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agentX
Joined: 12 Oct 2007
Location: Jeolla province
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 Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 5:02 pm Post subject: Korea needs to open its door wider |
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The latest interview with the immigration commissioner Choo Kyu-ho has been released by the Korean Times website today. Those of you here from last week remember his previous article.
MODS: if this is in the wrong section, then move it to the right section.
http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/11/117_14015.html
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Immigration Policymaker Seeks Social Integration With Foreigners
By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
Korea needs to open its door wider to foreigners and more actively embrace them as members of and contributors to society, a top immigration policymaker said Monday.
``So far, we have only thought about free international trade in the tangible products and service sectors. But now human resources should be more freely exchanged and the government should prepare for it,'' Korea Immigration Service Commissioner Choo Kyu-ho said.
Preparation is urgently required as the nation is going through a drastic paradigm shift in terms of population, due to the aging of society and a record low birthrate, Choo said in an interview with The Korea Times.
The country's birthrate stood at 1.13 in 2006, much lower than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's 2005 average of 1.56. This has also been coupled with the rapid transition into an aging society, which has produced a gloomy outlook that might reduce the growth potential of its economy.
But Choo said that there should be necessary principles in accepting foreigners.
``We should open our doors to foreigners with principles. Otherwise, the massive influx will harm the country. We also need to think about socially integrating them,'' he said.
The number of foreigners residing here exceeded one million _ 2 percent of the total population _ for the first time last August. But this has also brought about an increase in related problems.
Choo admitted that the government has taken a passive role in immigration control, which has made the situation worse.
About 100,000 foreigners came here through marriage, but most have difficulty in adjusting to Korean society due to cultural differences and language barriers. Their children also face severe discrimination and are alienated.
Some 500,000 people have come to work here, but 200,000 of them are now illegal workers who are at risk of various illegal practices without being protected by law.
However, Choo is confident that the government has taken action before it's too late. The Ministry of Justice's Korea Immigration Bureau used to take care of immigration affairs, but it was upgraded into the Korea Immigration Service last May.
A bill on the Treatment of Foreigners Act concerning issues such as the welfare of immigrant workers, education for children from interracial marriages, illegal immigrant workers and Korean descendants with foreign nationality, was passed at the National Assembly last May.
Every five years, the government will also set up a long term plan to improve the policies on immigration and law on foreigners and offer more practical help for them with the participation of 20 different ministries. But he also emphasized the importance of education to encourage people to accept foreigners as part of society.
``Apart from the government's efforts, I think it is also necessary for ordinary Koreans to stop thinking that we live in a racially homogeneous nation. We should think about ways of living together in harmony.'' he said.
[email protected]
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Quite a few gems in this speech. Have at thee...
On the bold part, I have heard online at EFL law or whatever that the homosexual protection provisions were removed. |
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djsmnc
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Location: Dave's ESL Cafe
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| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm a bit disappointed as this makes us less of an exotic commodity. I prefer the xenophobia mixed with female infatuation. So what if I have to tell every second person I like kimchi and can use chopsticks? Stop selling us out you domesticated foreigners with long term interests in Korea! |
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Bibbitybop
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 5:16 pm Post subject: |
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| I was hoping this was a fat American thread about a guy who couldn't fit through a door. |
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billybrobby
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 6:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Bibbitybop wrote: |
| I was hoping this was a fat American thread about a guy who couldn't fit through a door. |
Zing! |
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agentX
Joined: 12 Oct 2007
Location: Jeolla province
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 1:20 am Post subject: |
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At least they're addressing the birthrate issue. Eventually South Korea and Japan will have 'top-heavy' age demographics. And those social services will need to be paid for, and boy will they be expensive.
So the presence of the immigrants is a good thing in the eyes of the Immigration commissioner.
Because when people get old...it ain't pretty. And when there is not enough Korean-born home health workers to take care of them, guess where they're gonna have to come from.
1) The factory- in other words, robots. If robotics isn't up to the task, there is
2) Home Health workers from abroad. One country I can think of that sends many people out is Jamaica. So these integration issues and respect of foreigners better be done by the time those Jamaican HHAs arrive, because "homey don't play that". You think they're gonna just stand there and let someone's grandpa talk smack about black people? Oh no...they don't even take that crap in the States. So if this law doesn't pass, and you are still around in Korea after 40 years give or take, and you walk by an old-folks' home. If you see a bunch of old people with black eyes and knots on their heads, and the foreign nurses with a not-happy-at-all expression on their face, well now you know why. The old folks "got checked", believe that. |
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bigverne
Joined: 12 May 2004
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 2:25 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Home Health workers from abroad. One country I can think of that sends many people out is Jamaica. So these integration issues and respect of foreigners better be done by the time those Jamaican HHAs arrive, because "homey don't play that". |
Such workers will be imported from places like Vietnam and the Phillipines, not Jamaica. |
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komerican
Joined: 17 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 3:21 am Post subject: |
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Korea does not need more workers to do menial jobs. Yes the birth rate is low but that is a good thing. There are enough people in South Korea and a lower population would actually make Korea more livable.
Population figures are extremely elastic and there's no reason to doubt that once the population decreases it will suddenly be cheaper to buy land and raise a family. Also, since Korean labor productivity continues to rise faster than most countries Korean living standards will continue to rise also.
A drop in population would stimulate businesses to come up with advanced robots and other labor saving devices. If you look at Europe, even after half the population died from the black plague, Europe experienced the greatest expansion of wealth in history. The population quickly bounced back.
There�s no reason to increase immigration or expand present work permit system. Mr. Choo, the government official cited in the article, should read �America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It�, by Mark Steyn, a conservative European, who talks about the huge cost of immigration to America and Europe. |
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whatever
Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Location: Korea: More fun than jail.
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:27 am Post subject: |
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| komerican wrote: |
| Korea does not need... |
...you. |
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Ilsanman
Joined: 15 Aug 2003
Location: Bucheon, Korea
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:11 am Post subject: |
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Komerican, are you totally forgetting the aging population problem here?
A lower population would be nice, but not if they're all senior citizens. In the future, either young people won't be able to buy a pack of gum due to supporting their parents, or Jongno station will have so many beggars in it, you won't be able to get from one end to the other in less than an hour. |
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The_Eyeball_Kid
Joined: 20 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:17 am Post subject: |
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| komerican wrote: |
Korea does not need more workers to do menial jobs. Yes the birth rate is low but that is a good thing. There are enough people in South Korea and a lower population would actually make Korea more livable.
Population figures are extremely elastic and there's no reason to doubt that once the population decreases it will suddenly be cheaper to buy land and raise a family. Also, since Korean labor productivity continues to rise faster than most countries Korean living standards will continue to rise also.
A drop in population would stimulate businesses to come up with advanced robots and other labor saving devices. If you look at Europe, even after half the population died from the black plague, Europe experienced the greatest expansion of wealth in history. The population quickly bounced back.
There�s no reason to increase immigration or expand present work permit system. Mr. Choo, the government official cited in the article, should read �America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It�, by Mark Steyn, a conservative European, who talks about the huge cost of immigration to America and Europe. |
I can't believe that the government hasn't yet sought you out as a one-man thinktank on these matters. |
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komerican
Joined: 17 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 3:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Ilsanman wrote: |
Komerican, are you totally forgetting the aging population problem here?
A lower population would be nice, but not if they're all senior citizens. In the future, either young people won't be able to buy a pack of gum due to supporting their parents, or Jongno station will have so many beggars in it, you won't be able to get from one end to the other in less than an hour. |
ilsanman, why are so so certain with your dire predictions? Actually, this is the first time in human history that you have such a productive population facing lower birth rates. This is happening in many OECD countries.
Actually, no one really knows for certain how this will turn out. As you probably know, there were predictions of a population bomb in the 1970s and before global warming so called scientists were predicting a new ice age.
Most of the people who sound off about the dire consequences of low birth rates, like Mr. Choo, don't know what they are talking about and are merely parroting other people. |
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Ilsanman
Joined: 15 Aug 2003
Location: Bucheon, Korea
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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That's a fancy way of saying "I don't have the answer, so your point is invalid."
Damn. You can do better than that.
| komerican wrote: |
| Ilsanman wrote: |
Komerican, are you totally forgetting the aging population problem here?
A lower population would be nice, but not if they're all senior citizens. In the future, either young people won't be able to buy a pack of gum due to supporting their parents, or Jongno station will have so many beggars in it, you won't be able to get from one end to the other in less than an hour. |
ilsanman, why are so so certain with your dire predictions? Actually, this is the first time in human history that you have such a productive population facing lower birth rates. This is happening in many OECD countries.
Actually, no one really knows for certain how this will turn out. As you probably know, there were predictions of a population bomb in the 1970s and before global warming so called scientists were predicting a new ice age.
Most of the people who sound off about the dire consequences of low birth rates, like Mr. Choo, don't know what they are talking about and are merely parroting other people. |
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whatever
Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Location: Korea: More fun than jail.
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Ilsanman wrote: |
| That's a fancy way of saying "I don't have the answer, so your point is invalid." |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:50 pm Post subject: |
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| A lower birth rate is fine if it happens gradually. It didn't happen gradually here in Korea. It dropped off a cliff. Second problem: Korea is only now beginning to build a social safety net. |
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Axl Rose
Joined: 16 Feb 2006
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| Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 3:15 am Post subject: |
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| komerican wrote: |
Actually, no one really knows for certain how this will turn out. As you probably know, there were predictions of a population bomb in the 1970s and before global warming so called scientists were predicting a new ice age.
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The global cooling hypothesis never had significant scientific support. The global warming hypothesis has the full endorsement of all industrialized countries' national academies of science. So, you demonstrate that you've never read any serious literature on climate change, not even Wikipedia.
Ilsanman is right: a smaller population sounds great to the lay observer, but a smaller population where the old significantly outnumber the young is a dystopian scenario and not cause for celebration in the least.
Korea is a very expensive country in comparison to average earnings and people can only afford 1.13 kids, so you've Korean big business to blame for the slow but sure death of Koreans, which is obviously terrible. |
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