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Koreans in Malaysia
Total population
	13,152 (2023)
Regions with significant populations
Kuala Lumpur Ampang; Mont Kiara;
Selangor Ampang; Bandar Sunway; Kota Damansara; Subang Jaya;
Penang
Johor Johor Bahru; Iskandar Puteri;
Sabah Kota Kinabalu; Papar;
Sarawak Sri Aman;
Languages
	Korean, English, Malay
Religion
	Mainly Mahayana Buddhism, Christianity and other minorities
Related ethnic groups
	Korean diaspora

Koreans in Malaysia numbered 13,152 individuals as of 2023^[update], making them the 22nd-largest community of overseas Koreans, and the 6th-largest in Southeast Asia.^[1]

Migration history

The history of Koreans in Malaysia goes back almost half a century; Malaysia and South Korea established diplomatic relations in 1960, and in the following decade, when Malaysia faced a shortage of doctors, a number of foreign doctors, including Koreans and Filipinos, were authorised to practise in Malaysia.^[11]^[12] Some construction workers, pilots, and sailors were also sent to the country.^[13]

Demography and distribution

The Korean community in Malaysia consist mostly of migrants working in South Korean companies, as well as an increasing number of international students.^[14] The number of retirees coming under the Malaysia My Second Home immigration programme has also been increasing.^[2] Most Korean residents are concentrated in Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, especially in Ampang, where a Koreatown is beginning to sprout.^[3]^[15] The popularity of Korean dramas in Malaysia has meant an increasingly friendly reception for Korean migrants by local people.^[14] Real estate investment is another factor drawing Koreans to migrate to Malaysia, due to the taxes imposed on people who own more than two properties in Korea; Malaysia is the second most popular market for overseas real estate investment by Koreans, after the United States.^[2]

Around 200,000 South Korean tourists came to Malaysia in 2006; Kota Kinabalu was their most popular destination.^[12] About 1,800 to 2,000 Koreans reside in Sabah, most of them in Kota Kinabalu.^[5] Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal project in Kimanis, Papar has brought South Korean employees of Samsung Engineering to work and live there until the terminal completion in December 2013.^[16]

There were also some North Koreans working in Sarawak in the mine industry.^[6] This was revealed after a tragedy that killed one and injuring seven others North Koreans in 2014.^[7] By September 2017, the state Immigration Department has confirmed there are no more North Koreans working in Sarawak with the coal mine also had stopped their operation.^[17]

Education

Roughly 2,000 of the Koreans in Malaysia are students; Malaysia's multicultural environment offers them the chance to practise English as well as study other languages such as Chinese or Malay; they describe the educational environment as being more relaxed than in Korea. Korean churches form an important part of their social life.^[8]^[10] Their parents also prefer Malaysia to other countries for several reasons. The low cost of living and education in Malaysia is a major pull factor; Parents also believe Malaysia offers a better environment for English study than neighbouring countries. A representative from one Seoul company which helps to arrange overseas study for local students estimated that 90% of Korean students going to Southeast Asia choose Malaysia as their destination. However, some international schools have stopped accepting Korean students because they have become too large a proportion of their student bodies.^[14] In many cases, mothers come to Malaysia with their young school-age children, while the breadwinning father remains behind in South Korea and sends money to support them.^[18]

Malaysia's first officially registered weekend school for Korean nationals, the Malaysia Korean School, was established on 7 December 1974; it had 26 teachers and enrolled 148 students as of 2006^[update]. It was located on Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur.^[19] The first day school for Korean families, the Korean School of Malaysia, opened in Cyberjaya in 2016.^[20]

References

^ ^a ^b 재외동포현황 총계(2015)/Total number of overseas Koreans (2015). South Korea: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Phoon, Zoe (26 November 2007), "'Hwan Young Hap Ni Da'", New Straits Times, retrieved 1 January 2008
^ ^a ^b Christopher Tan (19 November 2021). "Penang-South Korea exploring opportunities to grow together". Buletin Mutiara. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
^ "Low costs and taxes make Southeast Asia very attractive", JoongAng Daily, 3 November 2019, retrieved 26 October 2022
^ ^a ^b "Brisk business at Korea Fair", New Sabah Times, 28 September 2009, archived from the original on 20 July 2011, retrieved 21 December 2009
^ ^a ^b Sharon Ling; Stephen Then; Yu Ji; Andy Chua; Neville Spykerman (24 November 2014). "N. Koreans working in S'wak legally". The Star (Malaysia). Retrieved 12 April 2016.
^ ^a ^b Kate Hodal (24 November 2014). "North Koreans are needed to do the dangerous jobs, says Malaysia". The Guardian (UK). Retrieved 12 April 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Great chance to mix", The Star, 16 July 2006, retrieved 2 May 2007
^ "Korean Buddhist congregations in Malaysia", World Buddhist Directory, Buddha Dharma Education Association, 2006, retrieved 9 March 2009
^ ^a ^b Tan, Ee Loo (16 July 2006). "Feeling at home in Malaysia". The Star. Malaysia. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
^ Henderson, John William (1970), Area Handbook for Malaysia, American University, p. 151, OCLC 154312
^ ^a ^b Ariffin, Roslan (8 March 2007). "Najib Dijangka Kukuhkan Hubungan Dua Hala M'sia-Korea Selatan (Najib plans strong Malaysia-South Korea bilateral relations)". Bernama. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
^ Bonacich, Edna; Light, Ivan (1991), Immigrant Entrepreneurs: Koreans in Los Angeles, 1965–1982, United States: University of California Press, pp. 104, ISBN 0-520-07656-7
^ ^a ^b ^c Kim, Hyun (31 January 2007). "Malaysia emerging as destination for Korean students seeking global education". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on 31 March 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
^ Rhee, Hyun Ah (18 December 2006). "Koreans find green pastures in Ampang". Malaysiakini. Archived from the original on 24 January 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
^ Samsung Engineering officially signs the Sabah Oil & Gas Terminal Project, Samsung Engineering, 18 October 2010, archived from the original on 18 February 2013, retrieved 12 June 2012
^ Adib Povera (21 September 2017). "All North Koreans in Sarawak have been sent back". New Straits Times. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
^ Lim, Yun-suk (17 February 2009), "Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Weakening Korean won forces South Koreans to give up overseas plans", Channel News Asia, archived from the original on 19 October 2012, retrieved 29 April 2009
^ "Overseas Korean Educational Institutions". International Institute for Education Development, Republic of Korea. 2006. 재말레이시아한인학교. Archived from the original on 8 January 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
^ "Malaysia's first Korean school to open in September". Yonhap News. 27 May 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2018.