Emplacing the Spatial Distribution of Crime by Foreigners in Seoul: Focusing on the ethnic Korean-Chinese migrant workers

Abstract

This paper addresses the linkage between crime and place by critically relating the differences in area crime rate to the physical environment along with the social and economic conditions of the foreign enclaves. The number of foreigners living in Seoul have soared since the 1990s. In the last twelve years (2001-2013) alone, their numbers have increased 2.6 times to amount to 2.9% of the total population of the city. However, a series of high profile crimes committed by foreign low-skilled migrants have negatively impacted their public perception. This is contrary to numerous theories and research which suggest that crime rate is actually lower in immigrant neighborhoods. Seoul Metropolitan City population data and recorded crime data are overlaid to correlate crime patterns and spatial distribution relative to foreign enclaves. As a case study, this paper focuses on the largest work migrant group in Korea, the ethnic Korean-Chinese (or Joseonjok) in Guro district. Drawing on theoretical connections between place and crime, this study investigates the link between places occupied by foreign workers in relation to crime rate.