[Insight & Opinion] Failan Among Us in the Age of Population Decline

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"Failan" is a film directed by Song Hae-sung and released in 2001, starring Choi Min-sik as the low-level gangster "Kang-jae" and Cecilia Cheung as "Failan," a woman from China. In the film, Failan legally exists within Korean society, but her actual life is never fully connected to anyone. On paper, she is someone's wife and has a name within the system, but in reality, her daily life is lonely, impoverished, and nearly invisible. The letters she leaves behind eventually stir Kang-jae's heart. The regret that comes from recognizing someone's existence too late-that is the lingering sentiment this film leaves behind.

Now, more than 20 years later, this film resurfaces in our minds because Korean society is facing similar questions, albeit in an entirely different context. South Korea has already entered a stage where population decline and aging are directly impacting the labor market. Foreign workers are no longer just supplementary labor; they have become a crucial pillar sustaining local industries and the everyday economy.

Government policies reflect this reality. There are ongoing discussions about expanding the influx of foreign labor through the Employment Permit System, the Seasonal Worker Program, and regionally specialized visa programs. These measures are not simply aimed at alleviating labor shortages for businesses. Rather, they concern how our economy can maintain its necessary production base amid demographic changes. Especially in provincial areas, the influx of foreign workers is directly tied to the survival of local industries, businesses, schools, and the sustainability of communities.

The fundamental question is whether to see foreign workers merely as a means to fill labor shortages, or as members of society with whom we will live together. Labor is an economic factor of production, but in reality, workers are not just numbers. They have rights, families, and hopes for the future. Therefore, policy should not remain at the level of "how many foreign workers to bring in." For those who have worked and lived diligently for a certain period, pathways to long-term residency and local settlement should be opened, and labor policy must address Korean language education, access to healthcare and housing, and support for children's education. Local governments, too, need to view these individuals not as peripheral subjects of administration, but as the future population of their regions.

The same applies to companies. Skills are accumulated over time. However, if the system continues to treat foreign workers only as temporary labor, the accumulation of skills and the stability of workplaces will inevitably be limited. Frequent turnover increases business costs and undermines the sustainability of the local economy. Protecting the rights of foreign workers and supporting their settlement is not simply an act of benevolence. It is a core part of economic policy directly linked to productivity, labor market stability, and the maintenance of the local economy.

Of course, there are concerns about increasing the number of foreign workers. Worries about wage competition, cultural differences, and potential conflicts within local communities cannot be taken lightly. However, these issues cannot be resolved by keeping foreigners outside of society. In fact, unstable residency, limited access to information, and poor living and working conditions can exacerbate tensions. A more practical response is to make rights and responsibilities clear within the system and to increase opportunities for contact and understanding within the community. True internationalization is not achieved merely by accepting a large number of foreigners. What matters is the capacity of society to recognize them not as mere instruments of necessity, but as neighbors with whom we live together.

The real sorrow left by the film "Failan" is not the absence of relationships, but the fact that, by the time one realizes the power those relationships could have had to change a life, it is already too late. This is also why our society must revisit this lingering feeling today. In an era of population decline, the issue of foreign workers is no longer a peripheral topic. It is a national growth policy, a regional economic survival strategy, and, above all, a question of what kind of community our society will become.

Kim Kyuil, Professor at Michigan State University, United States

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