Korean Chinese

Korean Chinese, also called Chaoxianzu, is the Korean (Joseon) ethnic minority group in China. They are one of the 56 officially recognized ethnic groups by the Government of China and the Chinese Communist Party. They account for the vast majority of ethnic Koreans in China.

The Chaoxianzu are Chinese nationals mostly born in China. "Chaoxianzu" is an official term used in China and occasionally globally.

The number of Koreans migrating from the Korean Peninsula to Manchuria increased significantly in the late 19th century and early 20th century, forming their own communities, especially in the Yanbian region.

Consequently, Chaoxianzu have a dual identity: a national identity as Chinese and a cultural identity as ethnic Koreans. Many Chaoxianzu, educated under the Chinese Communist Party's education system, often view the Korean War as the 'War to Resist America and Aid Korea,' reflecting a Chinese perspective."

They are descendants of Koreans who migrated to China primarily between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries and hold Chinese nationality. Chaoxianzu refers only to the descendants of the Joseon ethnic group who legally hold Chinese nationality. The Republic of Korea calls them compatriots with Chinese nationality (중국국적동포; ).

Terminology
The term Chaoxianzu was explained with reference to the Qing dynasty era, during which the existence of the Joseon Kingdom and the Korean Empire were acknowledged, and Koreans within Chinese territory were referred to as Hanmin. Later, under the Republic of China, Koreans living in China were referred to as Hanqiao since the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was recognized. However, with the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the term Hanqiao became Chaoxianren, and was used to refer to ethnic Koreans regardless of their nationality. These two words (Chaoxianren and Chaoxianzu) are sometimes used interchangeably or erroneously by those unaware of their distinction. The word "Chaoxianzu" became an official name for ethnic Joseon minorities with Chinese nationality in 1954, when the Chinese government decided to place all ethnic minorities within China under its control and manage them as ethnicities. In August 1948, the Chinese Communist Party committee of China's Liaoning region stipulated that all Koreans residing in Liaoning and other northeastern provinces holding household registration were Chinese people, and those temporarily residing without household registration were Korean (Joseon) expatriates, clarifying the distinction between Chaoxianzu and Korean (Joseon) expatriates.

History and population
Chaoxianzu's presence in China began intensively in the late 19th and early to mid-20th centuries. As of 2021, the Chinese government officially recognized a population of around 1.7 million Chaoxianzu. It is important to differentiate between Chaoxianzu and South Koreans who might have acquired Chinese nationality, which together may sum up to approximately 2.11 million in 2023, according to the Overseas Koreans Agency of South Korea.

Their total population of Chaoxianzu is 1,702,479 according to the 2021 Chinese government census. High levels of emigration to the Republic of Korea for better economic and financial opportunities have contributed to a decrease in their numbers in China. Conversely, it is estimated that 42% (Approximately 708,000) of this Korean Chinese population now resides in Korea, maintaining their Chinese nationality. They are called Jaehan Joseonjok (재한조선족) or Zaihan Chaoxianzu (在韩朝鲜族/在韓朝鮮族) (Chaoxianzu in Korea). Based on the data from the 7th population census conducted in 2020, it was observed that the population of the Chaoxianzu (Korean ethnic group in China with Chinese nationality) in Jilin Province has fallen below 1 million, indicating a trend of dispersion across China. Out of 1.7 million individuals, around 700,000 are economically active in South Korea. As of December 2019, the number of Chinese descendants residing in Korea amounted to 701,098, accounting for 27.8% of the total foreign population in Korea (2,524,656). This has made Chinese descendants the largest immigrant group in Korea.

Based on the data from the "Chinese Ethnic Culture Resources," the Chaoxianzu population makes up about 0.14% of China's total population of 1.4 billion, ranking them 13th among the country's ethnic groups. The official Chinese government's census in 2010 reported their population as approximately 1.83 million.

Regions of residence
The majority of the Chaoxianzu population resides in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, which holds special significance as China's first ethnic minority autonomous prefecture. There is also the Changbai Korean Autonomous County and various other regions in China with a lower population density of Chaoxianzu. Notably, around 700,000 Chaoxianzu, which constitutes over 41.2% of their total population, live or have established residency in South Korea.