Spatial segregation of Chinese immigrants in Seoul, South Korea, during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from population data derived from mobile phone signals

COVID-19 has substantially changed people’s mobility patterns and population dynamics, which could potentially affect the degree of spatial segregation between different population groups in daily life. Using the Seoul De Facto Population data derived from mobile phone signals and users’ registration information, this study explores changes in the spatial segregation of Chinese immigrants in Seoul before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. The results indicate that Chinese immigrants became more spatially segregated during the pandemic, not only from native-born Koreans but also from other immigrants. Furthermore, Chinese immigrant segregation increased throughout the pandemic. Comparative analyses show that non-Chinese immigrants also became more spatially segregated and isolated following the COVID-19 outbreak, although to a lesser extent than for Chinese immigrants. Moreover, non-Chinese immigrant segregation was considerably smaller in the later than in the earlier stages of the pandemic. These findings imply that Chinese immigrants experienced more severe and longer-lasting spatial segregation during the pandemic than other immigrant groups.