Expansion of Practical Support for Foreign Residents and Multicultural Families in Dongducheon
Immigration Society Support Team Established
Multi-faceted Settlement Support Initiatives Focused on Daily Life
Dongducheon City in Gyeonggi Province, led by Mayor Park Hyungdeok, has been actively implementing a wide range of policies centered around the newly established Immigration Society Support Team, which was created in October 2024 to help foreign residents and multicultural families settle stably in the local community.
According to Dongducheon City on August 11, the city has built a comprehensive support system by organically combining projects linked to the Family Center, independently planned initiatives, public-private partnership projects, and tasks overseen by Gyeonggi Province.
In particular, with the launch of new, daily life-oriented projects this year, the city has contributed to alleviating the practical inconveniences faced by foreign residents and strengthening their foundation for self-reliance.
The city has consistently operated various specialized projects through the Family Center, such as home-visit education services for marriage immigrants, language development support, interpretation and translation services, and the creation of a bilingual environment.
Through these efforts, the city systematically supports the emotional, linguistic, and social development of children from multicultural families. Parent education, child life support, and bilingual learning programs are providing practical assistance for these children's adaptation to school and overall growth.
Additionally, the city is actively running Korean language education for marriage immigrants, tailored employment support, social adaptation programs for children who entered Korea mid-way through their education, and cultural understanding and communication programs with local residents. These initiatives are expanding the foundation for self-reliance and community integration.
From this year, newly planned projects by the city have been fully launched.
The main projects include: on-site education on household waste disposal, support for obtaining driver's licenses, sending school enrollment guidance letters, and translation and interpretation services for school newsletters.
The "on-site education on household waste disposal" project involves visiting local companies with a high concentration of foreign workers to provide direct instruction on waste separation and disposal methods.
This year, a total of four companies and 103 individuals participated in the program, which is being recognized as a model case that has produced tangible results in preventing civil complaints and establishing a foundation for community coexistence.
The "support for obtaining driver's licenses" project is a comprehensive support program in partnership with driving schools, targeting vulnerable groups such as foreign residents and basic livelihood security recipients.
Currently, six foreign nationals and four Korean nationals have been selected for the program, which is expected to have the dual effect of improving settlement conditions, expanding employment opportunities, and enhancing social equity.
The "translation and interpretation service for school newsletters" project provides translations of newsletters sent by local daycare centers, kindergartens, and elementary, middle, and high schools into English, Vietnamese, Chinese, and other languages.
Translation is carried out upon request from educational institutions, and individuals who have completed the marriage immigrant interpretation and translation training course are given opportunities to gain practical experience through participation in this project.
Dongducheon City is also faithfully carrying out projects overseen by Gyeonggi Province.
In January this year, the city completed the distribution of school enrollment guidance letters for undocumented foreign children and is currently making preparations for the "Official Confirmation System," which is scheduled to be implemented in 2026 to support the issuance of identification cards for undocumented children who face difficulties with birth registration.
Furthermore, the "Childcare Fee Support Project for Undocumented Children with Migrant Backgrounds," operated in cooperation with the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation, provides monthly childcare fee support to 34 undocumented children who fall into the childcare blind spot, establishing itself as a child care model based on public-private cooperation.
The city plans to continue expanding its joint response system through ongoing collaboration with private organizations.
Mayor Park Hyungdeok of Dongducheon City stated, "Our city has established a comprehensive settlement support system by organically promoting projects linked to the Family Center, independently planned city projects, public-private partnership projects, and tasks overseen by the province. We will continue to expand effective, field-oriented policies so that foreign residents and multicultural families can live stably as members of the local community."
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