Choo Mi-ae ‘abolish the Immigration Society Bureau’ policy··· “Petition to the National Human Rights Commission” migrants, truly angered, stage a ‘collective backlash’ - 경향신문

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Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae answers questions from lawmakers during the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee audit of Gyeonggi Province held last month at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government in Suwon, Gyeonggi. Reporter Kwon Do-hyun

Around 1,000 migrants and members of support organizations will file a petition with the National Human Rights Commission asking Gyeonggi Province to reconsider its plan for ‘abolishing the Immigration Society Bureau’. Migrants living in the Gyeonggi region are concerned that abolition could weaken comprehensive and long-term support for migrants.

According to reporting by the Kyunghyang Shinmun on the 5th, migrants and migrant support groups plan to submit a petition to the National Human Rights Commission on the 9th opposing the abolition of the Immigration Society Bureau. The petition is directed at Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae.

About 1,000 people, including former inaugural Immigration Society Bureau Director Kim Won-gyu; Kim Yong-guk, head of the Gyeonggi Association of Foreigners Welfare Centers; Pastor Johns Galang of the Osan Foreign Workers Center; and Kin Meita, head of the Suwon Migrant Center, will join the petition. They plan to state that if the Immigration Society Bureau is abolished, Gyeonggi Province functions to support migrants across labor, housing, healthcare, and education could be weakened.

After Governor Choo Mi-ae took office, controversy emerged when the organizational restructuring plan that the province pre-announced last month included reducing the Immigration Society Bureau to a division-level unit and folding it into the Gender Equality and Family Bureau. The Immigration Society Bureau was launched in July 2024 under former Governor Kim Dong-yeon to respond to growing administrative demand related to migrants. As of last year, Gyeonggi Province had 860,000 foreign residents, the most in the country.

One month before its launch, the Aricell disaster in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, where 23 people including 19 migrant workers died, brought attention to the role of the Immigration Society Bureau in providing comprehensive support for migrants. Since its launch, the bureau has pursued migrant initiatives that were difficult to address under existing multicultural family support policies. These include a program linking foreign children without birth registration to support from public institutions and private groups, a pilot program subsidizing childcare fees for undocumented migrant children, and efforts to improve migrant worker accommodations and expand multilingual counseling.

Recently, remarks by President Lee Jae Myung regarding policies for multicultural families and migrant workers have sparked controversy, and the issue of abolishing the Immigration Society Bureau is being discussed alongside it. Park Hee-eun, executive director of the Gyeonggi Migrant Equality Network, said at a press conference by migrant groups on the 3rd in front of Cheong Wa Dae condemning the president remarks, “The Immigration Society Bureau was an organization intended to build a much-needed foundation for migrant support,” and argued, “Rather, it should be expanded nationwide, and the central government should be considering an integrated immigration policy.”

There are concerns that if the Immigration Society Bureau is abolished, the scope of migrant policy will shrink and long-term, comprehensive support at the Gyeonggi provincial level could be weakened. With Gyeonggi Province preparing and pursuing the ‘Comprehensive Plan for an Immigration Society (2025~2027)’ centered on the bureau, some also raise the possibility that implementation during the remaining period may be hindered.

Migrants living in Gyeonggi are already worried about the abolition of the Immigration Society Bureau. A, a Thai marriage migrant who helps interpret for agricultural migrant workers in Pocheon, said that resolving wage arrears or accessing hospitals requires help from multiple agencies beyond interpretation. A said, “We worry that the responsible channel for conveying on-site problems and requesting cooperation will be weakened,” and added, “A system is needed that connects support to the competent agency and checks whether the issue has been resolved.”

B, a Chinese marriage migrant working at a multicultural family support agency in Gyeonggi, said that after the bureau launch, provincial officials visited the center to review program progress and also attended the year-end performance presentation. B said, “It felt like (Gyeonggi Province) was paying attention to multicultural families and migrants,” and added, “Migrant support policy is not something that can deliver results in a short period; it must be pursued from a long-term perspective, such as Korean language education and job support.”

Experts are concerned about side effects from abolishing the Immigration Society Bureau. Former Immigration Society Bureau Director Kim Won-gyu said, “Not only multicultural family policy but also administration to support the long-term settlement of migrants is necessary,” and added, “If we do not prepare and invest now, migrants will ultimately become second-class citizens in Korean society.”

Lee Young, director of the Namyangju Foreigners Welfare Center, said, “If marriage migrant women are handled by child and women departments, and migrant workers by corporate and economic departments, migrant administration becomes fragmented without coherence.” He also said that abolishing the bureau would, beyond Gyeonggi Province, “send a signal that Korean society need not further support migrant settlement.”

Attorney Choi Jeong-gyu, who serves as vice chair of the Gyeonggi Committee on the Prohibition of Racial Discrimination and the Guarantee of Human Rights, said, “Discrimination against migrants spans multiple domains, including labor, family, and children,” and added, “Even when responding to migrant issues with other departments within the provincial government or with basic local governments, a bureau-level body is more effective than a division.”

Gyeonggi Province said the reorganization plan has not been finalized and that it plans to review about 565 submissions of opinions. Regarding whether to maintain the staffing and budget of the Immigration Society Bureau, a provincial official stated, “Due to limited available resources, the budget is under review,” and added, “We are in close consultation with the provincial council.”