Itaewon has long been seen as a foreigner zone but a recent report showed that Yeongdeungpo, a southeastern residential and business district in Seoul, has the highest rate of foreign residents.

According to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, Yeongdeungpo topped the list with more than 57,000 foreigners registered in January. The number of foreigners in Yeongdeungpo accounted for 14.4 percent of the district’s population. Meanwhile, one out of every 10 residents in Geumcheon and Guro district was foreign, while Junggu, Jongno and Yongsan had 8.5 percent, 7.5 percent and 7.4 percent, respectively, of their populations made up of foreigners.

Foreign residents accounted for 4 percent of the total Seoul population, or 402,693.

The list included foreign laborers and students who stayed more than 90 days in Korea, foreigners naturalized as Korean citizens and children with immigrant spouses, the ministry added.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)