Seoul City Awards Commendations from Seoul Mayor and Minister of the Interior to 9 Foreign Contributors on 'International Day of the World's People'

Chigu and Foreigners·Multicultural Support Facilities Present Various Commemorative Events and Programs

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 17th that it will award commendations from the Mayor of Seoul and the Minister of the Interior and Safety to 9 individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to supporting foreign residents in celebration of the 15th World Multicultural Day on the 20th. In addition, various events and programs will be held regionally to commemorate the day.

The commendation ceremony for those who contributed to supporting foreign residents will take place on the 20th in the large conference room on the 3rd floor of Seoul City Hall. Six individuals and organizations will receive commendations from the Mayor of Seoul, and three individuals and organizations, including the Geumcheon Foreign Workers Center, which contributed to protecting the rights of foreign workers, supporting medical services, and forming local communities of both foreigners and Koreans through regional networks, will receive commendations from the Minister of the Interior and Safety.

Autonomous districts and foreigner/multicultural support facilities will hold programs where world residents living in Seoul share their cultures from various countries and foreign residents themselves volunteer to help those in need as members of the local community.

On World Multicultural Day, Guro-gu will host the ‘4th Online Guro-gu Intercultural Festival’ through its YouTube channel, offering an online commemorative ceremony, various performances, and resident participation contest videos. On the 21st, the Dongdaemun-gu Family Center will hold the 14th Dongdaemun-gu Multicultural Harmony Festival ‘World Culture Festival’ in a hybrid online and offline format. From the 24th to the 28th, programs such as ‘Meeting the World through Korean History Tours’ at the Itaewon Global Village Center and ‘Our Family’s World Play Travel’ at the Gangbuk-gu Family Center will be held.

Meanwhile, according to Seoul City, the number of foreign residents living in Seoul is 440,000, accounting for 4.6% of the total Seoul population. This indicates that Seoul is on the verge of entering a multiracial and multicultural society as classified by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Kim Seon-soon, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Women and Family Policy Office, said, “We are pleased to resume the World Multicultural Day commendations and communication exchange events between foreigners and Koreans, which could not be properly held over the past two years due to COVID-19.” She added, “Seoul will continue to improve the living environment so that both foreigners and Koreans can live well and the city can enhance its competitiveness.”