Jeonnam Province Declares 'First Year to Overcome Local Extinction,' Accelerates Leadership in Foreign Policy

Additional 1 Billion Won Reflected in Supplementary Budget... Support for Attraction and Settlement of Comprehensive Support Centers

Jeonnam Province, which has declared this year as the inaugural year for overcoming regional extinction, is accelerating efforts to lead immigration and foreigner policies based on the local community.

On the 27th, Jeonnam Province announced that it has additionally reflected over 1 billion KRW in the first supplementary budget to establish a foundation for immigration and foreigner policies and to promote support measures in various fields.

The main projects included in the supplementary budget are ▲ Operation of the Immigration and Foreigner Comprehensive Support Center and installation of a call center with 500 million KRW ▲ Survey on foreigners and research for discovering immigration policy models with 300 million KRW ▲ Localized visa resident settlement support fund of 44 million KRW ▲ Pilot project for a medical center for foreign residents with 45 million KRW ▲ Support project for legal consultation for foreign residents with 20 million KRW ▲ Production of a documentary for improving awareness of foreign residents and public campaigns with 50 million KRW ▲ Online Korean language education for multicultural families with 30 million KRW, among others.

Starting this year, the province plans to newly establish and operate the 'Jeonnam Immigration and Foreigner Comprehensive Support Center,' which will provide comprehensive services from the entry of foreigners to their settlement in the local community, supplementing the functions of private foreigner support centers whose government support has been discontinued.

The Jeonnam Immigration and Foreigner Comprehensive Support Center will operate a localized visa program, match jobs between Jeonnam businesses and foreigners, and prepare various settlement support programs. It will be operated through private consignment starting in the second half of this year.

The integrated call center to be installed at the Comprehensive Support Center aims to begin operations in 2025. In the second half of this year, a multilingual interpretation system will be established, and counselors will be hired to provide life-oriented consultation services such as labor, legal, medical, and financial advice to foreign residents in the region.

Additionally, from August this year to April next year, a nine-month project titled ‘Survey on Foreign Residents and Industrial Entities Responding to Industrial Demand and Discovery of Jeonnam-type Immigration Policy Models’ will be conducted.

The results of this survey will be used to respond to the decline in the working-age population by industry through foreign labor and to develop Jeonnam-type immigration policy models.

Furthermore, a settlement support fund of 600,000 KRW per person will be provided to 545 individuals eligible for conversion to region-specific visas, led by the Ministry of Justice, to support the settlement of outstanding foreign talents in the region.

To alleviate inconveniences faced by foreign residents with limited medical access, an additional 45 million KRW from provincial funds has been allocated for the ‘Pilot Project for a Medical Center for Foreign Residents,’ and 20 million KRW for the ‘Support Project for Legal Consultation and Other Services for Foreign Residents’ aimed at protecting human rights and supporting community settlement.

To improve awareness of foreign residents, projects such as the ‘Documentary and Public Campaign for Awareness Improvement of Foreign Residents,’ online Korean language education for multicultural families, and the ‘National Multicultural Family Homeland Culture Festival’ will also be promoted to enhance Korean language skills of marriage migrant women who are in blind spots for face-to-face education.

With the opening of the 22nd National Assembly, Jeonnam Province has also decided to actively pursue institutional improvements for immigration policies based on regional industrial demand and led by the region. Preparations are underway for revising immigration-related laws and government organization laws to introduce a metropolitan visa system that allows the governor to design and operate foreigner residence qualifications and scales by industry within the region, as well as to attract an immigration office.

Kim Myung-shin, Director of the Population, Youth, and Immigration Bureau of Jeonnam Province, said, “Immigration policy is one solution to overcome the population cliff era,” adding, “In reality, the demand for policies for foreign residents in the region has increased, but so far, immigration and foreigner policies have been led by the national government, and systematic preparation at the local government level has been insufficient.”

He continued, “Going forward, Jeonnam Province’s immigration and foreigner policies will be carefully managed to be effective in supporting local industries and responding to population decline.”