Gimhae to initiate support plans tailored for foreign population

Migrant workers in Gimhae, South Gyeonsang Province learn how to operate agricultural machinery. Courtesy of Gimhae City Government

Gimhae in South Gyeongsang Province plans to help foreign workers and multicultural families, especially by offering support in learning the Korean language.

Approximately 20,000 foreign nationals from 70 different countries reside in the southeastern port city, making it the municipality with the highest number of foreign residents among the 18 local governments in the province.

Given the significant foreign population in the province, there is also a notable presence of multicultural families. According to the 2022 statistics on multicultural households, Gimhae was home to 4,090 multicultural families out of a total of 218,570 households. The total number of members in multicultural families, including parents and children, is 12,916, constituting 2.2 percent of the city's total population of 547,995.

The city has observed a consistent increase in the number of multicultural families and household members every year since 2017.

To address the language education needs of foreign workers, the city plans to dispatch Korean instructors to small and medium-sized companies in areas with a high concentration of foreign workers, such as Hallim, Jinyeong and Jillye. This initiative, scheduled to begin early this year, aims to provide on-site Korean language education at industrial sites.

Recognizing the inconvenience faced by the students who previously had to visit designated language tutoring centers on weekends, the city aims to dispatch Korean tutors to places of work for more accessible language education.

A teacher gives a Korean language class to pre-elementary school aged children from multicultural families in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province. Courtesy of Gimhae City Government

Furthermore, the city is preparing to open a Korean language education center that will offer learning programs based on proficiency level, available at any time and day of the week. This center is also scheduled to commence operations early this year.

In response to the closure of support centers for foreign workers due to budget cuts, Gimhae seeks to fill the gap by operating an education center that provides Korean language education outside of general business hours, including night and weekend classes.

To address the challenges faced by children from multicultural families in schools, the city plans to enhance support initiatives.

Basic learning support, initially designed for preschoolers and lower elementary school students, will be expanded to include upper elementary school students. Children from multicultural families with earnings that fall in the range of 50 percent to 100 percent of the median income will bne eligible to receive financial support.

Annually, 400,000 won ($307.8) for elementary school students, 500,000 won for middle school students, and 600,000 won for high school students will be provided.

Foreign children entering the country will have the opportunity for one-on-one connections with foreign university students, facilitating learning, school life counseling and cultural experiences.

Nine teams participate in a mini World Cup-style event in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, hosted by the city government, Sept. 17, 2023. Courtesy of Gimhae City Government

The city also aims to strengthen support for multicultural events, increasing the budget to 50 million won annually.

This will be used to host festivals that bring together people of various nationalities, combining elements of culture and sports.

The city hosted a mini World Cup-style event last September. The tournament featured eight foreign teams hailing from diverse nations, including Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, China, Cambodia and Thailand. Gimhae City Government’s football team also participated in the game.

Gimhae is also gearing up to address the specific needs of immigrants aspiring to enter the workforce or embark on entrepreneurial ventures. The city plans to offer directly relevant education and customized employment support services in collaboration with various training institutions within the current year, according to a city official.