The city of Ansan in Gyeonggi Province has unveiled plans to actively seek to house a government agency on immigration policies.

An official of the city government said Tuesday that immigration policies must be pursued more actively given the nation’s low birthrate, aging society and the extinction of small rural towns. 

Last year in assuming office, justice minister Han Dong-hoon had proposed the establishment of an immigration agency and during the National Assembly’s inquiries on government officials last month, the minister said setting up such an agency is in the final stages. 

Other than Ansan, North Gyeongsang Province, Gimpo City in Gyeonggi Province and the city of Incheon are either pursuing or mulling efforts to house the envisioned government agency. 

Ansan has the largest foreign population among the nation’s cities, counties and districts, and houses the nation’s only special multicultural zone. 

The city was also the first in the nation to establish a Foreign Resident Support Center. 

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ansan had a foreign population of 94-thousand-941 as of 2021, the largest among the nation’s 226 cities, counties and districts.