Anchor: President Yoon Suk Yeol has stressed the need for the Korean people to change their perception of immigrants and for immigrants to exert efforts to bring about such a change. Yoon and his immigration policy advisers discussed ways to induce change at a meeting on Wednesday.
Kim Bum-soo has more.

Report: President Yoon Suk Yeol says his government will squarely face social prejudices against immigrants in South Korea and ensure that they are properly accepted in their new home.

Yoon sat down with members of the Presidential Committee for National Cohesion(CNC) on Wednesday to discuss immigration policies.

[Sound bite: President Yoon Suk Yeol (Korean-English)]
“I think that our society has avoided discussions on this matter… “
“The number of immigrants has risen but our social conceptions have not properly caught up. Neither have immigrants themselves been able to exert enough effort, nor had any opportunities to bring about change as they face restrictions in fully assuming their roles as members of our society."

The number of immigrants doubled from 2011 to 2019. Currently some two-point-34 million people in South Korea have foreign origins, constituting more than four percent of the nation’s population.

At the meeting, immigration policy advisers said prejudices and discrimination against immigrants still exist in Korean society.

They called for a centralized policy approach, noting that blind spots are created as related agencies pursue their own policies without proper coordination.

[Sound bite: President Yoon Suk Yeol (Korean-English)]
“We should not avoid discussing this issue. We must survey perceptions of people in our society and if they have unreasonable ideas, we should bring about changes… and that way, we can have policies benefiting the status of a pivotal global state in the international community."

The government is seeking to facilitate immigration as the country struggles to cope with a falling birth rate and an aging population.

At the meeting, officials, experts and immigrants from seven countries, including Vietnam, Myanmar, Russia and Argentina, discussed ways to make Korean society more open-minded.

The presidential committee members said they will redefine “us” to include immigrants and come up with immigration policy proposals next month.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.