Can South Korea set quotas by country when accepting immigrants?

This is Gemini's response.
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To start with the conclusion, it is legally and operationally possible to accept foreigners by setting quotas per country, and this is already being implemented for certain types of stay statuses (visas).
However, unlike the US or Canada, South Korea does not implement a "country-specific immigration quota system" that sets a legal cap on the percentage of people from specific countries for permanent residency/immigration itself (e.g., a 7% limit per country). Instead, country-specific quotas are primarily used when introducing short-term/non-professional labor.
1. Actual cases where country-specific quotas are applied
* Employment Permit System (E-9 Non-professional Employment Visa)
* This is a representative case where country-specific quotas clearly exist.
* The South Korean government signs Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with sending countries (16–17 countries including Southeast Asia and Central Asia) and determines the number of allocated personnel (quotas) by country and industry every year, considering labor market demand, cooperative relationships with those countries, and the management status of sending corruption.
* Working Visit (H-2) and Overseas Korean (F-4) Visas
* In the past, when introducing overseas Korean manpower, a method was applied to manage the total annual number of people and the number of entrants by country/region for those from China, the former Soviet Union regions, etc.
2. Country-specific quotas in formal permanent residency and settlement-type immigration
* Current Status: For general permanent residency (F-5) or acquisition of nationality (naturalization), the system grants permission through screening if the applicant meets the eligibility requirements (period of stay, income, criminal record, Korean language proficiency, etc.). There is no quota system that legally stipulates a cap on the ratio by nationality or excludes specific nationalities at the permanent residency or naturalization stage.
* Legal and Institutional Possibility: Since immigration policy basically falls under the sovereign discretion of the state, it is legally possible to take measures such as setting total amounts per country or conditional restrictions through amendments to the Immigration Control Act or subordinate regulations, considering national interest, social integration, illegal stay rates, and defense/diplomatic factors.
Summary
South Korea actively utilizes a country-specific quota system limited to short-term labor/labor immigration (E-9, etc.), whereas for permanent/settlement-type immigration, it accepts applicants based on individual eligibility criteria (income, skills, language, etc.) rather than quotas based on nationality.