Immigration to South Korea
[1] However, in recent years with the loosening of the law, influx of immigrants into South Korea has been on the rise, with foreign residents accounting for 4.9% of the total population in 2019.
Some issues facing immigrants are low wages, lack of support systems, language barriers, and difficulty gaining citizenship.
Bum Jung Kim and Fernando Torres-Gil made the following assessment, “Unfortunately, despite its economic need for immigrant labor, Korean society has not been able to move past its deeply rooted “pure blood” ideology”.
Due to this projected decline the Korean Council for University Education (KCEU), implemented new programs to encourage the enrollment of foreign students.
[11] As described in the new national plan for immigration policy, the government claims a "world-class South Korea" welcoming of foreigners.
However, critics argue that the government's goals and policies are fundamentally discriminatory, stemming from racist attitudes in the country and ethnic nationalism.
[12] In response, the South Korean government introduced new regulations in April 2014, which meant foreign spouses would have to pass a Korean-language proficiency test and earn a minimum wage of $14,000.
Legally, foreigners are allowed to enter mainly to fulfill low-wage jobs, and they are excluded from receiving social services.
There are many reports from legal and illegal immigrants who have been jailed in South Korea because of small problems or misunderstanding or overstaying their visas for a long time.
[15] The term "onnurian" refer to a person of mixed heritage, most commonly applied to children of a South Korean father and a Southeast Asian mother.
[16] Another term, "Kosian", was coined in 1997 by intercultural families to refer to themselves,[17] but its use spread in the early 2000s as international marriages became increasingly common in rural areas.
Establishing an Immigration Office is expected to solve these problems by concentrating all the related resources and manpower under one umbrella.
Therefore, when the South Korea government builds new policies, immigrant laborers and children of illegal migrants should be counted to follow this guideline.
South Korea used to be a net sender of immigrants until 2007, sending farmers, miners, nurses, and workers to the United States, Germany, and the Middle East.
Until the end of 1980s, South Korea was able to sustain its growth without foreign laborers because of its abundant young population and low wages.
However, according to traditional Confucian norms which a lot of older South Koreans still adhere to, the eldest son must remain with his parents.
Chronic shortages of women arose in rural areas, and international marriages began to fill this unmet demand.
Many migrant workers live in the industrial suburbs of Gyeonggi Province such as Siheung and Ansan, where foreigners account for 7.6% of the population.
