Korea begins project to widen social participation of 2 million foreign residents

Kim Han-gil, eighth from left in front row, who heads the Presidential Committee for National Cohesion, claps with participants during a ceremony to launch the special panel for immigrant policies at the Government Complex in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

Korea is moving to widen the political, economic and sociocultural participation of over 2 million foreign residents in the country, as the Presidential Committee for National Cohesion recently launched a special panel to draw up better immigrant policies.

The panel, launched on Friday, plans to examine immigration policies of other countries on taxation, social insurance and medical services and seek ways to root out discrimination and marginalization against foreign residents in Korea.

The formation of the panel comes as Korea sees a growing number of foreign nationals coming to the country. According to the presidential committee, Korea’s official population of foreign residents amounts to 2.18 million. The figure has more than doubled in 10 years and tallies greater than South Chungcheong Province’s current population of 2.12 million.

The presidential committee expects the figure to soon reach 5 percent (2.57 million) of the country’s 51.5 million population, which is nearly the level of other developed multicultural nations.

Headed by Professor Rhee Woo-young of Seoul National University School of Law, the panel consists of 14 scholars and policy experts of Korean and foreign nationalities

Among them are Professor Thakur Prasad Subedi from Hannam University’s Linton School of Gobal Business, who originally came from Nepal; Pham Thi Quynh Hoa, a Seoul Metropolitan Government official from Vietnam in charge of multicultural families and foreigners’ human rights; and British expat Paul Carver who was the head of Seoul Global Center between 2016 and 2019.

Rhee vowed to “collect a broad spread of opinions on immigrant policies and operate the panel to improve social perceptions (of foreign residents) and create a shift in immigrant policy paradigm.”

Kim Han-gil who chairs the presidential committee said, “Immigrants are the ‘new us (Koreans)’ who are already taking part in our society,” urging the special panel to guide immigrant policies to widen and compensate their social participation.

Experts highlighted the importance of social integration and suggested shifts in policy paradigms.

“We expect to see an increasing number of residents with immigrant backgrounds and it (social integration) is a crucial mission at stake for all of us,” Professor Cha Yun-kyung from Hanyang University, who is also a board member of the gender ministry’s foundation for immigrant youth, told The Korea Times, Sunday.

“People should now understand that immigrant policies are not to privilege minorities, but to benefit the entire society in the long run,” Cha said, highlighting the need for a shift in policy paradigms and people’s perceptions.

“For that, anyone should be able to enter into public affairs and enjoy opportunities for social advancement without discrimination, regardless of their background, such as nationality, gender or being disabled,” he added.

Professor Woo Young-ok from Sungkyul University, who also founded and heads the Immigrant Social Integration Policy Research Institute, expressed concerns over the government’s budget cut in existing projects and organizations in charge of social integration, such as foreign worker support centers.

Foreign workers receive free medical checkups at the Korea Support Center for Foreign Workers in southwestern Seoul, Sept. 10. Courtesy of Korea Support Center for Foreign Workers

As part of its belt-tightening fiscal policy, Korea decided last month not to appropriate a budget for 44 centers across the country that helped foreign workers with labor issues and social integration, while providing shelter and Korean language education.

Woo also called for cultural exchanges between Koreans and foreign residents.

“To help them integrate into the Korean society, we need to provide them with local networks where Koreans and foreign residents can meet, exchange their culture and grow to understand and respect each other better,” the professor said, “That can open up people’s minds to see that foreign residents are also people after all.”