number of Korean workers between 1981 and 1985, and by 1985 it had already become the Arab world's second most popular destination, with 23,138 arrivals from South Korea. In total, from 1977 until 1985, 103,953 South Koreans came to Libya.[21] However, virtually all returned home, and as of 2009, it was estimated that only 854 South Korean nationals lived in the country.[33] The South Korean population fell a further 87% in the next two years, leaving just 111 South Koreans in the country.[16] Libya also has a Korean weekend school, founded in 2000; it enrolled 22 students from kindergarten to high school levels as of 2007.[58]

North Korea also dispatched labourers to Libya in the 1980s and 1990s; a batch of Northern construction workers arrived in Libya in 2008. There were estimated to be roughly 200 North Korean expatriates in Libya as of 2011.

Libyan civil war that year. South Korean official media reported that Pyongyang had explicitly ordered their nationals in Libya and Egypt not to return home.[60]

Qatar

South Korea and

Japanese companies as well.[62] Qatar Airways is one of the major employers of South Koreans in Qatar.[63] As of 2011, South Korean consular statistics showed 2,184 of their nationals or former nationals living in the country, a decrease of 7.7% since 2009. 1,383 lived in Doha, 467 in Mesaieed, and 334 in Al Khor. Five were Qatari nationals, 112 were international students, and the remaining 2,067 had other types of visas.[4]

In addition, an estimated 3,000 North Koreans lived in the country as of 2015[update].[64] This accounted for approximately 40% of the working population of North Korean in the Persian Gulf region at that time.[64] North Korean workers are reported to be among the lowest paid in the country, earning US$170/month, less than even Nepali migrants; they perform low-skilled work such as plastering and bricklaying. Their lives are subject to a great deal of official constraint, and they try to avoid contact with the South Koreans.[65] There were no registered schools for Korean nationals in Qatar as of 2007.[66]

Saudi Arabia

A sign for a Korean restaurant in Riyadh

South Korea established

Saudi military to put down a strike at the Jubail port construction project, and that the army then proceeded to arrest and execute several workers.[29][68] Korean workers were also not afforded the opportunity for much social contact with their host population, though a few did convert to Islam.[22] Migration to the country would peak in 1982 and 1983, with over 122,000 South Koreans entering Saudi Arabia in each of those years, making up over 70% of Korean migration to the region. However, by 1985, the number of South Koreans entering Saudi Arabia had fallen to 58,924, paralleling a downward trend in the whole region.[21] Saudi Arabia's first school for South Korean nationals was established in 1992 in Jeddah; as of 2007, it enrolled a total of 23 children at the kindergarten level.[69]

In 1998, South Korea closed their consulate in Jeddah. There was no known North Korean presence, and North Korea does not maintain diplomatic relations with the kingdom.[67] As of 2011, South Korean government figures showed 2,821 of their nationals or former nationals in the country, up by about 40% from 2,014 in 2011. This made them the second-largest Korean population in the region, having surpassed the population in Qatar which shrank during the same period. 43 were Saudi nationals, 65 were international students, and the remaining 2,713 had other kinds of visas. 1,479 lived in Dammam, 607 in Riyadh, 394 in Jeddah, 134 in Medina, 100 in Jizan, and 11 in 'Asir Province.[70][33]

There are two Korean international schools in Saudi Arabia: Korean International School of Jeddah (KISJ; 젯다한국국제학교) and Korean School in Riyadh (리야드한국학교).[71][72]

United Arab Emirates

Number of North Korean migrant workers in Asia

The United Arab Emirates received a small contingent of Korean migrant workers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but it was never a major destination.

Umm al-Quwain.[3]

Many South Koreans in the UAE are flight attendants working for

Emirates Airlines; the number of Koreans working for Emirates Airlines increased from 15 in 1998 to 620 as of 2007, mostly based out of Dubai. Dubai has the UAE's largest community of South Koreans.[74] However, a consulate was not opened in Dubai until March 2008.[75] In Abu Dhabi, Reem Investments plans to develop a residential complex for South Korean expatriates on Al Reem Island, and have engaged Gansam Architects of Seoul to design its 22,000 square metres (240,000 sq ft) cultural centre.[76]

There are also believed to be roughly 1,300 North Korean workers in the UAE, primarily in Dubai and

Okryu Restaurant opened in Dubai, staffed by waitresses from North Korea; the restaurant earns hard currency to supplement the North Korean state budget.[77]

Other countries

Other Arab countries that received Korean migrant workers during the late 1970s and early 1980s include Yemen, Oman, and Sudan.[21] There are Korean weekend schools in Mauritania (Nouadhibou), Morocco (Rabat and Agadir) and Tunisia (Tunis).[66]

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b 재외동포현황 [Current Status of Overseas Compatriots] (in Korean). South Korea: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  2. ^ a b c MOFAT 2011, pp. 263–294; statistics for MOFAT's "Middle East Region" (중동지역), without Israel and Iran, plus Algeria which it classifies under "Africa Region" (아프리카지역)
  3. ^ a b c MOFAT 2011, pp. 277–279
  4. ^ a b MOFAT 2011, p. 291
  5. ^ MOFAT 2011, p. 322. 903 live at Oran, 159 at Algiers, 79 at Skikda, and 40 at Boughezoul. This represents rapid growth since 2009, when only 183 South Korean nationals were recorded as living in the country.
  6. ^ a b MOFAT 2011, p. 292; Cheongwadae 2007, President Roh Moo-hyn's State Visit to the State of Kuwait also states there may be as many as 4,000 North Korean workers in the country, which if correct, would give Kuwait the second-largest Korean population in the region
  7. ^ a b MOFAT 2011, p. 290
  8. ^ a b MOFAT 2011, p. 283
  9. ^ MOFAT 2011, pp. 281–282
  10. ^ MOFAT 2011, pp. 267–279
  11. ^ a b MOFAT 2011, p. 271
  12. ^ MOFAT 2011, p. 293
  13. ^ MOFAT 2011, p. 276
  14. ^ a b MOFAT 2011, p. 284
  15. ^ MOFAT 2011, p. 280
  16. ^ a b MOFAT 2011, p. 266
  17. ^ MOFAT 2011, p. 274; note that the statistics predate the independence of South Sudan
  18. ^ MOFAT 2011, p. 265
  19. ^ MOFAT 2011, p. 270
  20. ^ MOFAT 2011, p. 289; in the 2011 report, the population figure for Palestine was listed as a subtotal under Israel, in contrast to the practise in the 2009 report (MOFAT 2009), in which it appeared as a separate country. Nine South Korean nationals were recorded as living at Bethlehem, and four at Ramallah.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Seok 1991, pp. 56–58
  22. ^ a b Baker 2006
  23. ^ a b Bonacich & Light 1991, pp. 105–106
  24. ^ Park 1998, pp. 122–123
  25. ^ a b Steers 1999, pp. 107–119
  26. ^ Seok 1991, pp. 58–59
  27. ^ Park 1998, p. 122
  28. ^ Seok & Yang 1992, p. 106
  29. ^ a b Halliday 1984
  30. ^ Kwon & O'Donnell 2001, pp. 104–105
  31. ^ Park 1998, pp. 121–122
  32. ^ Seok & Yang 1992, p. 111
  33. ^ a b c d MOFAT 2009
  34. ^ a b "N. Korean Workers Brave Hard Times in UAE", Chosun Ilbo, 25 December 2009, retrieved 29 December 2009
  35. ^ a b "New education exchange plans are on the way", Gulf Daily News, 6 February 2012, retrieved 30 April 2012
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  37. ^ NIIED 2007, 카이로한국학교
  38. ^ 카이로 한국학교 8년만의 졸업식 [Cairo Korean school holds first graduation ceremony in 8 years], Yonhap News (in Korean), 20 February 2009, retrieved 19 September 2009
  39. ^ 세계 속 한민족 : 이집트 한인 교회 여성 봉사대 가난한 집 아기 씻기고 분 발라줘 [Koreans around the world: Egypt Korean church women's service team helps babies of low-income families], JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean), 8 March 2005, retrieved 19 September 2009
  40. ^ Home. Korean School in Cairo (카이로한국학교). 1 August 2015. Retrieved on 21 September 2015. "48 Rd 1st Zone 6th Area New Cairo, Egypt"
  41. ^ Hwang, Balbina (13 February 2004), "South Korean Troops to Iraq: A Boost for U.S.-ROK Relations", Heritage Foundation WebMemo, no. 427, retrieved 22 May 2009
  42. ^ Lee, Chi-dong (13 March 2007), "South Korean troops asked to stay longer in Iraq", Yonhap News, retrieved 26 April 2007
  43. ^ "South Koreans detained by Iraq insurgents released", People's Daily, 9 April 2004, retrieved 26 April 2007
  44. ^ 김의장, 요르단 교포 격려, Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean), 21 February 2009, retrieved 24 February 2012
  45. ^ Jeong, Jae-su (26 September 2006), 요르단 국립대학 한국어과 개설, Dongpo News (in Korean), retrieved 25 February 2012
  46. ^ Onishi, Norimitsu (1 November 2004), "Korean Missionaries Carrying Word to Hard-to-Sway Places", The New York Times, retrieved 25 February 2012
  47. ^ Mossalli, Marriam (15 June 2011), "Archived copy", Arab News, archived from the original on 3 March 2016, retrieved 25 February 2012{{citation}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  48. ^ Bharadwaj, Vinita (9 May 2012), "A Multicultural Comic Wows Arab Crowds With an Insider's Touch", The New York Times, retrieved 10 May 2012
  49. ^ a b c Cheongwadae 2007, President Roh Moo-hyn's State Visit to the State of Kuwait
  50. ^ MacKellar 1982
  51. ^ Mohammed 2003, p. 21
  52. ^ Mohammed 2003, p. 20
  53. ^ NIIED 2007, 쿠웨이트한글학교
  54. ^ Choi, Jin (10 January 2011), "Casey Exchange employee among first Koreans to serve soldiers abroad", Army.mil, retrieved 25 February 2012
  55. ^ Suh, Jung-min (16 January 2005), "Seoul denies Korean soldier was killed in Kuwait", JoongAng Ilbo, archived from the original on 14 July 2012, retrieved 25 February 2012{{citation}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  56. ^ "About 3,000 North Korean Construction Workers in Kuwait: KOTRA", YON – Yonhap News Agency of Korea, 27 November 2004, retrieved 22 May 2009
  57. ^ O'Carroll, Chad (27 March 2014). "North Korea's Air Koryo resumes Pyongyang–Kuwait service". NK News. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  58. ^ NIIED 2007, 재리비아주말한글학교
  59. ^ Yi, Yeong-jong (25 February 2011), 리비아 북한인 200명 왜 철수 안 시키나 [Why the 200 North Koreans in Libya are not being evacuated], JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean), retrieved 26 February 2011
  60. Yonhap News
    , 26 October 2011, retrieved 30 October 2011
  61. ^ Cheongwadae 2007, President Roh Moo-hyun's Official Visit to the Qatar
  62. ^ CFR 1980, p. 28
  63. ^ Leach, Hannah Stuart (6 October 2011), "Competition high for 'flying girls'", Korea Herald, retrieved 30 April 2012
  64. ^ a b "Around 3,000 North Koreans in Qatar". The Peninsula Qatar. 13 September 2015. Archived from the original on 15 September 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  65. ^ "How's the Kimchi? Secret Lives of North Korean Workers Abroad", Radio Free Asia, 17 January 2007, retrieved 25 April 2007
  66. ^ a b NIIED 2007
  67. ^ a b Cheongwadae 2007, President Roh Moo-hyn's Official Visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  68. ^ Collins 2003, pp. 100–101
  69. ^ NIIED 2007, 젯다한국학교병설한글학교
  70. ^ MOFAT 2011, pp. 272–273
  71. ^ Home, Korean International School of Jeddah, retrieved 21 September 2015, 주소: P.O.BOX 4322, Jeddah 21491, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  72. ^ Home. Riyadh Korean School. Retrieved on 21 September 2015.
  73. ^ "South Korea to open consulate in Dubai", Khaleej Times, 26 February 2008, retrieved 22 May 2009
  74. ^ "Korean Female Crew Capture Middle East", Chosun Ilbo, 4 May 2007, archived from the original on 10 May 2007, retrieved 4 May 2007
  75. ^ About us, The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Dubai, archived from the original on 5 April 2010, retrieved 22 May 2009
  76. ^ Ferris-Lay, Claire (17 January 2012), "Reem Island inks construction deal with Koreans", Construction Week, retrieved 22 August 2012
  77. ^ Kenyon, Peter (31 December 2010), "Dubai Restaurant Offers A Taste of North Korea", NPR.org, retrieved 10 March 2012

Sources

Data tables and directories

External links