83% of South Koreans have never had chance to really get to know a foreign national: survey

Korea Herald

02-03-2025

Despite growing foreign population, 70% of Koreans lack cultural diversity awareness
Only one in six South Koreans have had any kind of meaningful interaction with a person from outside the country, while seven out of 10 say they have little to no understanding of what cultural diversity means, a new study shows.
According to the first-ever 2024 Cultural Diversity Survey, released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Thursday, only 16.8 percent of respondents have ever engaged with foreign nationals in their lifetime, despite South Korea's growing population of international residents. About 4.8 percent of the country's population consists of foreign residents, with their number now surpassing 2.46 million, as of the 2024 census.
The 16.8 percent of respondents who did engage with non-Koreans said their contact was mainly with foreign workers (44.8 percent), marriage migrants (25.5 percent), and foreign students (24.9 percent), among others.
The survey, which was conducted on 5,000 South Koreans, also shows that just 27.3 percent are familiar with the concept of cultural diversity, while 38.1 percent admit they have no idea what it means. The remaining 34.6 percent said they have heard of the term but know little about it.
The survey aimed to approximate South Korea's aging demographics, though not perfectly, with the largest share of respondents in their 20s (24.2 percent) and strong representation from those in their 50s (19.1 percent), 40s (17.1 percent), 60s (15.8 percent) and 70s or older (15.3 percent). Teens aged 15 to 19 accounted for only 4.1 percent.
The study defines cultural diversity as respecting differences in race, religion, values, lifestyles, gender and age while ensuring equal access to diverse cultural expressions and content.
Diverse cultures struggle for visibility in Korea
Another key indicator of cultural engagement is media consumption, which strongly influences perceptions of diversity. The survey found that local audiences overwhelmingly enjoy domestic entertainment ― a contrast to how K-pop and K-dramas are becoming more popular with overseas audiences.
Over 85 percent of respondents said they regularly watch Korean popular media, compared to 60 percent who said they regularly consume content from other countries.
In music, while 72.1 percent of respondents said they listen to Korean pop music, only 56 percent reported listening to non-Korean artists.
This gap is most pronounced in the fine arts, with only 23.4 percent of respondents having ever attended a performance or exhibition featuring work from another country.
The survey also revealed that media representation plays a significant role in shaping Koreans' perceptions of cultural diversity, often reinforcing stereotypes. More than 54 percent of respondents said they had encountered biased portrayals in television, news or online content, with the most commonly cited prejudices directed at different generations (56.6 percent), religious groups (45.5 percent) and racial minorities (44.2 percent).