Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai nationals account for largest share of foreign acute hepatitis B cases
Published: 16 Nov. 2025, 20:17
![A medical worker collects a blood sample for a hepatitis test. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/16/8f673d7a-8221-4588-aa32-f795416d64e3.jpg)
A medical worker collects a blood sample for a hepatitis test. [JOONGANG ILBO]
Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai nationals accounted for the largest share of foreign acute hepatitis B cases reported in Korea, according to new data.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency analyzed all acute hepatitis B cases reported between 2014 and 2024 and published the findings in the latest issue of its Public Health Weekly Report.
A total of 3,591 patients were reported over the 11-year period, including 3,287 Koreans and 304 foreigners. Foreign nationals have accounted for between 7 and 9 percent of cases each year.
Among foreigners, Chinese nationals made up the largest share with 100 cases, or 32.9 percent. They were followed by Vietnamese nationals with 36 cases, Thai nationals with 34, Uzbek nationals with 23 and Mongolian nationals with 13. This is the first time health authorities have analyzed acute hepatitis B cases specifically among foreigners.
Korea currently has about 2.65 million foreign residents. Between 2018 and 2024, Chinese nationals accounted for the largest share at 36.2 percent, followed by Vietnamese nationals at 11.5 percent, U.S. nationals at 6.4 percent and Uzbek nationals at 3.6 percent. The proportion of Chinese patients with acute hepatitis B largely mirrors their share of the foreign population.
Over the past 11 years, most Korean patients were in their 40s and 50s, with 689 and 710 cases, respectively. Among foreigners, people in their 20s and 30s accounted for 57 percent of all cases, with 92 patients in their 20s and 82 in their 30s.
Foreign patients most commonly worked in manufacturing or manual labor, at 62 cases or 20.4 percent, while 19.4 percent were unemployed.
![Visitors walk around Myeong-dong, a shopping district in central Seoul, on July 27. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/16/d1b6877a-c699-46fa-9cb8-3dc7c653f2f5.jpg)
Visitors walk around Myeong-dong, a shopping district in central Seoul, on July 27. [YONHAP]
One patient was already deceased at the time of reporting. Most patients were diagnosed after visiting hospitals when their health deteriorated. Common symptoms included jaundice, severe fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite and muscle pain.
Acute hepatitis B is a notifiable infectious disease in Korea. It is frequently transmitted from mother to child during childbirth in both vaginal and cesarean deliveries. It can also spread through blood exposure, sexual contact, contaminated needles, transfusions, piercings, tattoos and shared razors. The incubation period ranges from 60 to 150 days.
Among the 304 foreign patients, 33 had been exposed to an infected person during the incubation period. Fewer than 50 cases were linked to bloodborne transmission. Only four patients, or 1.6 percent, had been vaccinated.
About half of adults infected with the virus may show no symptoms, and most recover naturally within six months. Some, however, develop fulminant hepatitis, a severe form of liver failure that can lead to coma within eight weeks. Among infants and young children, 95 percent of infections progress to chronic hepatitis.
The World Health Organization classifies hepatitis B and C as major global infectious diseases with a high disease burden. As of 2022, about 304 million people worldwide were living with hepatitis B or C, with more than 80 percent estimated to have hepatitis B. Around 3,500 people die from hepatitis-related causes each day.
“With the number of foreign residents in Korea increasing, management of acute hepatitis B among foreigners is becoming more important,” the agency said. “Many come from countries with high prevalence rates, and vaccination histories are often unknown, which could create potential risk for additional cases.”
The agency added that tailored strategies are needed, including efforts to improve vaccination rates among foreign residents.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN SUNG-SIK [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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