Gyeonggi Province plans to strengthen its efforts to improve the quality of life for foreign residents of the province.

On February 10, 2008, Gyeonggi Province announced that it will be providing comprehensive support for foreign residents in the province by building an infrastructure to enable a multicultural society, strengthening the rights of foreign workers, and providing support for marriage immigrants in order to improve the quality of life for foreign residents and create a multicultural community.

* Support for Marriage Immigrants’ Settlement = The Korean language education program will be operated in 35 centers in 27 cities and counties, including Suwon and Guri, to improve the Korean language skills of marriage immigrants. The regulations and controls for international marriage brokers will be tightened, and an emergency hotline for marriage immigrants (1577-1366) will be operated, to provide a strengthen information service and counseling service for immigrants.

Nine Marriage Immigrants’ Family Support Centers will be established in Suwon, Ansan, Seongnam, and Euijeongbu, to provide cultural experiences and counseling services for multicultural families. In order to promote the financial independence and the capability to self-support of multicultural families, job training for marriage immigrants will be expanded (100 trainees). Preferential consideration for admission will be given to marriage immigrants who apply for courses at Gyeonggi-do Women¡¯s Development Center. Five cities and counties, including Icheon and Yangpyeong, will also operate a sponsorship program for marriage immigrants in agricultural villages.

In addition, the educational and cultural experiences of the children in multicultural families will be improved through the operation of a visiting tutor service, which will operate from 9 centers and for 1,800 households. The programs to help marriage immigrants in their adaptation to local communities include financial support for the children of foreign workers, and a mentoring program for children from multicultural families.

According to an investigation conducted in May 2007, the number of foreign residents in Gyeonggi Province reached 214,727, or 2.0% of all residents. Of the number of foreign residents in the entire nation, which is 722,686, residents of Gyeonggi Province accounted for 29.7%, which is the largest portion of any region in Korea. Furthermore, as the number of foreign residents of the province has increased by 19,449 every year from 1998 to 2007, the complexity of administrative demands is rapidly increasing due to the increasingly diversified nationalities, ages, and genders of foreign residents.

A Gyeonggi Province official said, “This comprehensive plan will bring a change in the policies of the province by including foreign residents in the concept of citizens in a broad sense. The province plans to begin actively responding to these complex administrative demands in the multicultural era.”

Prior to 2004, the government laws and regulations relating to foreign residents mainly aimed to control industrial training and illegal stays, but in 2004 the paradigm began to shift toward support policies for foreign residents, to pursue the goal of multicultural social integration and promote marriage immigration. In 2007, the laws and regulations were revised to protect human rights and improve treatment for foreign residents through the introduction of the visit-and-employment system, and the enactment of the law on marriage broker management.

In order to provide actual help to foreigners who settle in Korea, detailed policies from local governments as well as the revision of laws and regulations are required, in addition to efforts to effect a change in some perceptions of foreigners that are held by Korean citizens .

To this end, Gyeonggi Province plans to build an infrastructure for a multicultural society in 2008, under the comprehensive support plan for foreign residents. The plans of the province include the development of a comprehensive system for building a multicultural society, support for the settlement of foreign residents in local communities, improvement of recognition and participation in the multicultural society, expansion of comprehensive support facilities for foreign residents, and improvement of the business environments for foreign-invested companies.

In addition, the province aims to strengthen the rights of foreign workers by improving their work environments, protecting their human rights, supporting the settlement of foreign workers in Korea, supporting their return to their mother countries, and building a healthcare service system for foreign workers.

Gyeonggi Province will also provide educational programs and information about Korean language and culture, expand family support for marriage immigrants, and support cultural activities and education for the children of multicultural marriages.

* Infrastructure Building for a Multicultural Society = In order to build an infrastructure that supports a multicultural society, the province will establish the Immigration Policy Research Center under the International Organization for Migration. The plans for the 1st half of this year include the enactment of ordinances to support foreign residents in the province, the strengthening of the deliberation and mediation of the Gyeonggi Advisory Committee for Foreign Resident Support, the establishment of 5 welfare centers for foreign residents, the securing and development of foreign human resources, and an actual investigation into the circumstances of foreign residents, which is scheduled for May 2008.

In order to help foreign residents to adjust to their life in their new communities more quickly, each city and county will install and operate a help desk and counseling center for foreign residents, and provide a variety of useful information.

In order to expand an understanding of a multicultural society and cultural exchange, the province will designate May 20 as a “Global Citizen’s Day”, and the week of May 20 as the week of multi-culture. The province will also work to expand the participation of foreign residents in their local communities, build a network of foreign residents, invite the best foreign workers, invite the families of marriage immigrants, and expand projects to improve the environment for investment of foreign companies.

*Strengthening of Foreign Workers’ Rights and Interests = In order to protect the human rights of foreign workers and improve their rights and interests, the province will provide counseling services by connecting the existing four counseling centers in Suwon, Ansan, Siheung, and Namyangju to 65 private counseling centers, and the Counseling Center of the Ministry of Labor in Ansan and Euijeongbu. The expanded counseling program aims to provide help related to the delayed payments of wages, violence, the infringement of human rights, and other life difficulties.

In order to help foreign workers to settle in Korea, and to help them return to their mother countries when time in Korea is complete, a Visiting Korean Class will be operated in 11 counties and cities, including Suwon and Yangpyeong. 20 cities and counties will host cultural events in order to promote network building between Korean and foreign workers, and 16 cities and counties, including Siheung, will support job training for foreign workers, to encourage foreign workers to voluntarily go back to their home countries and to be successful after their return.

A healthcare service system for foreign workers will be established by the Gyeonggi-do Medical Association and Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center, and free healthcare services will be provided in Ansan, Anyang, and Siheung, where there is a dense population of foreign workers. A 24-hour healthcare system for foreign workers will be built in Ajou University Hospital and the Catholic Medical Center in Euijeongbu.