Cheong Wa Dae holds forum with migrant workers to hear policy proposals

Cheong Wa Dae held a forum Tuesday to hear policy proposals and discuss key issues facing migrant workers, who have become an integral part of Korean society.

The forum, chaired by Senior Secretary for Listening and Integration Jeon Seong-hwan, brought together migrant workers and representatives from support groups and civil society organizations, including the Migrant Workers' Equality Solidarity, the Migrant Women's Human Rights Center and Lawyers for a Democratic Society. Participants shared firsthand accounts of the labor and residency conditions migrant workers face on the ground and said improvements to related systems were needed.

Participants offered policy recommendations based on their field experience across four areas: welfare blind spots for multicultural families, unpaid wages, seasonal agricultural workers and the rights of migrant women. They also expressed concern over the growing spread of hostility toward migrants and other minorities in Korean society, urging the government to clearly recognize the problem and develop concrete remedies.

"Migrant worker issues have already come up as a major agenda item at regional civil society forums," Jeon said. "We will actively listen to voices from the field and maintain ongoing communication to ensure no one falls through the cracks of the system."

Cheong Wa Dae said the forum gave it a direct opportunity to hear about the difficulties migrants and multicultural families encounter in their daily lives. It also proposed to participants that the government, affected parties and civil society work together to develop reforms that robustly protect the vulnerable on the principles of fairness and rationality.

Meanwhile, Cheong Wa Dae has been addressing a range of issues — including civil society concerns and historical grievances — through its Office of the Senior Secretary for Listening and Integration. It held a similar policy forum on protecting the labor and human rights of migrant workers in November last year.