Facts and Figures

Korea is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. With 492 people per square kilometre it becomes second only to Bangladesh (and then some Lilliputian areas such as Monaco, Singapore and Hong Kong). The estimated population density of the city of Seoul is 16 600 / km2. This is about a thousand times the density of Finland. You can imagine what this means for real estate prices. Owning a house is often a utopia for many Seoulites.

The city of Seoul holds a population of 10 million (yes, twice as much as Finland). If the entire metropolitan area is considered, the figure pops up to 22.4 million. This adds up to being the third largest in the world after Tokyo and Mexico City. Sometimes it’s a bit overwhelming, making this little Finn feel a bit insignificant. But then again, I think I’ve been to the most important spots around this city and know the way around pretty well. I can’t really speak Korean, but can get by.

Check this out, it's a great picture. In the middle there is the Han River, but all of the white is houses. And it goes on for miles more, especially to the East and South.

The four most common last names cover 50% of the population. 22% are Kims, 15% have Lee as their last name, 8.5% are called Pak and 4.7% belong to the Choi line. Koreans keep a special book called jogdo in which they keep a record of all of the members of their clan. Meaningless to say that there are several Kim and Lee clans, but most Koreans can trace their roots back even a thousand years.

In addition to this Korea is one of the most homogenous societies in the world. Koreans are really proud and protective of their Korean blood. Out of the 48 million population, the largest minority are the Chinese, of who there are about 20 000. Of course there are approximately 1 million foreigners residing in the country, but they are all here short-term.

A pie chart showing the distribution of Korean last names. (click on the picture to enlarge)