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DeLaRed
Joined: 16 Oct 2008
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 Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 5:55 pm Post subject: Expats invited to suggest regulatory reform |
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hmmmm
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2010/03/09/201003090048.asp
The Prime Minister's Office receives suggestions on how to improve regulations that are discriminatory or troublesome for foreign residents or overseas Koreans.
Rules that cause inconvenience in immigration, personal identification, status change, economic activities or daily lives of non-Koreans, foreign spouses of Koreans or overseas Koreans could be examples. Ideas on regulations or systems deemed as discriminatory against foreign nationals are also welcome.
Please e-mail your proposals to [email protected] or fax them to (02) 2100-2323 by the end of March. Outstanding ideas will be rewarded with gift certificates.
The Prime Minister's Office will also collect suggestions from foreign chambers of commerce in Korea as well as metropolitan and provincial governments, and formulate deregulation or revision plans in May after coordination with related government branches. |
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jiberish
Joined: 17 Jul 2006
Location: The Carribean Bay Wrestler
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| Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 6:44 pm Post subject: |
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Coolies
I sent mine. |
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Bailsibub
Joined: 22 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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| The trouble I have with measures like these is that all laws and rules in this country are chosen based on what Koreans want�not what the other 1,000,000+ (taxpaying) foreigners want. |
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jiberish
Joined: 17 Jul 2006
Location: The Carribean Bay Wrestler
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| Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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Wow a country a picking laws based on what their citzens want. Never heard of that...
Also you mean all those taxes that you pay yet many can claim back when they leave the country? |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Bailsibub wrote: |
| The trouble I have with measures like these is that all laws and rules in this country are chosen based on what Koreans want�not what the other 1,000,000+ (taxpaying) foreigners want. |
So we should choose "all laws and rules" in Canada or America or any other country according to what a small minority of foreigners want?
Not to mention that the fact that not all foreigners want the same thing.
DDD workers here outnumber teachers exponentially and I bet anyone of them would gladly trade positions with us. |
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Bailsibub
Joined: 22 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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| jiberish wrote: |
| Wow a country a picking laws based on what their citzens want. Never heard of that... |
Yes, but what about the 1,000,000+ tax-paying residents like you and me? We have no representation here. This is what I'm talking about.
To Koreans, you and I are just visitors, contributing nothing to the economy or the culture. Sure, you get some half-azzed attempt at reaching out by a government official sometimes. But he's just trying to get a blurb in some lame Korean rag about how Korea is the 'Hub of Asia.'
The bottom line is that Korean people are the ones calling the shots; discrimination against foreign people (or even people who don't look Korean) is simply an aspect of this culture. And if it came down to you finding out why this politician couldn't follow through with what you emailed him about, he would be the first one to tell you, "Sorry, I just can't change things. It's what Korean people want."
| jiberish wrote: |
| Also you mean all those taxes that you pay yet many can claim back when they leave the country? |
I'm not aware that you can get your income tax back when you leave Korea. Are you talking about the pension payment? |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Bailsibub wrote: |
| jiberish wrote: |
| Wow a country a picking laws based on what their citzens want. Never heard of that... |
Yes, but what about the 1,000,000+ tax-paying residents like you and me? We have no representation here. ? |
Which according to the article above is attempting to change. The PMO is open to suggestions from foreigners. So why not fire off a couple? |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:43 pm Post subject: |
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| jiberish wrote: |
Wow a country a picking laws based on what their citzens want. Never heard of that...
Also you mean all those taxes that you pay yet many can claim back when they leave the country? |
I've ignored you in the other threads you're crapping in; however, this comment needs to be addressed. The issue here is that the Korean government isn't making laws based on what its citizens want but rather is making laws which affect over a million foreigners here all without any concern about the affects those laws may have on those foreigners. Another issue is that the particular portion of the citizenry the legislative committee involved in making some of those laws has been conferring with is, essentially, a Korean version of the KKK.
Regarding the taxes, I also am unaware of tax reimbursement for departing the country permanently. There is, as the poster above mentioned, the issue of some, but not all, of us getting our pension contributions returned. |
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Aelric
Joined: 02 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Bailsibub wrote: |
| jiberish wrote: |
| Wow a country a picking laws based on what their citzens want. Never heard of that... |
Yes, but what about the 1,000,000+ tax-paying residents like you and me? We have no representation here. This is what I'm talking about.
To Koreans, you and I are just visitors, contributing nothing to the economy or the culture. Sure, you get some half-azzed attempt at reaching out by a government official sometimes. But he's just trying to get a blurb in some lame Korean rag about how Korea is the 'Hub of Asia.'
The bottom line is that Korean people are the ones calling the shots; discrimination against foreign people (or even people who don't look Korean) is simply an aspect of this culture. And if it came down to you finding out why this politician couldn't follow through with what you emailed him about, he would be the first one to tell you, "Sorry, I just can't change things. It's what Korean people want."
| jiberish wrote: |
| Also you mean all those taxes that you pay yet many can claim back when they leave the country? |
I'm not aware that you can get your income tax back when you leave Korea. Are you talking about the pension payment? |
To answer the tax question, you get the majority of your deducted taxes back a few months after your contract ends. Unless you are American, this tax return will likely go straight back into your home country to make up for back taxes while you were abroad, though Americans are allowed a tax free two year period if the work abroad but make less the $80,000 per year.
If your contract doesn't explicitly mention these things, then you might want to renegotiate with your employer to make sure that it is in case there are any legal disputes regarding this in the future. This is true for both Hakwon and Public and Uni jobs.
And no, it is separate from your pension. |
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jiberish
Joined: 17 Jul 2006
Location: The Carribean Bay Wrestler
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| Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 12:10 am Post subject: |
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| CentralCal wrote: |
Another issue is that the particular portion of the citizenry the legislative committee involved in making some of those laws has been conferring with is, essentially, a Korean version of the KKK.
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Yes they resemble the KKK when they run schemes like this...
I am curious to see why people are so up in arms about things they aren't getting? What services do you want from the goverment? What are people looking for the goverment to do or things that should change? |
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Aelric
Joined: 02 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 3:18 am Post subject: |
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Legislatively, I don't really have any suggestions. that isn't to say that reform isn't needed, just that I'm not sure what areas need work precisely. What I do think the government could do in some form or another is launch some awareness campaigns in the media regarding discrimination, both ethnically and domestically in the gender arena. They could also crack down on the casting couch nature of their own media outlets and start enforcing their domestic violence laws, both of which which would fall under the gender issue, though the latter would harm their low recorded crime rate records that they are oh so proud of. Not reporting it doesn't mean I don't hear my neighbor beating the crap out of his wife and kids while the cops consistently do nothing when called.
Ultimately, the suggestions I have are mostly in the social area. Some of these will happen naturally as the older generations passes on and Korea begins to drift farther away from it's Confucian roots. Then again, unless something unforeseen happens, I'm off to Thailand then home in about 7 months, unlikely to return, so it'll have little to no effect on me personally no matter what gets done. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 5:49 am Post subject: |
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| jiberish wrote: |
Wow a country a picking laws based on what their citzens want. Never heard of that...
Also you mean all those taxes that you pay yet many can claim back when they leave the country? |
Are you a Korean citizen?
Just asking. By the way you paying taxes if you are a E2 teacher does not mean you are a citizen of Korea or should have an equal say in how Koreans run their country....
An E2 teacher is also NOT a resident in the sense of being a permanent resident. To be one of those requires a residency visa (F-visa for example). Again, this status has legal implications.
Still this request for input from the foreign community is a good idea. |
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dirving
Joined: 19 Nov 2009
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 5:52 am Post subject: |
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| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| Bailsibub wrote: |
| The trouble I have with measures like these is that all laws and rules in this country are chosen based on what Koreans want�not what the other 1,000,000+ (taxpaying) foreigners want. |
So we should choose "all laws and rules" in Canada or America or any other country according to what a small minority of foreigners want?
Not to mention that the fact that not all foreigners want the same thing.
DDD workers here outnumber teachers exponentially and I bet anyone of them would gladly trade positions with us. |
We could, in my opinion, assume that all of us want the laws and constitution to protect us even though we're not Koreans or of Korean ancestry. What's your opinion about this assertion of mine? |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 5:58 am Post subject: |
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| dirving wrote: |
| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| Bailsibub wrote: |
| The trouble I have with measures like these is that all laws and rules in this country are chosen based on what Koreans want�not what the other 1,000,000+ (taxpaying) foreigners want. |
So we should choose "all laws and rules" in Canada or America or any other country according to what a small minority of foreigners want?
Not to mention that the fact that not all foreigners want the same thing.
DDD workers here outnumber teachers exponentially and I bet anyone of them would gladly trade positions with us. |
We could, in my opinion, assume that all of us want the laws and constitution to protect us even though we're not Koreans or of Korean ancestry. What's your opinion about this assertion of mine? |
If I may...
Sure thats a logical goal: demand that laws are applied equally to all expats and that the rights they do have are protected equally. That is perfectly reasonable as far as exectations go. |
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miljeong
Joined: 07 Mar 2010
Location: Bundang
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| Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 6:19 am Post subject: |
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I asked them to stop treating the 10+ year veterans in this country like n00bs and start rewarding them with F-2s. (And plugged myself for one as well).
I'll update if anything actually happens because of this. |
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