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Foreign residents get easier access to automated immigration checks

Employees test automated immigration checks at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 before its opening in this January photo. / YonhapBy Lee Suh-yoonStarting this month, foreign residents can speed through airport immigration using automated passport-screening gates at any airport in the country, immigration authorities said Sunday. The changes will affect about 1.6 million foreigners registered as long-term residents or overseas Koreans with a permanent address in Korea. Previously, foreign residents had to pre-register at a separate service center inside the airports before they could use the automated fast track. Due to this hassle, only 3.2 percent of eligible foreign residents have so far taken advantage of the automated service. However, the changes will not apply to foreign residents whose visas expire within a month or whose registered information does not match the information on their passports.Korean nationals who are over 18 have been able to use the service without prior registration since January last year. More than half of all Korean travelers now use the automate

Sep 30, 2018

Foreign residents get easier access to automated immigration checks

Foreigners allowed to use automated immigration checks from October

The justice ministry announced Sunday that foreign nationals residing in South Korea will be able to use automated immigration checks at airports without pre-registration beginning in October.Following this change, foreigners and people of Korean descent with foreign nationality residing in the country can enjoy easy access to the automated passport control kiosks.Currently, foreign nationals must sign up beforehand to use the system, whereas pre-registration isn't required for South Koreans.The ministry said only 3.2 percent of the foreigners are using the automated system, compared to 50.4 percent for South Korean travelers.Foreigners with under a month left on their visa on the day of their travel must register before using the unmanned system. (Yonhap)

Sep 30, 2018

Foreigners allowed to use automated immigration checks from October

Chinese spouses most popular

By Kim Jae-heunAmid growing interracial marriages in Korea, Chinese spouses were found to be the most sought-after as of the first half of the year, according to the Ministry of Justice, Wednesday. The ministry, in cooperation with the Korean Immigration Service, released a report on the nationality of foreign spouses which indicated 12,356 Korean women married Chinese men, followed by Americans at 2,618 and Vietnamese at 1,955. Japanese at 1,299 and Canadians at 1,114 rounded out the top five.For men, Chinese women topped the list as 45,521 tied the knot with them, followed by 39,506 Vietnamese and 12,304 Japanese. Filipinas ranked fourth with 11,506 and Cambodians were fifth with 4,247.Most of the foreign spouses ranged in age from 30 to 34, followed by those between 35 to 39 years old and between 25 and 29. Also, most of the interracial couples reside in Gyeonggi Province with 44,056, followed by 27,571 couples living in Seoul and 10,250 in South Gyeongsang Province. The number of foreign spouses increased by 12.2 percent from 125,087 in 2009 to 142,654 in 2010 to surpassing the 1

Sep 26, 2018By Kim Jae-heun

Illegal immigrants increasing: data

The number of foreign nationals illegally staying in South Korea increased by nearly 100,000 on-year to surpass 330,000 this year, government data showed Sunday.According to the data of the Ministry of Justice, 330,005 foreigners were staying in the country without valid visas as of July, up 97,834 from 232,171 logged July of last year.The data ― which revealed the number of illegal aliens over the past 10 years ― was submitted to the National Assembly.The annual average number of reported crimes committed by foreigners came to 43,635 over the past five years, the data showed.This number was to 34,460 in 2013 and steadily increased to peak at 53,151 in 2016 but was slightly down to 45,671 in 2017.(Yonhap)

Sep 24, 2018

142,200 foreigners study at Korean universities: data

The number of foreign students enrolled in South Korea surged this year with the portion of those from China falling below 50 percent, a tally from a state-run educational body showed Sunday.The number of foreign students registered at South Korean universities and graduate schools rose 14.8 percent from a year earlier to 142,205 as of April, according to the National Institute for International Education, which is affiliated with the education ministry. By country, the largest number of students came from China, which accounted for 48.2 percent of the total, down 6.9 percentage points from a year earlier, the data showed. The portion of Chinese students reached a record-high of 71 percent in 2010 and has declined since then.The number of Vietnamese students came to 27,061 to account for 19 percent of the total, followed by Mongolia at 6,768, Japan at 3,977, and the United States at 2,746.For non-degree courses, such as Korean language classes at universities, Vietnamese students accounted for 34.3 percent, or 19,260, of the total to surpass 29.8 percent of Chinese students. (Yonhap)

Sep 23, 2018

142,200 foreigners study at Korean universities: data

Naturalization law to have clearer criteria on 'good conduct'

By Jung Hae-myoung The government will revise regulations for foreign residents applying for naturalization by making clearer and more specified those regarding “good conduct.” The Ministry of Justice said Friday that it plans to amend the Nationality Act, with the new regulations taking effect Dec. 20.The changes follow criticism that the standards for naturalization stated in the current regulations ― a person should be of “good conduct” ― are ambiguous. Due to the ambiguity, staff were allowed to make decisions on naturalization at their own discretion, causing controversy and in some cases even lawsuits.Under the new regulations, foreigners who have failed to pay taxes or have violated domestic laws will not be allowed to apply for naturalization until after a certain time period has passed following these offenses.The ministry will not approve naturalization applications if the applicant has failed to pay national or local taxes or customs duty; if less than two years have passed since an applicant received a suspended sentence for minor offense

Sep 21, 2018

Naturalization law to have clearer criteria on 'good conduct'

Seoul hosts job fair to match foreign residents with local firms

Companies conduct on-site job interviews with applicants at last year's job fair for foreign residents in Seoul. / Courtesy of Seoul Business AgencyBy Lee Suh-yoonSeoul Global Center and the Seoul Business Agency (SBA), a city-run support center for small- and medium-sized businesses, will host the city's fifth job fair for foreign residents this Friday.The job fair, an annual event started in 2014, will take place at COEX center in southeastern Seoul. At last year's event, 1,686 on-the-spot job interviews were conducted, and 81 jobseekers landed jobs at the time. Considering the number of participants from previous years, organizers expect about 2,000 foreign residents to take part this year.About 70 companies, including big names such as POSCO, Gucci Korea and Jeju Air, will set up booths at this year's conference. There will also be numerous startups such as Amuse Travel and Vision Works.English speakers will not be the only attractive candidates at the fair as many of the participating firms are eyeing expansion into non-English-speaking countries. “Many of the participatin

Sep 19, 2018

Seoul hosts job fair to match foreign residents with local firms

Foreign Line

The Korea International Expat Film FestivalThe Korea International Expat Film Festival (KIXFF) teams up with Retro Fest 2018: Rock This Town (a music festival featuring swing dance music; rockabilly style) for this year's festival which features 58 films submitted from all over the world, including Korea _ from both Koreans and expats. The film festival is happening at Emu Cinema near Gwanghwamun Station and runs from Sept. 29 to 30. Retro Fest 2018 will include live music, a live old style barbershop showcase, vendors selling vintage trinkets and a dance party in the basement of Emu Cinema on Sept. 29 to rock your blues away. On Sunday night there will be an awards ceremony to celebrate the winners of this year's fest.Attendees who purchase an all-access VIP pass worth 50,000 won will receive a goody bag featuring gifts from sponsors Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer and CLIO Cosmetics. The all-access pass can be bought on the day, in cash or via Paypal, or on the website. For those who only want to see one or two films, individual tickets can be bought on the day for 10,000 won per person but

Sep 18, 2018

Stella Foundation spreads happiness in Seoul

Sunday Fun Day III: Stella Foundation founder Cho Jae-hoon (middle) and Happiness Coordinator Kathryn Bokyung Park (to his left) join fitness organization Seoul City Crew and other workshop participants at a yoga and meditation event at Banpo Hangang Park. / Courtesy of Stella FoundationBy Celeste KrielThe Stella Foundation (SF) has been raising awareness about the importance of mental health, removing the stigma surrounding depression and suicide and sprinkling some happiness around Seoul as they go. The foundation brings people and communities together for fun workshops and programs, which they call “Happiness Boosters.”Cho Jae-hoon, a resident of Seoul and a university student at Korea National Sport University, started the organization after he lost his mother to suicide five years ago. He wanted to start a conversation to change perceptions of mental health. After a 6000-kilometer fundraising cycle trip from Stella Point near Kilimanjaro to the Cape of Goodhope in South Africa, he came back to Korea and started the foundation.“Since it was depression and not a

Sep 18, 2018

Stella Foundation spreads happiness in Seoul

Cityscapes A surprise tour of Cheongnyangni's cat houses

Two cats glance at each other in front of a protest sign in Cheongnyangni 588, a former red-light district in northeastern Seoul. According to a security guard, 40 cats lived here post-eviction. / Courtesy of Ron BandunBy Ron Bandun The major holidays are an ideal time to go urban exploring in Korea. Seoul clears out twice a year as everyone goes to their hometowns for Lunar New Year and Chuseok. These holidays are also when animal abandonment peaks, so I pledged to always have some cat food in my trespassing kit.I'm not sure feeding stray cats does any real good, only delaying the inevitable or growing the stray population, but it helps keep them still for a photo. Maybe I can tide a hungry runaway's appetite over until its owners can rescue it. I've also probably served a few abandoned cats their last meal. Discarded cats unable to fend for themselves haunt abandoned neighborhoods, and I'm unsure where they go after demolition; I probably don't want to know. Last Lunar New Year, I visited a few abandoned sites in northeastern Seoul with Isaiah, another explorer who runs his own col

Sep 18, 2018

Global Community

Global Community

Foreign residents get easier access to automated immigration checks

Foreigners allowed to use automated immigration checks from October

Chinese spouses most popular

Illegal immigrants increasing: data

142,200 foreigners study at Korean universities: data

Naturalization law to have clearer criteria on 'good conduct'

Seoul hosts job fair to match foreign residents with local firms

Foreign Line

Stella Foundation spreads happiness in Seoul

Cityscapes A surprise tour of Cheongnyangni's cat houses

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