Center for Multiculture Research Successfully Ends the Academic Conference on “Immigration Office”
- Date2022.09.18
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Center for Multiculture Research Successfully Ends the Academic Conference on “Immigration Office”
-Current status of immigration-related ministries in developed countries
Center for Multiculture Research (Director: Prof. Han Up Jang) co-held an academic conference with the Asia Development Foundation (Executive Director: Cho Nam-chul) on August 30 (Tue) at Ewha-POSCO Building under the theme of “Current status of immigration-related ministries in developed countries.”
Han Up Jang, the director of the Center for Multiculture Research, opened up the conference with his welcoming speech. He emphasized the need for the control tower to collect and oversee immigration-related tasks scattered in various ministries amidst the shift from “multicultural society” to “intercultural society” where 7.5 million overseas Koreans, 2.15 million foreign residents, and 51.78 million South Koreans can “coexist.”
Director Han Up Jang | Executive Director Cho Nam-chul
Afterward, Cho Nam-chul, the executive director of the Asia Development Foundation (ADF), delivered a congratulatory speech. It was followed by presentations by Professor Seol Dong-hoon (Jeonbuk National University), Lee Byung-ha (University of Seoul), Han Seung-joon (Seoul Women’s University), Yu Mini (Migration Research & Training Centre), and discussion by Han Up Jang, Cho Nam-chul, and Director Hong In-pyo (Ministry of Justice, Korea Immigration Service).
Professor Seol Dong-hoon (Department of Sociology, Jeonbuk National University) emphasized the need for control tower to coordinate diverse functions among ministries. He mentioned current status of immigration-related ministries in various countries including Japan, and stressed that the control tower should be directly responsible to the President. Professor Lee Byung-ha (Department of International Relations, University of Seoul) gave a presentation on “Germany’s Immigration Policy System,” which shows that Germany has already accepted the reality of being an immigration country and is establishing an integrated legal immigration policy system. "Korea should also start with public institutions such as centers under the Ministry of Justice and develop them into immigration office in the future," said Lee.
(From the left) Lee Byung-ha, Cho Nam-chul, Han Up Jang, Seol Dong-hoon, Yu Mini, Han Seung-joon, Hong In-pyo
Professor Han Seung-joon (Department of Public Administration, Seoul Women’s University) gave a presentation on “Current status of immigration policy in France.” According to his presentation, French government completely overhauled its immigration policy after the 2005 French riots and tried to change its paradigm to “selective immigration” by revisioning immigration law in 2006. In 2012, President Hollande reorganized the Ministry of Interior, Overseas Territories, Local Autonomy, and Immigration into the Ministry of Internal Affairs, allowing the Ministry of Justice, Foreign Affairs, Health and Welfare, Labor, Territories, and other ministries to cooperate all together. Finally, Yu Mini (a researcher at Migration Research & Training Centre) talked about “Taiwan’s Immigration Policy,” mentioning the laws, systems, administrative organizations, budgets, and major policies in Taiwan’s immigration administration. According to her, Taiwan’s current immigration status has a lot in common with Korea, but Taiwan is able to financially support also the local governments while Korea’s systems vary from those of Taiwan.
Han Up Jang, the director of the Center for Multiculture Research, stressed in the discussion, saying, “Korea is a late immigration country, so the Prime Minister's Office should take a preemptive stance on the establishment of the Immigration and Social Integration Agency, which cannot be delayed any more. If we prepare to do it perfectly, we can't start at all, so it's better to just start it off and then correct the flaws.” Cho Nam-chul, the executive director of ADF, mentioned, "The 2005 Paris riots were exacerbated by the 2015 Paris attacks. It is no longer a nation of tolerance. It can't be put off any longer, to establish the Immigration Office.” Hong In-pyo, an official of Korea Immigration Service, said, “The establishment of the Immigration Office is a 15-year long-cherished project, but it is now at the stage of publicizing. It would be most effective for the ministry where they can handle the task in best ways takes charge of it.”
(From the left) Han Up Jang, Cho Nam-chul, Hong In-pyo, Seol Dong-hoon, Lee Byung-ha, Yu Mini