By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter

What troubles foreigners living in Korea the most are visa-related problems, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) said Tuesday.

They also complain about difficulties in dealing with labor issues such as overdue wages and unfair dismissals, the commission said about findings from its research.

The commission has handled civil complaints and advised legal solutions through its online petition center, www.epeople.go.kr, since its inauguration in 2008.

In a bid to help foreigners easily gain support from the site, the commission also began to take civil petitions and provide tips in three foreign languages ― English, Chinese and Japanese ― from last June.

It also started to provide the service in Vietnamese last December as an increasing number of people from the Southeast Asian country come to Korea.

"The commission received a total of 627 civil complaints from foreigners until last December and of them, 339, or 54.1 percent, were related to visas and passports," an ACRC official said, requesting anonymity.

Foreigners and Koreans with other nationalities have problems when they try to extend their stays here, switch their visa status or get a passport re-issued, he added.

Of the complaints, 98 cases are about overdue wages, unfair dismissals and poor working environments, he said.

Other difficulties foreigners face include criminal cases, education, welfare systems and banking.

About 550 of the civil complaints are registered in English and 20 cases are posted in Japanese, the official said.

Meanwhile, the ACRC plans to provide the petition service in more foreign languages on its online petition center after reviewing demographics of foreigners who settle down in the country, he said.

In addition to the online petition center, the commission also takes civil complaints via its call center (110).

ksy@koreatimes.co.kr