Gwangjin-gu Holds Council Meeting to Support Foreign Residents and Multicultural Families

Gwangjin-gu Holds the 1st Regular Meeting of 2023 at the District Office Situation Room on the 30th

Appoints 3 New Members, Reports on Multicultural Family Projects, and Discusses 2023 Plans

Promoting Stable Living and Social Adaptation for Foreign Residents and Multicultural Families

Gwangjin-gu (District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) held the ‘1st 2023 Gwangjin-gu Council for Supporting Foreign Residents and Multicultural Families’ at the district office situation room on the 30th.

The council, launched in 2021 to assist foreign residents and multicultural families in achieving stable living and social adaptation, consists of 14 members including related institutions such as Seongdong-Gwangjin Office of Education, Seoul Immigration Office, Gwangjin-gu Family Center, Konkuk University, and private experts.

The meeting began with the appointment ceremony for 3 new members and covered key agenda items including the current status of foreign and multicultural residents in Gwangjin-gu, 2022 project performance, and plans for 2023.

As of November 2021, Gwangjin-gu had 21,653 foreign and multicultural residents, ranking 8th among Seoul’s autonomous districts in terms of the proportion of foreigners relative to the total population.

Since 2010, the district has operated a Multicultural Family Support Center and last year implemented 35 projects across four areas: support for the operation of the Multicultural Family Support Center, strengthening settlement and self-reliance support for multicultural families, multicultural family cultural experiences, foreigner support and awareness improvement, family relations, care, daily life, and local community. Representative programs included ‘Creating a Bilingual Environment,’ ‘Visiting Support for Marriage Immigrants,’ and ‘Career Exploration for Multicultural Families.’

This year, new projects such as the multicultural family ‘Korean Language School,’ ‘Shelter Installation,’ and ‘Employment Support for Multicultural Migrant Women’ will be launched to strengthen self-reliance support for multicultural families.

Following this, policy directions for foreign and multicultural residents were discussed. The council members emphasized the need for ▲a consultation window to address difficulties foreigners face related to immigration laws and administration ▲support for housing environments for international students ▲additional advanced Korean language classes at language schools ▲and mutual cultural understanding education.

District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho stated, “Many foreign residents and multicultural families live mainly in Jayang 4-dong and Hwayang-dong in Gwangjin-gu. Since improving awareness of foreigners is urgent, we will research, develop, and support various policies.”