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Treatment of migrant workers won't bode well for economy

Gabriela BernalBy Gabriela BernalIt's no secret that Korea is facing stark demographic challenges: statistics show that it will become the worlds most aged society by 2067. Just last year, the country's birthrate hit a new low (0.92) and the possibility of these numbers dramatically improving are unlikely for the foreseeable future.Given this trend, the country will likely need to bring in labor from abroad to ensure continuous economic growth. But what can we learn from past experiences of migrant workers in Korea?In reality, Korea is already bringing in migrant laborers (mainly from Southeast Asian countries) to work in agriculture, fishery, construction, manufacturing and other labor-intensive sectors through its much-lauded employment permit system (EPS) program. However, the results of this program have been questionable and even concerning.Launched in 2004, the EPS has been bringing in a steady supply of foreign workers from sixteen countries for over a decade to fill low-skilled job positions. The government annually reviews labor shortages in each industry and then sets quota

Nov 23, 2020
Treatment of migrant workers won't bode well for economy

English-speaking Korea can become Asia's economic hub

Leah Nangila NabangiBy Leah Nangila NabangiIn this epoch of globalization that has seen the English language rise in its significance as a cosmopolitan language, the debate of whether English should be made an official language in Korea has been raging on for many years now, especially after the 1997 Asian Financial crisis.The Korean government has in turn implemented many measures to integrate English into the Korean economy, only short of co-opting it as the second official language. Most Korean citizens have also been pushed to learn English, as many corporate companies require English proficiency as a skill even though it is hardly used in the actual work environment, making Korea one of the world's largest markets for TOEFL.English has also inarguably been the most important foreign language in Korea for decades. Therefore, all things considered, I believe that the allocation of English as a second official language would be a huge win for Korea. Here is why:To begin with, foreign capital would be preserved and Korea would become more appealing to foreign entrepreneurs and forei

Nov 23, 2020
English-speaking Korea can become Asia's economic hub

Holistic approach to immigration needed for Korea

Sven-Hendrik ArpBy Sven-Hendrik ArpKorea's population is shrinking. With the country's birthrate ranked lowest among OECD nations at 0.92 as of 2019, the country's working age population is expected to decline from currently 37.6 million people to 25.6 million people by 2047. Over the same period, GDP growth would slow down significantly into the 1 percent range.The rapidly changing demographic structure now more than ever brings an important question to the forefront of Korean politics and society: Whether increased immigration is the answer to secure Korea's long-term economic growth.The history of Korea's post-war economic development is deeply intertwined with the topic of immigration. In the 1960s and 1970s, thousands of Korean guest workers arrived in my home country of Germany. While men were employed under harsh conditions to maintain the German mining industry, women worked tirelessly as nurses in hospitals. With the young expatriate workers bringing foreign currency to Korea through remittances, the country was able to push ahead with the buildup of its infrastructure and e

Nov 23, 2020
Holistic approach to immigration needed for Korea

Add a little color to white-clad folk's apparel

Jung Ho-joonBy Jung Ho-joonA country's sobriquet is usually more telling than its official title. Koreans have historically been called the “white-clad folk.”While the name is a nod towards our people's age-old preference for white garments, it also tells the tale of Korean solidarity. Though this collective identity of unity has served the Korean people well during dire times, it has also functioned as a source of exclusivity. Koreans have harnessed a subtle or even shy cliquishness against foreigners.However, as our society today hangs on a demographic cliff, leading towards devastating labor shortages and further economic catastrophes, adding a little color to our apparel may offer a timely fit to our needs.Modern economies run on demand created by population. Demand for goods and services instigates profit-seeking entities to seize opportunities for supplying. This creates wealth that subsequently generates more demand, and the expansion of this cycle is what we call “sustainable economic growth.”Since an economy's demand primarily depends on how many mout

Nov 23, 2020
Add a little color to white-clad folk's apparel

Eradicate racial discrimination before opening borders

Park Han-dolBy Park Han-dolIn 2019, Korea's birthrate dropped to 0.92, the lowest it's ever been, while in November of the same year, deaths outnumbered births for the first time in the nation's history. These and many other stats show that the Korean population is declining, a dire problem that must be addressed. Maintaining population growth is paramount to sustaining economic growth; hence Korea must take measures to reverse this downward trend.Korea can do so by accepting more immigrants, but before opening its borders, the nation must first address the underlying discrimination against foreigners in Korea. Ignoring the discrimination issue and admitting more foreigners, just to make up for a population drop, is not the right way to approach the issue of population decline.Korea must eradicate the often overlooked discrimination against non-Koreans and transform into a country where immigrants can integrate themselves as rightful members of society. The government must enact immigration-friendly laws and abolish existing discriminative laws towards non-Koreans, and at the same ti

Nov 23, 2020
Eradicate racial discrimination before opening borders

Immigration not the only solution to demographic change

Maria Natasha LintangBy Maria Natasha LintangFrom an agrarian economy in the 1960s to now one of the strongest economic forces in Asia, Korea has evidently achieved tremendous economic growth, which not only comes with fiscal and welfare improvements but also demographic changes. The United Nations predicted that Korea's population will peak in 2024 and decrease from then on and a 2000 UN Population Division report suggests immigration as a solution to this issue.Yet, the rate at which Korea's population is decreasing would require a mass immigration so large that it becomes an ineffective solution. Therefore, it has to be done at a smaller scale and coupled with other solutions that rely on Korea's existing population.The demographic change looming over this country ― and others ― is called demographic transition, which is the decrease in fertility and infant death rate due to improved welfare and technological development. It occurs in developed countries and results in a declining and aging population. The latter is the change in age structure to one with a greater proportion of o

Nov 23, 2020
Immigration not the only solution to demographic change

Winners of 16th Economic Essay Contest announced

Jung Ho-joon, left, and Maria Natasha LintangThe Korea Times is pleased to announce the winners of its 16th English Economic Essay Contest for university students written on one of two subjects: “Should Korea embrace more immigration to ensure sustainable growth?” or, “Do you think Korea should designate English as a second official language?”Jung Ho-joon, who majors in economics at Sogang University, won the Grand Award for a Korean contestant. Maria Natasha Lintang, who studies technological systems management at the State University of New York (SUNY) Korea, won the top award for an international contestant. Each will receive three million won and an award plaque.The two runner-ups were Leah Nangila Nabangi, a mechanical engineering major at the SUNY Korea; and Park Han-dol, who studies English literature at Korea National Open University. Each will receive 2 million won and a plaque.The three commendation awards went to Sven-Hendrik Arp, a master's degree student majoring in international trade, finance and management at Yonsei University Graduate School o

Nov 19, 2020By Park Jae-hyuk
Winners of 16th Economic Essay Contest announced

Korea Times translation award recognizes budding talents

The participants of the 51st Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards pose after the awards ceremony at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, Thursday. From left in second row are Sung Chai-hyun, senior executive vice president of Retail Customer Group at KB Kookmin Bank: novelists Kim You-myung and Ko Kwang-yule; judges Min Eun-kyung, professor at Seoul National University, and Jung Ha-yun, Ewha Womans University; Korea Times President-Publisher Oh Young-jin; judge Brother Anthony; former Korea Times editorial writer Hong Soon-il; Chun Byong-keuk, deputy minister for culture and art policy; Mexican Ambassador to Korea Bruno Figueroa and his daughter Aura Figueroa. From left in first row are Choi Ja-in, receiving the prize for Poetry Commendation Award winner Hedgie Choi; Fiction Grand Prize Winner Hannah Quinn Hertzog; Poetry Grand Prize winner Mattho Mandersloot and poet Kim Yi-deum. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Kwon Mee-yooThe 51st Korea Times Modern Korean Literature Translation Award commemorated the winners' affection and passion for literature translation at an awards c

Nov 12, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Korea Times translation award recognizes budding talents

51st Korea Times Translation Awards Fiction Commendation Award: The Aunt

Cover of "Hello, Drunkard" by Kwon Yeo-sun, which includes "The Aunt" Courtesy of ChangbiWritten by Kwon Yeo-sunTranslated by Rina KimBefore our marriage, I had thought that Taewoo's father's side of the family was bustling, but that on his mother's side, there was only his grandmother. So when I first met his parents, I suspected his mother would be rather head-strong because she was an only child. We had the formal introductory get-together at a Chinese restaurant and his mother was the one who decided the course, the individual dishes and everything about the menu. And they all submitted to her choices, his father with a bit of grumbling and Taewoo, in silence. About a month after we were married, I was told that Taewoo had an elder aunt and an uncle on his mother's side. This meant that my mother-in-law had an older sister and a younger brother. They were not at our wedding. The elder aunt was in hiding after cutting ties with her family two years ago, and the uncle was wanted by the police for his gambling debts. With the marriage impending, my mother-in-law had apparently decid

Nov 11, 2020
[51st Korea Times Translation Awards] Fiction Commendation Award: The Aunt

51st Korea Times Translation Awards Fiction Commendation Award winner Rina Kim

Rina Kim is a consultant and translator who was born in Seoul and grew up going back and forth between the U.S., Korea and England. She studied French and Russian as an undergraduate at Cambridge University before moving on to law at Duke University School of Law. She is a U.S.-licensed attorney and a member of the New York Bar.As Kim enjoyed reading Korean literature, she started translating works that she particularly enjoyed, beginning in 2019.Kim translated Kwon Yeo-sun's "The Aunt" for the translation contest. "Kwon Yeo-Sun is one of my favorite Korean writers and I found The Aunt particularly moving,” Kim said. “Certain aspects of the story also reminded me of my own aunt, Sister Monica Kim of the Poor Clares, a wonderful and very loving person, who became a Catholic nun. She passed away a few years ago and I translated the story partly to commemorate her.” Kim tried to convey the tone of the short story in her translation. "I think a good literary translation is not only accurate, but also has a fluency in the tone and style that makes you almost forget you a

Nov 11, 2020
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