Koreans

Koreans are an East Asian ethnic group native to Korea. The majority of Koreans live in the two states of North and South Korea, which are collectively referred to as Korea. As of 2021, an estimated 7.3 million ethnic Koreans resided outside of Korea. Koreans are also an officially recognized ethnic minority in other Asian countries, including China, Japan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan. Outside of Asia, sizeable Korean communities have formed in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Canada, and Oceania. Names of Korea South Koreans refer to themselves as Hanguk-in or Hanguk-saram, both of which mean "people of (Sam)han." When including members of the Korean diaspora, which often use the term Han-in. North Koreans refer to themselves as Joseon-in or Joseon-saram, both of which literally mean "people of Joseon". The term is derived from Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom. Using similar words, Koreans in China refer to themselves as Chaoxianzu in Chinese or Joseonjok, Joseonsaram in Korean, which are cognates that literally mean "Joseon ethnic group". Koreans in Japan refer to themselves as Zainichi Chousenjin, Chousenjin in Japanese or Jaeil Joseonin, Joseonsaram, Joseonin in Korean. Ethnic Koreans living in Russia and Central Asia refer to themselves as Koryo-saram, alluding to Goryeo, a Korean dynasty spanning from 918 to 1392. In the chorus of the South Korean national anthem, Koreans are referred to as Daehan-saram. In an inter-Korean context, such as when dealing with the Koreanic languages or the Korean ethnicity as a whole, additionally the term is used. Modern Koreans are suggested to be the descendants of a prehistoric group of people from Southern Siberia/Manchuria, who moved to the northern Korean Peninsula as well as Koreanized indigenous populations in the southern part of the peninsula. Archaeological evidence suggests that Proto-Koreans were migrants from Manchuria during the Bronze Age.