Koreans in the Philippines

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South Koreans in the Philippines form the largest community of Korean people in Southeast Asia; as of February 2007, their latest count has been pegged at 92,608, roughly doubling since 2005.^[1].^[2] The first Korean immigrants came to the Philippines after World War II in search of better living conditions.^{[citation needed]} However, the Korean community in the Philippines had little influence on Philippine society until the late 1980s, when the Korean wave (the mass influx of Korean tourists and immigrants, as well as the increasing popularity of South Korean television and pop music) started.^[2]

Aside from long-term residents, at least 370,000 South Korean visitors came to the Philippines in 2004 for business, education, and/or leisure purposes.^[2] The recent influx of Koreans has been so great that 65% of the 155,744 foreigners who visited Boracay, the Philippines's most popular tourist attraction, were South Koreans.^{[citation needed]} The most well-known Koreatown in the Metro Manila area is located in Makati's Barangay Poblacion. Outside of Manila, many Koreans also reside in quieter provincial cities such as Subic, Davao, and Baguio.^[3]

Because of an existing (although slowly disappearing) barrier in regards to language and even dietary preferences, the Korean community is usually seen as a closed group by many Filipinos. Interaction between the two groups is increasing, a good example of which is the rise in popularity of Sandara Park, a Korean singer and actress on Philippine television, and Koreanovelas (televised dramas, similar to Western miniseries, produced in the Korean language for Korean audiences). Korean Christian churches in Metro Manila and other large cities in the Philippines serve as centers of religious and social activity within the Korean community as well.^[2] However, few Koreans in the country intermarry with Filipinos.^{[citation needed]}

Many South Koreans living in the Philippines said they were motivated to settle there by the low cost of English-language education and housing, which are significantly cheaper than in their native South Korea. The environment, especially the low levels of air pollution compared to Seoul, are another pull factor for migration.^[4] South Korean tourists often enroll in short-term courses in English language schools to cope with South Korea's growing demand for English proficiency. Their numbers include a large proportion of young people; according to Son Jung-Son of the Philippine-Korean Cultural Center in Seoul, over 1,500 Koreans under 20 years old arrive in the Philippines every month to study English.^[2] The Philippines are also a popular destination for retired South Koreans on fixed pensions; the Filipino government actively promotes the settlement of South Korean retirees in the country.^[3] Koreans who grew up in the Philippines also speak Tagalog and regional languages, particularly Ilokano, Kapampangan, Ilonggo (Iloilo and Bacolod), and Cebuano (Cebu, Dumaguete, and Davao), aside from English.^{[citation needed]}