Multicultural Students' Origins Vary Widely by Region in South Korea

South Korea's schools are seeing a dramatic rise in students with multicultural backgrounds, exceeding 200,000 in 2025. This surge highlights a growing diversity within the student population but also exposes significant regional differences in the origins of these students. A recent report by the Korean Educational Development Institute points to a widening gap between metropolitan areas and rural provinces in terms of the linguistic diversity of students with multicultural backgrounds.

While the national average for the number of language backgrounds represented per elementary school was 3.30 between 2016 and 2025, this figure varied considerably by region. In 2025, Incheon led with 4.54 language backgrounds, while Gangwon province lagged behind with only 2.41. Most special and metropolitan cities reported higher diversity than the national average, with Seoul, Busan, and Daegu showing robust representation. Conversely, provinces like Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, and Gangwon had fewer than 3.0 language backgrounds per school, indicating a concentration of students from a limited number of countries.

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This statistic confirms that the language diversity of multicultural students attending the same school varies distinctly by region.

This disparity is attributed to urbanization and increased immigration to major cities. As urban centers develop, they attract a more diverse range of migrants, leading to a richer linguistic tapestry in their schools. Conversely, rural areas, despite not necessarily having a lower proportion of multicultural students overall, often see a concentration from just a few specific countries, resulting in less linguistic variety. For instance, Sejong City saw its linguistic diversity increase significantly as it grew from a developing city to a more established urban center.

Experts stress the urgent need for localized educational strategies. Park Geun-young, a senior researcher at the Korean Educational Development Institute, emphasized that the confirmed regional differences in student linguistic diversity necessitate customized Korean language education manuals and flexible support systems, such as itinerant teachers, for each provincial education office. These tailored approaches are crucial to effectively support the integration and academic success of all multicultural students.

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Considering this, provincial offices of education must prepare Korean language education manuals tailored to the characteristics of students' home language backgrounds and actively utilize the itinerant teacher system.