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By Jung Min-ho
Korea will now place more of a weighting on an immigrant's ability to communicate in Korean over other skills, as the country moves to accept more foreign workers after plans have been implemented to reform its immigration policy.
In its response to questions sent recently by The Korea Times, the Ministry of Justice, which is expected to announce policy details regarding immigration system changes later this year, said that Korean language ability would be a significant factor in terms of obtaining E-7-4 visas.
The visas are issued to those meeting certain requirements, including a minimum amount of work experience (four years). They effectively permit a permanent stay in Korea, offering a three-year base period with unlimited renewals.
"Korean language ability is the most basic and crucial element in order for immigrants to assimilate as members of our society, as was the case for other countries," the ministry said. "We are planning to give more points if those with excellent language ability wish to change their visas (to E-7-4)."
The statement is in line with the reform direction laid out by Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon at last month's forum on Jeju Island. He said that language ability is "more important than welding skills," saying those who can communicate in Korean fluently would receive significant incentives.
He also said that immigration reform in order to embrace skilled foreign workers should be a top priority of Korea, which has been forced to reckon with the necessity of working and coexisting harmoniously with them, as its birthrate continues to plummet to the world's lowest levels despite government efforts.
He declared that Korea "has no future" if it fails to build a well-designed immigration system. He added that each step toward the goal should be implemented carefully ― as it has in many other countries ― otherwise it could lead to extreme political divisions.
According to the latest data available at Statistics Korea, only 18,988 babies were born in May, decreasing 5.3 percent from a year earlier. The number has been declining year-on-year for 90 consecutive months, presenting an alarming demographic challenge to the nation's economy and future.
