Koreans in the United Kingdom

According to South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2019, there were 40,770 Koreans living in the United Kingdom.

According to the 2011 UK Census, there were 16,276 people of South Korean birth living in England, 310 in Wales,[5] 716 in Scotland,[6] and 92 in Northern Ireland.

[10] Among those recorded in MOFAT's statistics, 3,839 were British citizens, 9,170 had indefinite leave to remain, 19,000 were international students, and the other 14,820 had other kinds of visas.

[11] According to UNHCR statistics, 622 recognised refugees and 59 asylum seekers from North Korea were present in the UK in 2014.

[18] During the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Koreans from all over the country flocked to the town to gather with their co-ethnics and show support for the Korea Republic national football team.

[21] Of the total of 392 North Korean-born residents recorded by the 2011 census, 251 lived in Greater London, 47 in North-West England and 30 in Yorkshire and the Humber.

[24] A 2006 study of Korean businesses in Kingston upon Thames noted that Korean business owners' unfamiliarity with commercial practices in the UK, along with language barriers, have sometimes led them into conflict with governmental regulators; the Health and Safety Executive noted that Korean barbecue restaurants are especially problematic in this regard, as they often imported small, uncertified table-top gas cookers directly from South Korea for self-installation, rather than hiring a registered gas engineer to install and inspect them, and took no corrective action when issued with warnings.

[18] Today, most South Koreans speak English[25] and many high-quality restaurants can be found in London's West End.