Foreigners Prefer Living Outside Hub

From: The Korea Times | Nov. 30, 2009
By: Jane Han | Staff Reporter

Itaewon may be the hottest hangout spot among foreigners, but the southwestern Seoul district of Daelim-dong is their No. 1 place of residence.

The National Statistical Office (NSO) said Thursday that 255,207 foreigners currently reside in Seoul and 35,438 of them live in Daelim-dong, a ward of Yeongdeungpo-gu.

This area has long been a foreign enclave with dozens of factories and industrial facilities, including the Guro Industrial Complex, naturally drawing the biggest flock of residents, who are mostly from neighboring Southeast Asian countries.

Contrary to popular belief, Itaewon fell behind in the residential ranking as it came in 27th, according to the NSO.

Thousands of visitors go in and out of the eat-drink-and-play neighborhood, but the government data showed that less than 2,000 foreigners currently live in the central Seoul district.

Another traditionally popular region among foreigners ― Hannam-dong ― ranked toward the bottom of the roster at 18th place.

The NSO said 2,673 non-Koreans currently reside in the area that is dense with foreign embassies.

The tally showed that foreigners are still scarce in some parts of the capital.

For example, less than 10 foreigners reside in the eastern districts of Myeongil-dong and Jamsil 6-dong.

Gangil-dong, Ilwon 2-dong, Junggye-dong and Amsa 3-dong are among other regions in Seoul that are home to less than 20 foreign residents.

Breaking down the residential popularity into wards, Guro-gu ranked second with 27,901 people, following Yeongdeungpo-gu, the NSO report said.

Geumcheon-gu came in third with 17,924, trailed by Gwanak-gu and Yongsan-gu with 17,317 and 12,819 foreign residents, respectively.

Real estate experts say the overwhelming popularity of districts, such as Daelim-dong, indicates that there are a high and growing number of migrant workers in Seoul.

``Foreigners from particular countries tend to prefer dwelling in the same region, so it's natural to see the areas surrounded by industrial complexes becoming more popular residential towns,'' said Lee Ki-tae, a property realtor in Daelim-dong.