Gyeonggi Central Bar Association to provide pro bono services from May to
July 

◇ On May 23, Gyeonggi Province
announced plans to offer on-site legal education and counselling to alien
residents residing in the cities of Hwaseong, Siheung, and Ansan once a month from
May to July. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News

Gyeonggi Province plans to
offer on-site legal education and counselling to alien residents and
multicultural families facing legal issues. 

On May 23, Gyeonggi Province
announced plans to offer on-site legal education and counselling to alien
residents residing in the cities of Hwaseong, Siheung, and Ansan once a month from
May to July.

The education initiative was
created for foreigners and multicultural families who cannot receive appropriate
legal services due to communication problems, cultural barriers, and economic
difficulties even though they may be experiencing legal problems stemming from such
issues as citizenship, marriage, divorce, child custody, inheritance, overdue
wages, or wrongful dismissal. 

The program will be undertaken
by lawyers associated with the Gyeonggi Central Bar Association in the form of pro
bono legal education and private consultations.  

The first education session
featuring legal education and counselling is scheduled for May 24 at the
Hwaseong Foreign Resident Center for married immigrants. The next session in
June will be open to alien residents residing in Hwaseong and cover labor
affairs and legal counselling. The July session will be for alien residents in
Siheung and Ansan and cover customized legal education and counselling focusing
in residential qualifications. Gyeonggi Province also has plans to extend this
service to more regions during the latter half of this year.  

Gyeonggi Province provides legal
education and human rights education annually for working-level staff and
public officials at organizations supporting alien residents and to those that
work with foreigners.

In order to resolve legal
issues confronting foreign residents, Gyeonggi Province is also increasing the
number of interpreters for foreigners who need language support during legal
counselling, and it is creating counselling offices in 20 cities and counties
including Gwangju and Pocheon to serve alien residents who find it difficult to
receive legal counselling because of the distance from their place of
residence.  

Since 2012, the provincial government
has offered pro bono legal support for alien residents in financial distress.
To date, it has provided legal counselling in 513 cases and handled 11 pro bono
court cases. 

At the end of last year, Gyeonggi
Province had an alien resident population of 554,160, representing a 12.5%
increase compared from 492,790 the previous year. 

ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News | Kim Jin-kyoung jinkyoungkim@kg21.net

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201605231122137055C048&s_code=C048