{"id":2203603,"date":"2024-01-23T17:44:15","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T08:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2203603"},"modified":"2024-01-24T17:46:21","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T08:46:21","slug":"experts-call-for-action-amid-south-koreas-rapid-demographic-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/01\/experts-call-for-action-amid-south-koreas-rapid-demographic-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Experts call for action amid South Korea\u2019s rapid demographic change"},"content":{"rendered":"
As South Korea confronts a declining birth rate and a growing number of foreign residents, the Ministry of Justice has unveiled the \u201c<\/span>Fourth Foreigner Policy Basic Plan<\/span><\/a>.\u201d The plan aims to attract foreign nationals to counter the decreasing population and to promote social integration between Koreans and the growing immigrant community. However, experts told Korea Pro<\/em> that the government\u2019s measures are neither effective nor practical.<\/span><\/p>\n More than 5% of the country\u2019s population now consists of foreigners, marking South Korea\u2019s transition into a multicultural, multi-ethnic nation. The justice ministry\u2019s plan is a response to these demographic trends.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite these intentions, experts told Korea Pro<\/em> that the policies are insufficient when it comes to helping immigrants integrate into Korean society and do not adequately address potential social issues such as cultural conflicts and prejudices in a traditionally ethnically homogeneous country.<\/span><\/p>\n GROWING FOREIGN POPULATION<\/b><\/p>\n The composition of South Korea\u2019s population is undergoing a notable transformation, as evidenced by recent figures. Statistics Korea\u2019s \u201c<\/span>2023 Immigration Residency and Employment Survey<\/span><\/a>\u201d indicates that the foreign resident count has reached 1.43 million as of May, with foreign workers marking an unprecedented 923,000.<\/span><\/p>\n This trend represents a notable increase from the previous year, with foreign residents and workers growing by 9.9% and 9.5% respectively. This figure marks the highest growth rate since the government began compiling relevant statistics in 2012.<\/span><\/p>\n Factors <\/span>contributing<\/span><\/a> to this surge include relaxed COVID-19 restrictions, which have facilitated the entry of students and other individuals and led to a substantial rise in the <\/span>E-9 (non-professional employment) visa<\/span><\/a> quota. This quota, aimed at addressing labor shortages in sectors like manufacturing and agriculture, is set to <\/span>increase<\/span><\/a> by 51% as per the \u201c2024 Economic Policy Direction,\u201d suggesting a continued upward trend in the country\u2019s foreign workforce.<\/span><\/p>\n Parallel to this, there\u2019s a noticeable increase in the number of \u201c<\/span>multicultural students<\/span><\/a>\u201d in Seoul’s elementary schools. These students, with at least one foreign parent, form an increasingly significant portion of the school population. This trend is particularly pronounced in some schools, where multicultural students constitute over 70% of the student body.<\/span><\/p>\n This shift comes when South Korea\u2019s overall student population is experiencing a decline, reaching a record low of 50,000 this year due to the falling birth rates.<\/span><\/p>\n