Rep. Chyung Dai-chul of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party held a public hearing in the National Assembly Building Wednesday afternoon to discuss a bill which would grant long-term foreign residents in South Korea legal rights comparable to those Korean citizens enjoy.

The hearing was co-hosted by various civic and human rights groups, including Lawyers for a Democratic Society and local Chinese and Taiwanese associations like Seoul Chinatown.

The bill, proposed by Rep. Chyung and Rep. Lee Bu-young of the opposition Grand National Party, would grant "denizenship," or legally-sanctioned residency, to foreign citizens who have been living in South Korea for a minimum of five years and meet certain requirements.

The proposed bill requires would-be applicants to be self-sufficient or have financial backing from family members.