Ministry of the Interior and Safety to Improve Living Environment in Areas Inhabited by Foreign Residents and North Korean Defectors... Nationwide Local Governments Invited to Apply

28 Billion KRW of National Funding Invested

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Next year, 2.8 billion KRW in national funds will be provided, an increase of 800 million KRW from this year, to expand basic living infrastructure and improve cultural facilities for foreign residents and North Korean defectors.

On the 19th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it will conduct a local government contest worth 2.8 billion KRW in national funds to expand basic living infrastructure for the "Improvement of Residential Environment for Foreign Residents and North Korean Defectors in 2022." In this year's 2021 contest, 14 local governments were selected and received 2 billion KRW in national funds.

Next year, the support scale will be expanded compared to this year, with plans to provide up to 300 million KRW to about 14 local governments.

There are approximately 2.15 million foreign residents living in Korea, accounting for 4.1% of the total population, and there are 88 cities, counties, and districts where foreign residents number more than 10,000 or exceed 5% of the population.

Foreign residents and North Korean defectors experience inconveniences due to lack of various information during the settlement process in Korea, and communication and exchange with local residents are insufficient, sometimes causing misunderstandings and conflicts due to cultural differences and social prejudice.

This year's contest will focus on ▲ improving comprehensive support centers that provide necessary information for domestic settlement ▲ expanding safety, cultural, and convenience facilities to improve the residential environment ▲ expanding community spaces to activate communication and exchange with local residents.

The project sites will be accepted from local governments until January 31 next year, followed by on-site inspections and review by the project selection committee, with final selections made in February. Park Seong-ho, Director of the Local Autonomy Division, said, "Warm interest and consideration for foreign residents and North Korean defectors who face difficulties due to language barriers and cultural differences are important," adding, "We will support them to live together with local residents through various support projects."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.