Is Korea ready to accept migrants?

Towards an inclusive society

South Korea has the lowest fertility rate among 209 countries in the world.

At this rate, senior citizens aged 65 and over are projected to take up around half of the population in 2070.

The government has determined drawing more migrants is an imperative, but the country has a long way to go to become an inclusive society.

Part 1. Korea becoming diverse

Nationalities of students at Sunil Middle School

Students from Russian-speaking countries account for more than 74 percent of multicultural students at Sunil.

Students with migrant backgrounds continue to enroll at the school as their parents come to Korea seeking a higher income and better living conditions.

The proportion of students at Sunil from multicultural households has continued to grow over the years.

Sunil was named a multicultural international innovation school in 2017, enabling it to receive grants for extra-curricular activities.

The number of foreign residents in Ansan has continued to grow over the years, as foreigners seek jobs at industrial complexes located in the city.

As of September, the industrial city is home to foreigners who come from a total of 118 countries, mostly from China and Russian-speaking countries, as well as Vietnam.

They say the percentage of foreign students is over 70 percent I gave up (the option) after considering.

2021.02.25. 11:59

Wow that's no joke~ is the situation at Wonil Elementary School nearby La Primo (apartment complex) similar?

2021.02.25. 12:03

If you are worried about this, you can consider Seogsu Elementary School in 300m distance, where there are many children of residents in Metrotown Prugio Hillstate.

2021.02.25. 12:26

Don't students need to go to designated schools? It is possible to transfer?

2021.02.25. 12:28

Sorry I know so little

2021.02.25. 12:28

There is a way (to send your child to a different school) by registering your home address to a different location.

2021.02.25. 12:29

Source: Naver community

Some Korean parents change their home address to send their children to a more homogenous school in an affluent neighborhood, due to concerns that their academic achievements may be affected.

The number of multicultural students on a national level is also on the rise. Meanwhile, their maladjustment and a widening academic achievement gap with the total student population have emerged as problems.

* Multicultural students aged 7~18

* Indicates the gap in the college entrance rate between the total student population and multicultural students

Part 2. Demographic crisis looming

Will Korea’s future look like Ansan?

The demographics of Ansan could show the direction Korea is headed as the country grapples with an aging and shrinking population.

South Korea has the lowest fertility rate among 209 countries in the world.

In Korea, the fertility rate has fallen over the years reaching a record-low of 0.78 in 2022, making it the country with the lowest fertility rate in the world.

The figure means that women able to give birth are not even having one baby on average.

The population is getting older

Meanwhile, technological advancement in the medical sector has extended average life expectancy of the population.

As a result, Korea’s percentage of senior citizens aged 65 and over has been climbing up, taking up 17.5 percent of the total population last year.

This matters because it means Korea will have less and less people who can work.

The working age population aged 15 to 64 is projected to more than halve by 2070, after peaking in 2019.

It is the first time the working age population is declining since Korea's industrialization era that began in the 1960s.

Foreigners currently only account for a small percentage of population

Korea had a total of 2.25 million foreign residents as of 2022, accounting for 4.37 percent of the total population.

Chinese account for the largest percentage of foreigners in Korea, followed by Vietnamese and Thai.

Part 3. Is Korea migrant-friendly?

Korea is seeking to attract migrants.

<span> The Yoon Suk-yeol administration is preparing to launch an integrated immigration agency. Currently, immigration affairs are dispersed across multiple ministries.
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"We will set up various visa policies to help attract not only skilled workers, but also capable individuals in the science technology sector, who can contribute to national interest."
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- Justice ministry official
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The Yoon Suk-yeol administration is preparing to launch an integrated immigration agency. Currently, immigration affairs are dispersed across multiple ministries. "We will set up various visa policies to help attract not only skilled workers, but also capable individuals in the science technology sector, who can contribute to national interest." - Justice ministry official

But is Korea ready?

2022 Survey

* The survey was conducted on 16,148 Korean nationals

Do you think Korean society has hatred or a
discriminatory attitude against migrants?

Source: National Human Rights Commission of Korea

More than 54 percent people think Korean society has hatred or a discriminatory attitude against migrants.

2022 Survey

* The survey was conducted on 16,148 Korean nationals

How do you feel about having migrants as representatives
for the National Assembly or local governments?

Uncomfortable

Source: National Human Rights Commission of Korea

Many Koreans find it uncomfortable to have migrants as their representatives at the National Assembly or local government.

Migrant 4

It was a job of a day laborer. We (migrants) were paid 69,000 won, while Koreans were paid 71,000 won, per day. If the wage differs by 2,000 won , the difference could be tens of thousands of won per month.

Refugee 8

The factory manager at my husband's company doesn't swear at Koreans, but he use f-words at my husband and blames my husband by saying why he doesn’t work properly.

My husband has no choice but to put up with it because he can't find a job if he leaves the company.

Refugee 9

As I was walking down the street, a woman took off my hijab. Once on the street and once at the supermarket.

Source: National Human Rights Commission of Korea

I was denied a mortgage when purchasing my house.
I ended up borrowing from my friends and I finished paying them back.

Krishna Adhikari, Nepalese programmer with permanent residency in Korea

We can say Korean society's acceptance of multiculturalism is among the worst. Korea taught students for over 50 years that the country is monoethnic.

Jang Han-up, director of Ewha Womans University's Center for Multicultural Research

Having lived here for a long time I got used to the comfort and the safety of the country, yet I miss the warmth and an open communication of my country.

Oxana Mechsherskaya, Kazakh, completed Ph.d in Korea, wants to work and settle here

It's easy to feel disconnected from your community here. Not just because of language, but because of just being different, you know, having that sort of different background.

Micah Christie, American immigrant to Korea, English teacher

Australia is one of the world's major immigrant nations.

The country has taken efforts to promote intercultural understanding.

Australia’s Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is a public multilingual and multicultural broadcaster. Initially established as a radio network in 1978, it expanded into TV in 1980. SBS offers broadcasting in over 60 languages.

Probably the most important public-facing policy was the creation of SBS.

Andrew Jakubowicz, emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Technology Sydney

When describing SBS, it is said to be a symbolic flagship of multiculturalism, and in the end, it can be said that it has made a truly remarkable contribution to bringing about a change in perception among people who had a poor understanding of other ethnic cultures through broadcasting.

Joo Yang-joong, Executive Producer, Korean Program, SBS Audio and Language Content

Education at Australian Schools

Intercultural understanding is one of the seven general capabilities within the Australian curriculum, along with literacy and numeracy.
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Acquiring intercultural understanding is divided into 6 steps so that students can develop this capability in a step-by-step process.

Intercultural understanding is one of the seven general capabilities within the Australian curriculum, along with literacy and numeracy.

Acquiring intercultural understanding is divided into 6 steps so that students can develop this capability in a step-by-step process.

Taught well, cultural understanding helps young people build empathy and understanding of one another. It is an important part of our curriculum and a student’s education.

Jason Clare, Australia's Minister for Education

Towards an inclusive society..

It is difficult for students to become very close over three years if we leave them as they are.

I think that schools should consider introducing many programs so that students can mingle with each other.

Lim Mi-eun, Sunil Middle School teacher in charge of multicultural education

As a foreigner in Korea, especially if you don't speak Korean at all, it's really difficult to connect with the locals.

And because of that, what we want to do is to have these kind of like programs or services that help bridge that gap, that problem.

Katherine Corteza, Filipina immigrant and Itaewon Global Village Center Director

Creating more inclusive symbols is often thought to be an important step, not only in the message it sends to minorities but in the message it sends to majorities as well.

Clayton Chin, Senior Lecturer in Political Theory at the University of Melbourne

In interculturalism, the emphasis is put on developing means and ways to accommodate diversity through exchange and interaction while maintaining the majority at the background as the engine of integration.

Gérard Bouchard, Emeritus professor at University of Quebec at Chicoutimi

It is necessary to educate locals to change the mindset that forever views migrants as outsiders.

Professor Noriko Tsukada at Nihon University, an expert in migration and caregiver

This is an interactive page on where Korea stands and where it should be headed as the country grapples with an aging and shrinking population. The series, funded by the Korea Press Foundation, features articles, photographs and short documentary films as well as digital interactive content.

Nationalities of students at Sunil Middle School

Will Korea’s future look like Ansan?

South Korea has the lowest fertility rate among 209 countries in the world.

The population is getting older​

This matters because it means Korea will have less and less people who can work.

Foreigners currently only account for a small percentage of population

Chinese account for the largest percentage of foreigners in Korea, followed by Vietnamese and Thai.

Korea is seeking to attract migrants.

But is Korea ready?

Australia is one of the world's major immigrant nations.

The country has taken efforts to promote intercultural understanding.

Education at Australian Schools

Towards an inclusive society..

The population is getting older