Gyeongnam Chamber of Commerce Council Requests National Assembly and Ministry of Justice to Expand Changwon Immigration Office Organization

Measures Needed to Address Surging Administrative Demand from Foreigners and Maintain and Strengthen Regional Industrial Competitiveness

The Gyeongsangnam-do Chamber of Commerce and Industry Council has submitted a proposal to the National Assembly and the Ministry of Justice, requesting the expansion of the Changwon Immigration Office in response to the rapidly increasing administrative demand for foreigners in the Gyeongnam region.

Through the proposal, the Gyeongnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Council stated, "The Gyeongnam region, which is centered on manufacturing, continues to see an increase in demand for foreign workers due to the aging population and the reluctance of domestic workers to take on manufacturing jobs," adding, "Within the jurisdiction of the Changwon Immigration Office, 59.2% of registered foreigners (compared to 31.3% nationwide) hold employment visas (E-1 to E-10) for economic activities, indicating a high proportion of work-related visas in this area."

They further explained the background of the proposal, saying, "As the labor shortage in the Gyeongnam region's industries, where industrial productivity is a core competency, continues, local companies are increasingly hiring foreign workers to maintain production capacity in place of domestic labor. This directly leads to a surge in administrative demand at the Changwon Immigration Office."

However, they pointed out, "Since the promotion of the head of the Changwon Immigration Office (from level 5 to level 4) in 2002, there has been no organizational restructuring, such as staff expansion or adjustment of the organizational structure, to meet the growing administrative demand. In addition, there is currently only one staff member in charge of handling foreign visas for Changwon, the central city of Gyeongsangnam-do, and its surrounding areas, making it difficult to adequately respond to the rapidly increasing demand for visa issuance. As a result, there are frequent cases where the necessary foreign workforce is not supplied to industrial sites in a timely manner."

Trends in the number of registered foreigners in Gyeongsangnam-do (excluding Miryang, Yangsan, and Gimhae) (Unit: persons) Source: Ministry of Justice Immigration and Foreign Policy Headquarters Statistics

Accordingly, the Gyeongnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Council stated, "To befit a central administrative agency of a metropolitan local government, it is necessary to establish new departments within the organization to implement responsible administration and to supplement staff to handle the increasingly complex, diverse, and specialized immigration and visa services. The expansion of the Changwon Immigration Office's organization is essential."

They also emphasized, "It is urgent to establish an investigation department to systematically manage foreign residents, including crackdowns on illegal stayers, screening of immigration offenders, detection and punishment of brokers, protection and enforcement of deportation of foreigners, and strengthening patrols in areas with high foreigner populations, to prevent any relative disadvantages to domestic residents caused by the increasing foreign population."

Accordingly, they proposed changing the name of the Changwon Immigration Office, which has jurisdiction over 13 cities and counties in Gyeongnam, to the Gyeongsangnam-do Immigration Office, as well as expanding the organization by establishing new departments and supplementing staff.

A representative of the Gyeongsangnam-do Chamber of Commerce and Industry Council stated, "The efficient and stable inflow and management of the rapidly increasing foreign workforce is directly linked to securing production personnel for key local industries such as shipbuilding, machinery, and agriculture and fisheries. Furthermore, it can also contribute to preventing the depopulation of the region," adding, "We hope that this proposal will be accepted and lead to strengthening the competitiveness of industries in the Gyeongnam region."