On June 11, the “2024 Foreign Resident Policy Debate” hosted by Gyeonggi Province and organized by the Gyeonggi Institute of Research and Policy Development for Migrants’ Human Rights was held at the Dasan Hall of the Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation.

Under the theme “Gyeonggi Province’s Immigrant Society: More Dreams, New Opportunities, and a Brighter Future,” the discussion was organized to envision the future of Gyeonggi Province with young foreigners working in various fields and to explore the way forward.

Breaking away from the traditional presentation-discussion format, this event was held as a free talk symposium between the host and young foreign panelists under the theme “The Immigrant Society Gyeonggi Province.”

The symposium began with an opening address by Oh Kyung-seok, Director of the Gyeonggi Institute of Research and Policy Development for Migrants’ Human Rights, followed by a keynote speech by Steven Hamilton, Chief of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Korea, and a report on the status of foreign resident policy implementation by Kum Chul-wan, Director General of Gyeonggi Province’s Labor Bureau. The first part of the event concluded with the “More Dreams,” “New Opportunities,” “Brighter Future,” and “Gyeonggi Province Immigrant Society” campaigns, which were attended by more than 150 participants.

Jasmine Lee, Chairperson of the Korea Cultural Diversity Organization (and former National Assembly Member), moderated the discussion and suggested the way forward for Korean society, saying that in order to transition to a multicultural society, immigrants must be treated equally, not discriminated against, and live in harmony with Koreans. In addition, six young people with immigrant backgrounds who are demonstrating their abilities and fulfilling their dreams in their respective fields, including TagHive startup representatives, university and graduate school students, CF and fashion models, and workplace managers, participated in the panel discussion and shared their opinions on “Dreams, Opportunities, Challenges, and Future.”

“We will promote various policies to create a livable Gyeonggi Province where everyone can have opportunities and realize their dreams in an environment that promotes respect for each other and does not discriminate,” said Oh Woo-seok, Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province.

“Ensuring that all immigrants, regardless of status, are treated equally with dignity and respect recognizes that immigrants contribute to Korean society as neighbors and family members and that immigrants have the same opportunities to prosper as Koreans… The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading UN agency in the field of migration and stands ready to support migrants and Gyeonggi Province on this journey,” said Steven Hamilton, Chief of IOM Korea .

The policy discussion was attended by representatives of organizations supporting foreigners, including foreigner welfare centers, multicultural family centers, the Global Youth Center, the Council of Foreign Resident Representatives, and the Network of Medical and Social Organizations for Foreigners.

According to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security’s statistics on foreign residents, Gyeonggi Province is home to 33% of the nation’s foreign residents (over 750,000 people), and 5.5% of the total population of Gyeonggi Province is made up of foreign residents.