On October 19, 2007, Chairperson Ahn Kyong-Whan of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK), along with Standing Commissioner Choi Kyong-Suk, the Director of the Migration & Human Rights Team and other members of the Commission visited the Maseok Shalom House welfare center for migrant workers in Maseok, Gyeonggi Province.
The Maseok Shalom House, founded in 1999 by Anglican priest Fr. Columba Lee Jung-Ho, has been involved in activities concerning the welfare and human rights of migrant workers in Korea. Today, it stands as Korea’s foremost migrant human rights center, not only addressing welfare, but also offering a variety of programs for migrant workers’ families, especially their children, such as a an educational program to teach them Hangeul, the Korean alphabet.
During the visit, staff of the Maseok Shalom House briefed the Commission’s staff on the activities and history of the Shalom House. Chairperson Ahn also delivered a special one-hour lecture on Hangeul to migrant workers at the House, which was followed by a conversation between Chairperson Ahn, Standing Commissioner Choi, migrant workers and immigrants in international marriages.
One of the participants in the conversation was a Japanese woman, who has yet to be naturalized and holds an alien registration card rather than a resident registration card. The woman spoke about the difficulties living in Korea without a resident registration card, including use of most online and electronic services.
A Vietnamese woman present discussed the vulnerability of many women that experience in international marriages in Korea, as Korean law requires two years of marriage in order to qualify for Korean citizenship. She said that this stipulation leaves many women in difficult situations, and hoped that the stipulation be softened or altered. The staff of the Commission clarified that if an immigrant in an international marriage divorces his or her Korean partner during the first two years, and the cause of the divorce can be ascribed to the Korean partner, the migrant may still acquire Korean citizenship.
A Chinese woman in an international marriage with a Korean man expressed her hope for more places that taught Hangeul.
Chairperson Ahn and the staff of the Commission also visited an employment agency that hires foreign nationals in order to inspect the employment status of migrant workers and labor conditions.
The staff was also able to talk with several undocumented migrant workers and their employers concerning their situations. One employer that employs undocumented foreign national workers explained that he could not maintain his plant if he did not hire undocumented workers. He also criticized the South Korean government’s policies on migrant workers, the Employment Permit System, as he claimed small businesses are not allowed to be assigned industrial trainees and migrant workers. The plan owner expressed his wish for a system that would allow him to hire freely skilled foreign national workers.
To conclude, Chairperson Ahn stated that the Commission would carry out a thorough review and made any necessary recommendations to the Korean government concerning issues of immigrants in international marriages and undocumented migrant workers, based on the valuable experiences and opinions that he had heard over the course of the visit.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea was established in 2001, offering investigation and remedy services for Korean citizens and foreigners residing in Korea against human rights violations and discrimination. The Commission provides policy recommendations and remedial action against human rights infringements, collaborates with international human rights organizations and implements educational programs to improve the human rights culture.
