Korean Canadian
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
Korean Canadians 161,130 (by ancestry, 2011 Census) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Southern Ontario · Lower Mainland British Columbia · Most urban areas | |
| Languages | |
| Canadian English · Canadian French · Korean | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity · Irreligion · Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Asian Canadians · Korean Americans · British Koreans · Korean Australians · Korean New Zealanders · Korean people |
Korean Canadians are Canadian citizens of Korean ancestry. According to South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, there were 205,993 Koreans or people of Korean descent in Canada as of 2013[update], making them the fourth-largest Korean diaspora population (behind Koreans in China, Koreans in the United States, Koreans in Japan and ahead of Koreans in Russia).
The first Koreans to come to Canada were local Christians sent by Canadian missionaries as seminary students. Tae-yon Whang is largely regarded as first recorded Korean immigrant to Canada. Whang came to Canada in 1948 as a mission-sponsored medical intern, and stayed in Toronto after his term was over. Unlike Korean Americans who have relatively much longer history settling in the United States, very few settled in Canada; as late as 1965, the total permanent Korean population of Canada was estimated at only 70. However, with the 1966 reform of Canadian immigration laws, South Korean immigration to Canada began to grow. By 1969, there were an estimated 2000 Koreans in Canada. Between 1970 and 1980, 18,148 Koreans immigrated to Canada, and another 17,583 came in the following decade. In the late 1990s, South Korea became the fifth-largest source of immigrants to Canada.Toronto has the country's largest absolute number of Koreans, but Vancouver is experiencing the highest rate of growth in its Korean population, with a 69% increase since 1996. Montreal was the third most popular destination for Korean migrants during this period. In 2001, the number of Korean emigrants headed for Canada exceeded the number headed for the United States. The number of temporary residents has also grown ever since the Canadian government granted a visa waiver to South Korea; South Korea was the largest supplier of international students to Canada in the late 1990s. Aside from South Korea, some immigrants are also drawn from among the population of Koreans in China.
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