Gyeonggi Province's immigrant policy omission sparks backlash

Foreign resident welfare centers in Gyeonggi Province are strongly urging the newly elected provincial government to make immigrant policies a central part of its agenda. They argue that the absence of specific policies addressing immigrants in Governor-elect Chu Mi-ae's 120-point platform is a significant oversight that ignores the province's reality as home to the largest immigrant population in South Korea.

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There is no future for Gyeonggi Province without immigrants.

The Gyeonggi Province Foreigner Welfare Center Council issued a statement on July 1st, criticizing the 120-point policy proposal as a "future strategy based on exclusion and discrimination that erases immigrants." The council pointed out that while the platform covers areas like the economy, industry innovation, welfare expansion, and climate crisis response, it fails to designate immigrant and foreign resident issues as an independent agenda item.

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The 120-point policy proposal by Gyeonggi Province Governor-elect Chu Mi-ae is a future strategy based on exclusion and discrimination that erases immigrants.

This omission is particularly concerning given Gyeonggi Province's status as the region with the most foreign residents and its recent establishment of an "Immigration Social Affairs Bureau" in 2024 to support immigrants and children with immigrant backgrounds. Critics argue that the new provincial government's priorities have sidelined these crucial issues.

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Ignoring the reality of Gyeonggi Province, the region with the largest number of immigrants in Korea, immigrant policies have been virtually excluded.

The council is demanding that Gyeonggi Province revise its 120-point policy to include immigrant policies as a core task. They also call for a comprehensive immigrant support plan encompassing labor, human rights, welfare, education, health, and housing, along with a dedicated administrative system. Furthermore, they seek the creation of a public-private cooperation structure involving welfare centers and private organizations, protection for the labor rights of migrant workers, support for children and adolescents with immigrant backgrounds, and advocacy to the central government for the human rights of undocumented immigrants. The council warned of further actions, including public discourse with national immigrant organizations and civil society, if their demands are not met.

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If there was a philosophy of viewing immigrants as members of the Gyeonggi community, such policy tasks would not have emerged.