Koreans (Korean: 한민족, 한국인, 한국사람; Hanja: 韓民族, 韓國人, 韓國사람; RR: Hanminjok, Hanguk-in, Hanguksaram in South Korean; alternatively Korean: 조선민족, 조선인, 조선사람; Hanja: 朝鮮民族, 朝鮮人, 朝鮮사람; RR: Joseonminjok, Joseonin, Joseonsaram in North Korean, lit. "Korean race"; see names of Korea) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Korea and southwestern Manchuria.
Koreans mainly live in the two Korean states: North Korea and South Korea (collectively and simply referred to as Korea). They are also an officially recognized ethnic minority in China, Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam, plus in a number of post-Soviet states, such as Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Over the course of the 20th century, significant Korean communities have formed in the Americas (especially in the United States and Canada) and Oceania.
As of 2019, there were an estimated 7.5 million ethnic Koreans residing outside Korea.
Etymology[]
South Koreans refer to themselves as Hanguk-In (Korean: 한국인; Hanja: 韓國人), or Hanguk-Saram (Korean: 한국 사람), both of which mean "Korean country people." When including members of the Korean diaspora, Koreans often use the term Han-in (Korean: 한인; Hanja: 韓人; lit. "Korean people").