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Nepalese in South Korea comprise Korean Citizens with Nepalese Descendents and Nepalese migrant workers, including temporary expatriates and permanent residents, as well as their locally born descendants of either Korean or Nepalese nationality. The Nepalese in South Korea are mainly of three distinct ethnic groups: Khas, Madhesis and Janjatis.

Migration history

The first wave of Nepalese immigration began in the late 1980s. After Nepal restored its democracy in the 1990s, labour laws were changed to allow Nepalese youths to go abroad in search of work.

The Nepalese community in South Korea thus consists primarily of migrant workers, but also has large numbers of students as well as Nepalese women married to South Korean men they met through international matchmaking agencies.

Also there are cooks who are specialised in Punjabi, Mughlai, Buhari, Rajasthani, Kashmiri, Gujarati, Anglo Indian and Nepali styles which are mainly North Indian and Nepalese - Tibetan. Some of them are hired by restaurants and hotels but others own and run their restaurants in Seoul, Busan, Daegu and other cities since Indian and Nepalese cuisine get popularity in Korea.

The Nepali government are attempting to induce Nepali workers staying illegally in South Korea (roughly 2,500 as of 2010) to return home, in hopes that the South Korean government will increase its intake of Nepali workers in future years.

Culture

The Nepalese community managed to keep their traditions alive while living in South Korea. Nepalese festivals such as Tihar, Dasain and Teej are celebrated throughout the country.

Organisations

The Non-Resident Nepali Association of Korea is one organisation for Nepalese people living in South Korea. In 2010, they opened a shelter in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul to provide charitable assistance for Nepalese who become unemployed or otherwise face difficulties. Another organisation, aimed specifically at international students, is the Society of Nepalese Students in Korea (SONSIK), established in 2004. South Korea's multilingual Migrant Workers' Television was founded by Nepali migrant worker Minod Moktan (Minu), a human rights activist who lived in South Korea for nearly 18 years before being deported in October 2009.

See also

• Nepal–South Korea relations
• Nepalese diaspora
• Immigration to South Korea
• Koreans in Nepal

References

1. Total Nepalese in Korea Southpublisher=Ministry of Justice, South Korea, 2009, p. 262, retrieved 2011-03-21{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
2. ^ "10,000 Nepalese Diaspora Emerging in Korea", The Korea Times, 2009-10-23, retrieved 2010-08-23
3. "Korea Madhesi Society to inspect condition of migrant Madhesi Victims in korea".
4. "Nepali girls sold as 'brides' to old South Koreans", Daily News and Analysis, 2009-02-15, retrieved 2010-08-23
5. Giri, Anil (2010-01-24), "Nepal to Roll Back 2,500 Illegal Workers From Korea", The Korea Times, retrieved 2010-08-26
6. "Nepal house inaugurated in SKorea", República, 2010-08-18, retrieved 2010-08-23
7. Hwang, Su-yeong (2010-08-23), "전국 네팔 유학생회 대구서 모임, 한국과 학술교류 통해 유대 강화", Maeil Shinmun, retrieved 2010-08-23
8. Bae, Ji-sook (2009-10-25), "Nepalese Activist Deported", The Korea Times, retrieved 2010-08-26

External links

• Society of Nepalese Students in Korea
• Non-Resident Nepalese Association of Korea
• Migrant Workers' Television
• (in Korean) Nepalese Migrant Workers in Korea, 2005 M.A. project by Sirjana Gautam Bhattarai, Chonbuk National University

v t e Nepalese diaspora (NRN)
Africa	Libya
Asia	East China Hong Kong Japan South Korea South Bangladesh Bhutan India Gorkha Pakistan Southeast Burma Malaysia Philippines Singapore Thailand West Kuwait Qatar Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates
Europe	Austria Germany Ireland Italy Netherlands Poland Portugal Russia United Kingdom
North America	Canada United States
Oceania	Australia Fiji New Zealand

• Demographics of South Korea
• Nepalese diaspora in Asia
• Nepalese diaspora by country