44.4 Percent of Population Live away from Hometown

It was reported that 44.4 percent of Korean population are `out-of-towners`. And it takes 32 minutes on the average to go to school or work.

The National Statistical Office (NSO) released such report on `the total sum of sample surveys in 2000` census (November 1st, 2000) on 23rd.

According to the result of census, 55.6 percent of the population on November 1st, 2000, lived in the town where they had been born, while the rest 44.4 percent were new comers of the town. 66.1 percent of those who were born in large cities such as Seoul still live in the cities, while only 50.3 percent of those who were born in local provinces live near by place of their births. According to the hometowns from which they came, Seoul (15.4 percent) was the 1st, and the rest were Kyonggi-Do (10.8 percent), Kyeongsangbuk-Do (10.5 percent), and Cholla-Do (9.8 percent).

The most popular means of transportation commuting to job or school was bus (28.6 percent), and car (27.5 percent), walking (26.1 percent), subway and electrical railway (6.3 percent).

Joong-Hyun Park sanjuck@donga.com