Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon has big immigration ideas

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon [YONHAP]

A major priority for Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon will be a new agency to tackle immigration issues, including attracting foreign talent to Korea, aides to Han said.

As the nation struggles with a shrinking population and labor shortages, the agency will be a command center for immigration policies, which are currently handled by 12 government organizations including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety as well as the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

Several sources from the ministry recently told the JoongAng Ilbo that a main task for the agency will be to attract skilled foreign labor that would “be of help to Korea’s national interests.” Doors, however, won’t be thrown open to foreigners, for doing so could lead to a strain on the welfare system and more crime, they said.

The immigration agency will also be in charge of mediating social conflicts that arise from an increasing number of foreigners.

While mentioning his plan to establish a new immigration agency during an inaugural speech on May 17, Han vowed to “promote immigration policies at a high level.” By creating an advanced immigration law system, Han said three days later in another speech, the government will promote “foreigner policies” that attract talented individuals who can serve as a “driving force for [Korea’s] society and economy, and who can demonstrate their capabilities at the right place.”

Whether Han, a former prosecutor and close ally of conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol, will succeed in creating an immigration agency remains to be seen. The former left-leaning administrations of Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun led similar efforts, but to no avail, due mainly to negative public attitudes about accepting more foreigners.

Immigration has long been a touchy subject in Korea, a largely homogenous nation where less than 5 percent of the population are foreigners.

When the Moon Jae-in administration allowed nearly 400 Afghans to settle in Korea last year as U.S. troops were pulling out of Afghanistan, the Justice Ministry pressed local reporters at Incheon International Airport to capture then-Justice Minister Park Beom-kye handing out stuffed dolls to Afghan children, apparently to sway public opinion by putting young kids in the spotlight.

Immigration experts welcomed plans for the new agency, warning that the Korean economy won’t be able to survive if it slams the door on foreigners.

“Some people think that the crime rate among immigrants is very high, but it’s actually lower than that among Koreans,” said Yoon In-jin, a sociology professor at Korea University who heads the Korean International Migration Studies Association. “It’s the government’s job to fix misconceptions like this.”

Yoon pointed out that the Korean economy had a “preordained future” of losing vitality if it fails to accept more immigrants.

“It’s a sad reality that Korea is a divided country,” Yoon said, “but that uniqueness is what allows the nation to push for immigration in an orderly fashion because its borders are well-controlled, unlike Europe and the United States.”

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]