'Unregistered children need protection'
Rep. Jasmine Lee, right, of the ruling Saenuri Party applauds while participants are introduced during a public hearing on a bill to protect undocumented foreign children at the National Assembly Members’ Office building in Seoul, Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Jun Ji-hyeJasmine Lee calls for passage of billBy Jun Ji-hyeRep. Jasmine Lee of the ruling Saenuri Party called on rival lawmakers, Thursday, to pass a bill to protect fundamental rights of undocumented foreign children, saying passage was not a choice, but a must in a global village.“Many developed countries such as the United States and Japan have already set up laws to provide unregistered foreign children with essential benefits,” said the Philippines-born lawmaker.She plans to submit the bill to legislate a foreign children protection law before June.“It is regrettable that South Korea, which ratified the United Nations convention on the rights of the child in 1991, has yet to draw up substantial measures,” she said.Lee made the remarks at an open forum to discuss why the law should be pass
