Memo #127
(The second Memo from the Theme, Labour Migration to Northeast Asia) (Korean translation available here)
By Nora Hui-Jung Kim – hkim4 [at] umw.edu
In July 2002, the mayor of Seoul conferred honourary residency status on Guus Hiddink, a Dutch soccer manager who advanced the Korean soccer team to the World Cup quarter finals. In contrast, in October 2009 the government deported Minu, a migrant worker and activist from Nepal, who had lived in Korea for 18 years and had been active in organizing migrant workers. These two vignettes demonstrate how the Korean government treats immigrants differentially.
There are 552,746 unskilled and 47,392 skilled foreign workers in Korea. Unskilled foreign workers are at the bottom of the incorporation strata. They are excluded from Korean citizenship and deprived of political rights (e.g. to vote) and civil rights (e.g. freedom of movement).
In contrast, Hiddink represents the “foreign talents” or skilled workers group at the top of the Korean government’s incorporation strata. They may acquire Korean citizenship without relinquishing their original citizenship, and without meeting residency requirements.
One group in the middle is ethnic Chinese settlers (hwagyŏ; 화교), numbering about 20,000 and mainly 3rd or 4th generation immigrants. A second group is female marriage migrants (gyŏlhon iminja; 결혼이민자), numbering about 124,000. Both groups have access to Korean citizenship, but citizenship requirements remain demanding.
Only after 2002 were ethnic Chinese residents acknowledged as residents, rather than visitors. Furthermore, dual citizenship is denied for ethnic Chinese residents. Marriage migrants’ citizenship acquisition depends on their continued commitment to the marriage, and their husbands’ willingness to cooperate in the process. Marriage migrants are also constantly pressured to acquire Korean language skills and cultural traits.
Unskilled foreign workers, ethnic Chinese settlers, and female marriage migrants are unfairly treated on the grounds of skill level, ethnicity, and gender. The Korean government justifies this differential treatment for the sake of Korea’s global competitiveness.
But migrant advocacy organizations such as Solidarity with Migrants and international organizations such as Amnesty International have been demanding fair treatment of all migrants. They argue that Korea cannot achieve a desired status in the international community as long as Korea ignores minority rights. In addition, the chronic labour shortage combined with declining birth rates and an aging population will likely push Korea towards more open and fair immigrant policies.
About the Author:
Nora Hui-Jung Kim – Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Mary Washington.
Links:
- Immigration Challenges and Multicultural Responses, PhD Dissertation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2009. (See Chapter 2: Segmented Incorporation and Multicultural Nation Building). (By Nora Hui-Jung Kim)
- Hiddink becomes an Honorary Seoul Citizen, Ohmynews, 2002. (In Korean).
- Korean Government, Deported Minu and Disqualified as a messenger of Multiculturalism, Pressian, 2009. (In Korean).
- Korea Immigration Service, Immigration Statistics: Number of Foreign Workers by Visa Classification, 2011. (In Korean).
- The Puzzle of Multiculturalism in South Korea, Citizenship Studies (forthcoming, 2012).
- Protect Migrant Workers in South Korea, Amnesty International, 2009.