Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Shares Policy Directions for Supporting Foreign Residents

Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, is accelerating the implementation of policies that support the stable settlement and rights enhancement of foreign residents while promoting the value of cultural diversity.

On the 29th, Gwangsan-gu held the ‘2024 Foreign Resident Support Policy Committee’ meeting in the conference room on the 2nd floor of the district office. This meeting was organized to review the achievements of the Foreign Residents Division, a dedicated department for foreign residents established one year ago, share the policy direction for supporting foreign residents for the year, and discuss related matters.

The Foreign Resident Support Policy Committee, which performs advisory and deliberative functions for Gwangsan-gu’s foreign resident support projects, is composed of 14 members from institutions and organizations including the Gwangju Immigration Office, Gwangju Regional Employment and Labor Office, Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, Gwangsan Police Station, Gwangsan Family Center, and Gwangsan Women’s New Work Center.

At the meeting, Gwangsan-gu shared the ‘2024 Basic Plan for Foreign Resident Support,’ which was established focusing on policies identified through last year’s dialogues with foreign residents, policy sharing meetings, resident meetings (town hall meetings), and the visiting listening sessions of the district mayor’s office. The core directions of the basic plan include a human rights-friendly city where diversity becomes culture and competitiveness, settlement support, and a sustainable Koryoin Village where everyone coexists through history and culture.

While continuing successfully established policies such as ‘Emergency Support for Foreign Residents’ to cover institutional blind spots, ‘World Citizen Cultural Festival,’ a cultural diversity festival involving both native and immigrant residents, and the operation of the Foreign Resident Honorary Account Group that connects the local community with foreign residents to support social participation, new initiatives reflecting the voices of foreign residents are also emerging.

Representative initiatives include a Russian bilingual training course to help immigrant-background youth overcome the ‘language barrier,’ which is the biggest difficulty in adapting to the local community, a future talent development support program, the establishment of a ‘Basic Plan for the Promotion of Foreign Residents’ Human Rights,’ the creation of a ‘One-Stop Employment System’ to alleviate concerns about jobs for foreign residents, and the operation of a ‘Foreign Resident Listening Counseling Center’ that provides consultation and advice on various issues arising in workplaces and living environments.

To transform Koryoin Village into Gwangju’s representative cultural and tourism hub, projects such as operating storytelling tourism courses, developing permanent performances based on the history of Koryoin migration, and a public art project to create themed streets will also be promoted.

Committee members representing each institution and organization presented various opinions and suggestions regarding the basic plan for foreign resident support that Gwangsan-gu is pursuing this year, based on cases they have experienced in the field. There was also time to share and discuss major projects that related organizations such as the Gwangju Immigration Office and Gwangju Regional Employment and Labor Office will carry out this year.

A Gwangsan-gu official said, “We plan to actively reflect the results of this policy committee meeting to enhance the execution and effectiveness of foreign resident support projects this year,” adding, “Based on cooperation with local institutions and organizations, we will build a foundation to establish foreign residents as proud members of the local community.”