Seoul population and its ethnic composition

First of all, let's designate where Seoul is located. This is a huge metropolis, located on the Korean peninsula and is the capital of South Korea. This city is one of the largest cities in the world. The official name of the country is the Republic of Korea. This democratic state was formed in the summer of 1945 after the separation of spheres of influence on the Korean peninsula. Under the treaty, this part of the peninsula passed under the jurisdiction of the United States, and the northern part fell under the influence of the USSR. Today, South Korea is divided into 9 provinces with different populations. And Seoul is the most populous point of the country.

Population

The total population of South Korea for this year is 50,719,904 people. Compared to 2016, the figure increased by 244,066 souls. In statistical calculations, South Korea stands at 27th place in terms of population (data of 2015). More than 19 million people live in the "metropolitan area", that is, in Seoul and its suburbs. And directly the population of Seoul - more than 11 million people. It turns out that almost 40% of the population lives in the capital and its suburbs. Some might argue that the suburbs of Seoul are not administratively part of it. But in fact they have long merged into a giant metropolis.

Population density

In the Republic of Korea, the most populous is the Seoul District and directly the city of Seoul. The density of the population here is more than 27 thousand people per square meter. For comparison, in Gangwon-do Province, there are only 20 people living on 1 m². Thus, the average population density in the country is 480 people. For 1 m².

It is very difficult to divide the residents of the "metropolitan area". In fact, this is a huge territory, the radius of which is more than 80 km, permeated with common highways, electric trains and metro lines. Some of the population lives in the suburbs, but studies or works in the capital. Part, on the contrary, lives in Seoul, and on work goes to satellite cities. All this agglomeration is called Seoul-Incheon. It is on the fifth place in the world ranking by its size and is one of the main financial centers of the region.

Name and area

This information is not really relevant to population size or density. But it can be interesting for the reader. The literal translation of the name of the main city of South Korea Seoul (Soule) is the "capital". The origins of the name lie in the times of the Kingdom of Silla, which existed until 935.

The area of Seoul, according to data for 2015, was more than 605 km ². The city itself is built on the banks of the river, open to navigation. Its name is Hangan. Sometimes the Koreans call their main city, Hansan. The literal translation of the name is "the city on Khangan". This name indicates as precisely as possible where Seoul is located.

Ethnic composition of the population

In fact, 99% of the population of South Korea are ethnic Koreans. They consider themselves descendants of the Altai tribes. This confidence is based on archaeological finds proving the migration of Proto-Altaic tribes from the regions of Siberia to the Korean peninsula. The migration time is the Neolithic and Bronze Age.

The population of Seoul, like the Republic of Korea as a whole, is also quite ethnically homogeneous. Representatives of other nationalities account for only 1%. Often these are labor migrants from the Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, India or China.

And there are several large military bases on the territory of South Korea. Therefore, in the country there are constantly more than 28 thousand military personnel from the United States, who are assigned to these bases.

Population growth, age groups

In early 2017, calculations were made, according to which the population of South Korea is divided into 3 age groups :

• The group of children under 15 is 15.7% of the total number;
• A group of people of working age from 15 to 65 - 72.9%;
• In the group of people over 65 years - 11.4% of the population.

The natural increase for this year, according to calculations, should be more than 184 thousand people. If the level of external migrants continues, then the increment will increase by more than 61 thousand people, since more people come to the country than from it leaves.

Aging rates of aging

The population of Seoul is rapidly aging. Experts attribute this phenomenon to the increased life expectancy and decreased birth rate. Over the past 10 years, the number of young people has declined, but the number of older people is getting higher. If this trend continues until 2030 in the capital of South Korea, more than 3 million people will be over 65 years old. By this time, Seoul can take the 8th line in the ranking of "aging" cities in the world.

Statistics recorded that in 2013 Seoul, whose population was more than 9 million, had approximately 11% of the "age" population. According to estimates, by 2019 this figure could increase to 14.3%, and by 2030 it will be 31% of the society. Young people, who will bear the burden of keeping pensioners on their shoulders, will be under great pressure. This can reduce the standard of living.

To avoid the aging of society, governments and employers must develop a global strategy aimed at increasing the birth rate.

A little about the currency

The currency of Seoul (Republic of Korea) is Korean won. This currency consists of 100 people. The South Korean won in 1962, and since 1980 it is firmly tied to the dollar exchange rate. Since South Korea is an economically developed state, the population has a fairly high level of income. A large percentage of the population works in the shipbuilding and machine building industries. At purchasing power parity, South Korea is 13 in the world ranking.

The currency of Seoul has the official reduction of KRW, its international symbol is ₩.

Characteristics of character

Koreans are a hardworking people. They work a lot and are happy. For young people, career is a priority. This, in particular, is associated with low birth rate in the country.

Tourists do not always correctly assess the nature of Seoul residents. They think that everything around is closed and unfriendly. In fact, the people of Seoul do not have the habit of publicly expressing their emotions. They consider this to be a manifestation of bad manners. To understand the soul of a resident of the country, it is necessary to enter into his trust and become a friend.

The culture of communication among Koreans also has its own traditions:

• Residents of South Korea do not shout at each other, do not show offense and do not discuss behind their enemies. They are sure that all these are signs of weakness.
• For the guests always prepare the best dishes. Reverence to the guest is another important feature of the national character.
• South Koreans respect old age. They never argue with the elders, even when they are wrong. The younger one should keep silent.

Residents of the Republic of Korea are patriots of their country. They stand up for it and are always ready to help their fellow citizens anywhere in the world. If the tourist disrespectfully speaks about South Korea, then he does a profound insult to all who heard him.