Yoon "Need for Changing Perceptions on Migrants... Migrants Must Also Make Efforts"

President Yoon Attends Special Committee Meeting on Accompanying Immigrants
Final Policy Proposal for Immigrant Integration to Be Presented by Next Month

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 17th, "Above all, a change in our society's perception of migrants is necessary, and migrants themselves must also make efforts as members of society to lead this change in social awareness."

President Yoon made these remarks while attending the 15th meeting of the Special Committee for Accompanying Migrants under the Presidential Commission on National Integration, held at the Yongsan Presidential Office that morning. He noted, "The number of migrants has increased." As of 2021, the number of migrants in South Korea reached 2.13 million, accounting for 4.1% of the total population.

President Yoon expressed his gratitude, saying, "Since its launch, the National Integration Commission has established a five-year national strategy for national integration and has been actively communicating through special committees for youth and socially vulnerable groups."

He then urged that the on-site experiences of migrants and the opinions of experts in the migrant field be heard, and that substantive policy discussions take place.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The meeting, which lasted for one hour under the theme of 'Support Measures for Children with Migration Backgrounds,' was attended not only by experts but also by seven migrants from seven countries including Vietnam, Myanmar, Russia, Argentina, and Pakistan.

The special committee diagnosed that due to the fragmented migrant policies across government ministries, policy blind spots have emerged, and discrimination and hatred against migrants persist.

They emphasized the need for integrated cross-ministerial policies, non-discriminatory support at each migration stage, and integration at the socio-cultural level to achieve migrant integration.

Kim Han-gil, Chairperson of the National Integration Commission, stated, "Many countries worldwide advocate the values of human rights and fairness and are promoting national-level migrant social integration policies."

He added, "Now, we also need integration policies that the public can empathize with and participate in. We will consider practical solutions."

The Presidential Office explained, "In relation to this, the special committee plans to gather opinions from experts, relevant ministries, and various sectors to seek a cross-ministerial integration strategy for migrants and prepare policy proposals that can accompany migrants as 'our new community'."

The special committee also announced that it plans to present its final policy proposals related to migrant integration by next month.

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