Entrepreneurship and Immigration: A Study of Africans in the Korean Economy

Entrepreneurship has long been recognized as an important player in the development of Korea’s economy. This is clearly demonstrated in the humble beginnings of Korea’s giant conglomerates such as Samsung, Hyundai, Posco, and LG that started as small businesses. This research presents analysis of entrepreneurial activities of African immigrants in Korea. This study combines data from questionnaires of 45 respondents and in-depth interviews with six of the respondents. The findings of this present research are different from other studies in that this study shows how immigrants fill economic gaps by creating employment for themselves while providing needed services to the immigrant and Korean populations. By creating informal employment, immigrants demonstrate that they are assets in their new environments. Coping mechanisms utilized by immigrant entrepreneurs as they confront challenges that might hinder them from pursuing entrepreneurial activities were revealed in this study.