[Exclusive] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, All In on Deregulation, Now Meets Foreign International Students

Following Industry-Specific and Citizen Participation Forums, Now Including Foreigners
Collecting Opinions on 'Inconvenient Regulations' from Major University International Students
Preparing a Forum with Foreigners to Find Improvement Measures
Continuous Reforms... Announcing a Series of Measures to Abolish Everyday Regulations

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who has declared 'deregulation' as this year's administrative motto, is now taking steps to improve regulations for foreigners residing in Korea. He is discussing plans to meet directly with not only foreign students but also ordinary foreigners to listen to their inconveniences and find improvement measures together.

According to Seoul city officials on the 20th, the city recently requested major universities in Seoul to submit opinions on 'discriminatory regulations felt by foreigners that should be abolished.' A Seoul city official stated, "For the recovery of the people's economy, policies for foreigners residing in Seoul are also matters that the city must take care of," and announced that a forum will be held where Mayor Oh will meet directly with them to discuss deregulation.

Yonhap News

In this process, Seoul plans to investigate discriminatory regulations felt by foreign students and graduates in all areas including housing, employment, entrepreneurship, and daily life. Based on this, the city intends to establish creative ideas for regulatory improvements that it can pursue and is preparing additional cooperation with related organizations.

The forum is expected to be similar in format to the 'Great Forum on Deregulation to Revive Livelihoods' held on the 14th. Foreigners, as policy demanders, will participate to propose and ask questions about regulations, and Mayor Oh and his staff will respond immediately. The great forum was directly planned by Mayor Oh to identify unnecessary regulations and listen to citizens' voices.

Mayor Oh has been putting effort into policies for foreigners. This is based on the judgment that a transition to a permanent residency system, where foreigners can settle stably and contribute to national interests rather than temporary or provisional employment or residence immigration, is necessary. At the foreign policy innovation forum held last October, he pointed out the current visa system with more than 80 detailed visa types, saying, "It poses significant restrictions for foreigners who want to reside long-term," and raised the need for improvement.

At the previous great forum, when a citizen requested improvements to the 'foreign children’s childcare fee system,' which differs from the full childcare fee support system for native Korean infants and toddlers, the staff promised budget allocation and retroactive payment.

Seoul plans to continue identifying inconvenient regulations in various fields and take immediate improvement measures. Following Mayor Oh’s declaration of 'war on regulations' earlier this year, the city issued the first deregulation measure easing the ratio of non-residential uses in residential complex buildings in commercial and semi-residential areas. At the recent forum, the city also promised to review lifting the land transaction permit zones designated in the Gangnam area. Additionally, a measure allowing limited commercial activities in parks, which had been completely banned, was introduced right after the forum. Citizens will be able to enjoy cultural performances in nature and use food trucks, and small business owners are expected to benefit from expanded sales channels.

By the end of the year, a permanent communication channel between foreign residents and Seoul city will be established. The city plans to select and operate 'Foreign Resident Seoul Life Monitors' who will provide feedback on foreigner and multicultural policies and monitor various facilities. During recruitment, the city will consider participants’ countries and professions to discover diverse excellent cases among both Koreans and foreigners and collect opinions on the inconveniences they experience.