South Korea has one of the largest Pakistani diaspora community in Asia, numbering 7,000 according to 2004/05 Pakistani government figures, or 10,423 according to 2013 South Korean government figures.[1][2] South Korea also remains a popular education destination for many Pakistanis. Apart from hundreds of self-funded Pakistani students studying in South Korean universities, Pakistan Higher Education Commission has also been sending hundreds of Pakistani students to study for MS and PhD degrees in South Korea.[3] There were 1,420 Pakistanis who have married Korean women between 2001-2010 and settled permanently in South Korea.[4][5] Pakistanis make a large representation of South Korea's Muslim community.[6]
Pakistani students in South Korea
The Pakistani students studying in South Korean universities are predominantly students of MS and PhD in the fields of science and engineering. Students are the most vibrant segment of Pakistani society in South Korea. They regularly come up with cultural events and activities. The surge of Pakistani students to South Korea started in 2007 with the induction of large number of HEC scholars in Korean Universities. Since then, Pakistani students have found different kinds of fundings in South Korea. In 2017, the number of Pakistani students in South Korea was estimated to be between 800 and 1500. The universities with largest number of Pakistani students are Sungkyunkwan University (nearly 170 students), Hanyang University (nearly 100 students), KAIST (nearly 70 students) and UST. Other major universities hosting Pakistani students are Sejong University, Kyunghee University, GIST, Seoul National University, Chungang University, Ajou University, Yonsei University, Kyungpook National University, SUNY Korea, and Pusan National University. Pakistani students generally remain in touch through Facebook groups.
Notable people
In fiction
- Anupam Tripathi, an Indian actor, a main cast member in the 2021 survival drama show Squid Game portrayed Abdul Ali, a Pakistani immigrant living in South Korea.
- Christian Lagahit, a Filipino actor, a minor cast member in Squid Game also portrayed a Pakistani in South Korea.
See also
References
- ^ Yearbook 2004-05, Government of Pakistan, Ministry of Labour, Manpower & Overseas Pakistanis, (Overseas Pakistanis Division), Islamabad Archived 2010-05-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 체류외국인 국적별 현황, 2009년도 출입국통계연보, South Korea: Ministry of Justice, 2009, p. 262, retrieved 2011-03-21
- ^ Chairperson Shehnaz Wazir Foreign marriages in South Korea Archived 2011-06-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Foreign marriages in South Korea
- ^ Racism and stereotypes in South Korea Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Korea's Muslims Mark Ramadan". The Chosun Ilbo. September 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-09.