Migrant workers welcome Seoul's disaster relief fund

Migrants' rights groups hold a press conference in front of Cheong Wa Dae urging the government to equally provide emergency disaster relief funds to foreign residents in this May 7 photo / Yonhap

By Lee Hyo-jin

Migrant workers are welcoming Seoul city's decision to provide disaster relief funds to non-citizens here, adding hopes that other municipal governments will follow suit, according to multiple migrants' rights groups, Monday.

Following the recommendation by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) on June 10, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced last Wednesday it would include foreign residents in its disaster relief fund plan to support everyone suffering economic hardships amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting Monday, eligible foreign residents can apply for the disaster relief fund through the city government website. Eligible households can receive a lump-sum payment of 300,000 won ($253) to 500,000 won, depending on the number of family members.

“The virus does not discriminate by nationality, so neither should the disaster relief money,” said Lee Han-sook, head of Migration and Human Rights Institution.

“Many foreign workers have gone jobless or are on unpaid leave. Some of them are stranded here as they can't return to their home countries due to travel restrictions,” she said, explaining why the disaster relief should be extended to foreign residents.

Although the NHRCK has also recommended Gyeonggi Province to include foreign residents in its emergency relief fund budget, authorities have responded with their plans to 'look into' possible measures in the long term.

The municipal government had previously provided 100,000 won to marriage immigrants and permanent residents in March, accountable for roughly 18 percent of foreign residents in the area. But it remains hesitant to expand the fund to all registered foreign residents.

“We hope Seoul city's decision will encourage Gyeonggi Province and other regional governments to support foreign residents,” said Lee Young, head of the Foreign Workers' Welfare Center in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.

“Many people question why the state should help foreigners with our tax money. But they don't seem to know that even legal foreign residents who have been paying taxes for years are excluded from the plan,” Lee added.

Civic groups point out that this is not only about giving financial aid to foreigners, but also showing Korea's acceptance of foreign residents.

“This issue needs to be handled properly and settled as a good precedent to make sure that foreigners are not discriminated against in other disaster situations. If they are excluded now, they will continue to be excluded in the future,” Jeong Yeong-sup, a member of the Alliance for Migrant Equality and Human Rights, told The Korea Times.