More than two years have passed since the establishment of the Overseas Koreans Agency, yet there are reportedly no dedicated staff members (resident officers) from the agency assigned to any overseas diplomatic missions.
According to data submitted by the office of Assemblywoman Lee Jaejung of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, as of October 8, there are zero dedicated consuls affiliated with the Overseas Koreans Agency at diplomatic missions in each country. An official from the agency stated, "Major diplomatic missions and Korean communities have been inundated with civil complaints and grievances, and there have been continuous requests for the dispatch of staff dedicated to handling overseas Korean affairs."
Before the launch of the Overseas Koreans Agency, during the era of the Overseas Koreans Foundation, dedicated personnel were dispatched to seven major diplomatic missions, including Los Angeles (LA), New York, China, and Japan. However, after the agency was established, all of these staff members were withdrawn, resulting in a regression in services for overseas Koreans.
The Overseas Koreans Agency has reported that it is in discussions with related ministries, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, regarding the creation of new positions for dedicated consuls (resident officers) and temporary assignments (non-permanent staff). In line with this, in September of last year, the agency decided to temporarily dispatch one staff member each to diplomatic missions in LA, Japan, and China, where there are large overseas Korean populations. However, these assignments were only temporary.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety have reportedly expressed the view that establishing new positions for dedicated consuls (resident officers) would overlap with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' existing consular work.
Assemblywoman Lee stated, "The launch of the Overseas Koreans Agency was a long-standing wish of the overseas Korean community, but given the current situation, the original intent of its establishment has been undermined." She added, "To promote field-oriented policies for overseas Koreans, it is urgent to establish legal and institutional measures to ensure stable dispatch of agency staff."
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