{"id":2196980,"date":"2022-06-20T18:51:34","date_gmt":"2022-06-20T09:51:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/pro\/?p=2196980"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:12:15","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:12:15","slug":"to-attract-the-creme-de-la-creme-south-korea-floats-immigration-shakeup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/to-attract-the-creme-de-la-creme-south-korea-floats-immigration-shakeup\/","title":{"rendered":"To attract the cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me, South Korea floats immigration shakeup"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Korea\u2019s Yoon Suk-yeol administration wants to bring in top foreign talent to bolster the country\u2019s declining population and drive its economy forward. But transforming what has historically been a closed society into an immigration destination won\u2019t be easy.<\/span><\/p>\n

To achieve the goals the new government has set forth, the country really needed immigration reform yesterday. South Korea is a rapidly aging society: Koreans <\/span>live long lives<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>don\u2019t have many children<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recognizing the need for change, justice minister Han Dong-hoon is considering a <\/span>new agency<\/span><\/a> to act as a <\/span>\u201ccontrol tower\u201d<\/span><\/a> to get ahold of the best and brightest from abroad.<\/span><\/p>\n

At first glance, it shouldn\u2019t be too difficult for Han to make dynamic and wealthy South Korea a more attractive country for new arrivals.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the problem is twofold. The Yoon administration is not only going to need to make South Korea more attractive to foreigners, but also convince a somewhat skeptical Korean public that immigration is a good thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

IMMIGRATION NATION CREATION<\/b><\/p>\n

South Korea has a myriad of visa options and routes to achieving longer-term residency, but their requirements are not conducive to the level of immigration the country needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Points-based residency visas are skewed toward those with high incomes and degrees in science and engineering.<\/span><\/p>\n

But in the grand scheme of things, these highly skilled and educated individuals can earn more money elsewhere. South Korea can\u2019t even retain its own science and engineering graduates: According to a <\/span>2020 survey<\/span><\/a> by the Ministry of Science and ICT, 40,000 have been leaving the country each year since 2010, with only 4,000 foreigners arriving to replace them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those making less money are on shakier ground, especially since immigrants receive fewer points as they get older. Even reaching your mid-thirties can put you at a disadvantage.<\/span><\/p>\n

On top of this, the requirements for these visas have been <\/span>subject to change<\/span><\/a> with little warning over the years, <\/span>thwarting the plans<\/span><\/a> of those who were working hard to meet the criteria to qualify for better visas under the previous system.<\/span><\/p>\n

South Korea\u2019s mandatory military service is another complicating factor for those seriously considering settling down in the country for the long term.<\/span><\/p>\n

All able-bodied South Korean men between ages 18 and 28 must serve in the military for around two years, meaning that if you have a son in the country, they will one day have to choose between going to the military or giving up their ROK citizenship to avoid service.<\/span><\/p>\n

Allowing some kind of exemption for those with dual citizenship could solve this issue. But it would inevitably cause significant backlash, particularly among the male electorate, many of whom resent going to the military themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

This would also be a somewhat self-defeating policy. One consequence of South Korea\u2019s dwindling population is that the size of its military is in decline, so allowing exemptions for the children of immigrants would obviously eliminate a potential source of new recruits.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

South Korea\u2019s justice minister has suggested a new immigration agency | Image: Ministry of Justice<\/a> (May 23, 2022)<\/p><\/div>\n

Other pitfalls of life in South Korea \u2014 which young people have given the epithet <\/span>\u201cHell Joseon\u201d<\/span><\/a> due to issues such as the high cost of living, rigid hierarchical company structures, poor work-life balance and gender inequality \u2014 serve just as much to deter potential new arrivals to the country as they do to locals looking to leave.<\/span><\/p>\n

And there are even unique problems for foreigners, such as the <\/span>lack of a law banning discrimination<\/span><\/a> on the basis of nationality or race.<\/span><\/p>\n

CHANGING PERCEPTIONS<\/b><\/p>\n

Even though South Korea needs immigration, the Yoon administration still faces an uphill battle in convincing the electorate.<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, the Kim Dae-jung administration tried to create an immigration agency around 20 years ago but <\/span>faced backlash<\/span><\/a> from those that believed more foreigners meant higher crime rates and fewer jobs for Koreans.<\/span><\/p>\n

There could be similar pushback today. As a <\/span>2020 survey<\/span><\/a> showed, South Koreans do not necessarily want to encourage immigration, even if the hypothetical immigrants in question were ethnically Korean \u2014 people that would supposedly be able to integrate more easily due to racial and cultural similarities.<\/span><\/p>\n

This suggests that South Koreans do not want to solve their country\u2019s demographic or economic problems through immigration, and would rather politicians address the underlying issues in South Korean society that caused the decline in birth rates in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, <\/span>spiking inflation<\/span><\/a> makes it more difficult to address cost of living issues, and the Yoon administration will likely struggle to address gender issues because it was partly elected through the <\/span>support of young men<\/span><\/a> who believe that they are the ones discriminated against in South Korean society.<\/span><\/p>\n

South Korea, then, is stuck between a rock and a hard place, unwilling to solve the fundamental reasons for its low birth rate yet reluctant to accept immigrants to counteract its native population decline and ongoing brain drain of top talent.<\/span><\/p>\n

But in some ways, the issues are linked. After all, making life easier for Koreans will also make the country more attractive for foreigners.<\/span><\/p>\n

At some point, South Koreans will have to face this demographic crisis or face the consequences. Immigration policy reform will be an unavoidable part of that solution.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by Bryan Betts<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Korea\u2019s Yoon Suk-yeol administration wants to bring in top foreign talent to bolster the country\u2019s declining population and drive its economy forward. But transforming what has historically been a closed society into an immigration destination won\u2019t be easy. To achieve the goals the new government has set forth, the country really needed immigration reform […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3665,"featured_media":2196981,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[28],"yoast_head":"\nTo attract the cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me, South Korea floats immigration shakeup - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/to-attract-the-creme-de-la-creme-south-korea-floats-immigration-shakeup\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"To attract the cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me, South Korea floats immigration shakeup - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"South Korea\u2019s Yoon Suk-yeol administration wants to bring in top foreign talent to bolster the country\u2019s declining population and drive its economy forward. 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