This study is to investigate the residential distribution of immigrants in Seoul metropolitan area and grasp where they set their ethnic places, which will contribute to understand their socio-spatial relations in cities. According to the 2016 Survey of Registered Foreigners by the Korea Immigration Service, the registered foreigners comprised 2.8% of total population of Seoul metropolitan area and 60.8% out of all foreigners residing in Korea converged in Seoul metropolitan area. Chinese and ethnic Korean lived in China have been rapidly increasing since the late 1990s accounting for 58.6% out of all registered foreigners in 2016. Less-skilled workers comprised 45.9% of all registered foreigners in terms of their purpose of stay. Most of immigrants are originated from Asian countries except the U.S. Ethnic places or enclaves have been developed at administrative district level where they can live close to their work with lower rents and exchange job, housing, and other living information. Foreign residents are expected to be influential to demographic, social and economic changes in Korea and the ethnic and national composition of South Korea is expected to become more diverse in the future. Korea’s multi-cultural society appears to be an urban/metropolitan phenomenon for the past 20 years, and the country of origin and purpose of stay of foreign residents are major driving forces to determine the ethnic places.