A recent conversation with a new friend prompted me to research the Korean diaspora. According to Wikipedia, there are over 7 million Koreans, give or take, living abroad. Here are the Top 10:
China (2.54 Million)
United States (2.09 Million)
Japan (893,000)
Canada (206,000)
Russia (176,000)
Uzbekistan (174,000)
Australia (157,000)
Kazakhstan (105,000)
Philippines (88,000)
Vietnam (86,000)
50,000 Koreans were living in Mexico and Brazil. The United Kingdom was 13th (45,000) which surprised me. And Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in the Top 10? Who knew?
I had to look up "Korean Diaspora Africa" to find the numbers for African countries:
South Africa (4,000)
Libya (< 1000)
Nigeria (< 800)
Kenya (< 800)
Egypt (< 700)
It seems I may know more about North Korea than South because of the news... I have much to learn and thanks to organizations such as the Orange County Korean American Cultural Exchange (OCKACE), I've already begun the process with some new friends.