.jpg) Opening ceremony held by the National Gugak Center at the Korean Cultural Center in Jakarta, Indonesia in July 2011 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 78,676 (2017)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Jakarta,Tangerang,Yogyakarta,Surabaya,Bandung,Denpasar,Batam,Medan,Kendari | |
| Jakarta and surroundings | 55,824[1] |
| Surabaya and surroundings | 7,710[1] |
| Elsewhere inJava | 6,872[1] |
| Bali,Lombok,Sulawesi,Papua | 6,520[1] |
| Sumatra,Kalimantan | 1,750[1] |
| Languages | |
| Korean,Indonesian,English | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity,Buddhism,Islam[2][3] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Korean diaspora | |
| Koreans in Indonesia | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Korean name | |||||||
| Hangul | 재인도네시아 한인 | ||||||
| Hanja | 在인도네시아 韓人 | ||||||
| |||||||
| Indonesian name | |||||||
| Indonesian | Orang Korea di Indonesia | ||||||
Koreans in Indonesia numbered 78,676 individuals as of 2018[update], making them the 13th-largest population ofoverseas Koreans, according toSouth Korea'sMinistry of Foreign Affairs. The number has increased significantly from the previous record, which was around 50,000 people.[1][4]
One of the leading figures of the Indonesian independence movement,Komarudin (Korean name: Yang Chil-seong;Korean: 양칠성;Hanja: 楊七性) was an ethnic Korean.[5]
The Korean presence inIndonesia goes back several decades. TheJakarta International Korean School inEast Jakarta opened on 1 February 1975, and as of 2007 enrolled 719 elementary school students, 357 middle school students, and 375 high school students.[6] It is thus the largest Korean day school inSoutheast Asia, at more than twice the enrollment of the one inHo Chi Minh City.[4][7] AKoreatown began to form inSouth Jakarta'sKebayoran Baru subdistrict as early as 1982, when Kim Woo-jae opened a shop sellingkimchi anddoenjang.[8]
Between 2011 and 2013, their population increased by 11%. Nearly all (38,401, or 95%) are staying in Indonesia on ordinary residence visas. Other categories have shown rapid growth in recent years but remain small in absolute numbers: those oninternational student visas number 664 people (up 137% since 2011), 814 (up 285%) have permanent residence status, and 405 (up 58%) have becomeIndonesian citizens. Thesex ratio of the community is unbalanced, with 1.3 men for every woman, similar to the pattern seen in most South Korean migrant communities inSoutheast Asian countries besidesMalaysia andSingapore; however, the imbalance has decreased from earlier years.[1] UnlikeJapanese expatriates of earlier years, most South Korean expatriates come accompanied by their families.
Most South Korean migrant workers in Indonesia are employees of South Koreamultinational conglomerates with investments in Indonesia, or owners ofsmall and medium-sized enterprises.Labour relations at South Korean-owned factories were poor in the 1990s, but have improved in recent years.[9]
In 2005 there were about 30,000 South Koreans living in Indonesia, with most of them being in the Jakarta area. Of the rest, 1,200 lived inSurabaya, 600 lived inBandung, 150 lived inBali, and 550 lived elsewhere.[10]
The main Korean areas in Jakarta proper areCibubur inEast Jakarta andKelapa Gading andSunter inNorth Jakarta. There are also Korean populations inBogor,Cikarang inBekasi Regency, andTangerang. Most of the Bekasi Koreans work in the electronics industry. In Tangerang most Koreans work for manufacturing companies,[11] In particular those involved in the making of shoes,[4] and many Korean-owned businesses are inLippo Village (Lippo Karawaci).[11] 80% of the commercial buildings in Lippo Village are occupied by ethnic Koreans.[12]
Farther away from Jakarta, Korean nationals are also served by two other weekend schools, theSurabayaHangul School (founded 1 January 1989, enrolling 42 students at the kindergarten and elementary levels), and theBandung Hangul School (founded 1 March 1992, enrolling 66 students at the kindergarten through middle school levels).[13][14]Semarang is another area mentioned as having a large number of Koreans, though they lack any Korean-language educational facilities there.Bali, a popular destination for Korean tourists, has also begun to attracting some scattered Korean workers.[4]
The directory of the Korean Association in Indonesia listed 14 Korean churches (of various denominations, includingPresbyterianism) and one Buddhist temple of theJogye Order in theJabodetabek area.[2] Muslims form a smaller minority of the Korean community. The Indonesian branch of the Korean Muslim Federation opened in 1982; they sponsored 22Muslims from South Korea to come to Indonesia as students in 1983 and 1984 to study inlocal universities and better understand Islam. According to their figures, as of 2005, there were only 50 Korean Muslims in Indonesia, including those who had converted while living there.[3][15]
