The Presidential Committee of National Cohesion launched a special committee to develop immigrant policy recommendations.

At a launch ceremony on Friday, the presidential body appointed Seoul National University Law School Professor Rhee Woo-young as its chairperson.

The launch of the panel comes as the number of immigrants has more than doubled in the past decade to two-point-18 million, with the ratio of foreigners staying in the country short- and long-term expected to surpass five percent of the population next year.

The panel will help prepare the nation for an era of immigration and seek policies to increase the participation of immigrants in politics, economy, society and culture.

It will put forth ways for institutional improvement to enable immigrants to have their voices heard on issues concerning their communities to prevent marginalization.