Delay Likely in Gov`t Plan to Open Job Market for Ethnic Koreans

Three months have passed since the government said that it would arrange for ethnic Koreans with Chinese nationals to work in the service area beginning November this year, but a delay is most likely as it has made little progress in preparations.

According to related government agencies such as the Ministry of Labor (MOL) on Oct. 20, the government has yet to complete revision of the immigration law, which will open the home job market for ethnic Koreans staying in Korea. The Foreign Workforce Policy Deliberation Committee (chaired by Director of the Office of Prime Minister) is not scheduled to meet any time soon, either.

The Ministry of Justice, which is in charge of revising the immigration law, initially sought to open the job market for ethnic Koreans without going through the revision of the law. It had to give up the earlier plan, however, as MOL asked for the revision.

The revised law will grant foreign nationals and overseas Koreans visiting Korea F1 Visa for long-term stay at friends and relatives’, and allow those wishing to have a job to work after obtaining a letter of recommendation signed by Labor Minister.

Given it takes more than a month for ethnic Koreans to get a job after filing a job application at local employment centers, they will be able to have an legal job in Korea in December at earliest.

The government also has yet to set the scope of business areas they can engage in. MOL is currently considering okaying services in restaurant, security and cleaning areas but banning working in bars and red-light districts.

The Office of Prime Minister announced in July this year a plan to introduce an employment management system for ethnic Koreans aged over 40 while it unveiled a comprehensive foreign workforce mobilization plan in an effort to reduce illegal migrant foreign laborers in the country.

Meanwhile, the Coalition Seeking Peace for Korean People, a civic organization aimed to help ethnic Koreans, said that ˝Ethnic Koreans staying here are more concerned about the repatriation set for March next year than the planned employment management system.˝ It added, ˝The plan does not take account for the fact that most of ethnic Koreans change jobs often.˝

Jin Lee leej@donga.com