Municipalities vie to host new immigration agency

International students wearing traditional Korean clothing pose during an event held at Yeungnam University's folk village in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, May 14. As immigration is expected to be one of the key policy areas for the new administration, many mayors and governors are moving to host a new state agency dedicated to immigration issues in their cities. Yonhap

With immigration on the agenda of the new administration amid growing demographic pressures, governors and mayors across Korea are jockeying to host a newly proposed state agency tasked with managing immigration policy.

The move comes as President Lee Jae Myung charts the country’s policy course for the next five years. While immigration was not a major focus during his campaign, lawmakers from the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) introduced a bill to establish an independent government department to comprehensively address immigration issues.

Local officials in Ansan in Gyeonggi Province ― the country’s most ethnically diverse city ― have positioned their city as the most suitable candidate for the agency’s headquarters. Ansan boasts the highest proportion of foreign residents in the country, with more than 100,000 of its 672,000 residents, or about 14 percent, being foreign-born. Five years ago, Ansan became the first Korean city to be recognized on the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities list.

“Most importantly, as one of the first cities in Korea to embrace interculturalism as part of our identity, we have accumulated two decades of expertise in immigration policy,” an official told The Korea Times. “We have been promoting Ansan as the ideal location for such an agency in recent years and will continue to do so while working with the new administration.”

Members of a special committee of the Ansan city government pose as they celebrate collecting more than 310,000 signatures supporting its plan to host a new state agency dedicated to immigration issues in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Jan. 25. Courtesy of Ansan city government

In October 2024, the city government launched a special committee dedicated to galvanizing support. In January, officials said they collected more than 310,000 signatures backing the plan.

The idea of creating an independent agency to handle immigration gained traction during the previous administration, but failed to materialize due to resistance from liberal lawmakers and the hardline stance of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who refused to negotiate with the then-opposition party to pass relevant legislation.

With a new president, the DPK, which holds a majority in the National Assembly, is expected to be more proactive in addressing challenges such as Korea’s demographic crisis.

Nearly 30 cities and counties have expressed interest in hosting the agency, motivated in part by the potential economic benefits. According to a study by the Gyeonggi Research Institute, a provincial research center, hosting the agency could generate economic benefits worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Local officials hope the agency will create jobs and attract people to regions that have suffered from population decline and the outflow of young people to larger cities like Seoul. Above all, they believe the project will bring hope and optimism to their communities.

Gimhae, the second-largest city in South Gyeongsang Province, is also among the contenders. The city’s Korean population peaked at 542,000 in 2019 and has since declined. Officials warn that without foreign residents, Gimhae could soon face contractions in the population, economy and other areas. They hope the agency will help reinvigorate the city.

“Gimhae is an ideal candidate to host the agency, given that we have the largest foreign population in the province ― even more than Busan,” an official said. “We will formulate our strategies based on the results of our own research, which will be released in October. We also plan to hold a public seminar to further galvanize support.”

Officials of a special committee attend a meeting to discuss strategies to host a new state agency dedicated to immigration issues in South Chungcheong Province, Friday. Courtesy of South Chungcheong provincial government

Some mayors are joining forces with neighboring cities. For example, local offices in South Chungcheong Province are collaborating through a special committee, launched last week, to attract the immigration agency to their region. The committee aims to combine knowledge and resources while promising broader support from the provincial government.

North Gyeongsang Province Gov. Lee Cheol-woo has also offered administrative and other support to establish the agency in one of the province’s cities.

According to the Korea Immigration Service, the number of foreign residents reached an all-time high of 2.65 million in March, accounting for 5.17 percent of the total population — exceeding prepandemic records.

According to projections by Statistics Korea, the population with migrant roots is expected to climb to 4.04 million by 2042, reflecting a significant demographic shift.