After the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea in 1992, Chinese ethnic Koreans began to enter South Korean society on a large scale. In Korea, ethnic Koreans are overseas Chinese holding People's Republic of China passpo...
After the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea in 1992, Chinese ethnic Koreans began to enter South Korean society on a large scale. In Korea, ethnic Koreans are overseas Chinese holding People's Republic of China passports. However, they are of the same descent as Koreans, so they are subject to the Korean government's policy of overseas Koreans. This is a clear difference in status from the old Chinese who were formed in Korean society. The Korean ethnic groups have their own unique characteristics in the study of the development history of overseas Chinese in China, which deserves academic attention.
The Korean-Korean society was developed under the background of the Korean government's continuous improvement of immigration policy, which is closely related to the improvement of China's overall national strength. The South Korean government's policy toward ethnic Koreans in China fluctuates between exclusion and inclusion because of different national interests at different times. The study found that China's national strength is the most influential factor in the South Korean government's policy toward ethnic Koreans. The South Korean government had previously argued that inclusion of ethnic Koreans in China would disrupt the domestic labor market and undermine diplomatic relations between China and South Korea. But a recent change in the South Korean government's policy toward ethnic Koreans shows that the South Korean government believes that the influx of ethnic Koreans from China will contribute to the development of Sino-Korean relations. Unlike the South Korean government, Korean society is becoming more and more different from Chinese. The more developed Korea is, the stronger the sense of superiority of Koreans, which manifests itself in the formation of hierarchical order within the Korean nation. In recent years, anti-Chinese sentiment in South Korea caused by Sino-US competition has raised awareness and rejection of ethnic Koreans in South Korea.
Currently, ethnic Koreans in Korea and China are the most affected by political and diplomatic issues between the two countries. Given the heterogeneity of ethnic Koreans and Korean society and the sensitivity of China-South Korea relations, proper handling of ethnic Koreans in Korea is crucial to bilateral relations. The ethnic Koreans in Korea, who know China best, should be a catalyst for win-win relations, not a spark for conflict between the two countries, and should create conditions for the development of China-ROK relations.