Korean Culture and Presence in The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames has one of the largest expatriate community of South Koreans in Europe, and is said to be one of the most densely populated area of Koreans outside South Korea. According to different sources, the Korean population in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is around 20,000, of whom around 8000 reside in the Kingston Borough portion of New Malden. In the 2001 census, some small areas of New Malden had "Other Asian" (i.e., other than of Indian sub-continental origin, which also included Chinese) populations of "over 25%", though no whole ward reached over 20%. New Malden functions as the shopping and cultural centre for a Korean population spread more widely across South-West London and the neighbouring counties. The area has around fifteen Korean cafes and restaurants, a state-of-the-art Karaoke bar and many small supermarkets and other shops. The Anglo-Korean Cultural Institute can be found on Burlington Road, and churches of several denominations in the area have regular Korean services with associated Korean clergy.
The size of this community has been attributed to the former residence of the South Korean ambassador in Lord Chancellor's Walk off Coombe Lane West. During the 1970s many Koreans came to the area following his example, but when house prices rose in Wimbledon, they moved to New Malden. Others point to a joint-venture between what was then Decca, later Racal Avionics, now part of Thales Group, at Shannon Corner and a Korean chaebol in the 1950s as the start of the community. Samsung Electronics' UK division used to be based in New Malden, although it has now relocated its European headquarters to nearby Chertsey. A high proportion of the community are expatriate workers for Korean companies, who remain in the UK for a number of years before returning to Korea. Many work in finance and banking in the City of London.
Read more about this topic: New Malden
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