○ Gyeonggi to launch multilingual counseling service on May 27 to address language barriers and enhance communication with residents
○ Service available nationwide via 1661-0222 in nine languages

Starting on May 27, Gyeonggi Province will launch a multilingual counseling service at the Gyeonggi Institute of Research and Policy Development for Migrants’ Human Rights (GMHR) to protect the rights and interests of foreign residents and alleviate difficulties related to daily life and settlement.

The service supports a total of nine languages: Cambodian (Khmer), Vietnamese, Lao, Thai, Uzbek, Russian, Filipino, English, and Chinese, with recruitment ongoing for counselors in three additional languages.

Previously, the absence of multilingual support resulted in issues such as delays and errors in processing complaints, as well as challenges in addressing human rights violations due to language barriers.

The counseling service is available nationwide via 1661-0222 (ext. 1–10), from Sunday to Thursday, 9 AM to 6 PM.

Counselors provide services including phone consultations, in-person complaint assistance, translation and proofreading, and online consultations. Most of the counselors are based at the Gyeonggi Institute of Research and Policy Development for Migrants’ Human Rights (GMHR) (2F, 140 Chudong-ro, Uijeongbu-si), while one Korean-language counselor is stationed at the Suwon Station Labor Rights Center.

“We hope to provide practical assistance to foreign residents who face challenges in living and settling in Gyeonggi due to language barriers,” said Kim Won-kyu, Director General of Gyeonggi Province’s Immigrant Society Bureau. “We will continue to improve the system and strengthen administrative support to make Gyeonggi Province a leading model of an inclusive society for immigrants.”

Gyeonggi Province also plans to establish effective policies aimed at enhancing the quality of life for migrants and to further expand administrative services that support their stable settlement.