The citizenship of foreign workers in South Korea

The inflow of migrant workers poses many challenges to an ethnically homogenous Korean society. They have different features with regard to citizenship. In this article, I analyze the citizenship of migrant workers in Korea from three dimensions - immigration policies, access to long-term and perman...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Citizenship studies 2012-02, Vol.16 (1), p.119-133
Main Author: Seol, Dong-Hoon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asian Cultural Groups
Citizenship
Civil Rights
Employment Permit Program for foreigners
Immigration Policy
Korea
Migrant Workers
Regulation
Right Wing Politics
Rights
Social rights
Social Welfare
South Korea
Visit and Employment Program for ethnic Koreans
Work
work permit
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Summary:The inflow of migrant workers poses many challenges to an ethnically homogenous Korean society. They have different features with regard to citizenship. In this article, I analyze the citizenship of migrant workers in Korea from three dimensions - immigration policies, access to long-term and permanent residency and national citizenship, and the rights of migrant workers. First, I analyze requirements for employment and residency as stipulated in the Departures and Arrivals Control Act and the problems of differential application to target groups. Second, I discuss regulations in the Departures and Arrivals Control Act and the Nationality Act concerning the length of stay and requirements and process of applying for long-term and permanent residency, or Korean nationality. Third, I go over the basic rights of migrant workers: (1) civil rights; (2) social rights such as the rights to engage in work, the three primary rights of labor, social welfare rights, and the right to education of children of migrant workers; and (3) political rights including residents' rights for local autonomy. I closely analyze the difference in citizenship according to visa status and try to pinpoint key social problems of today. I also reflect on the desirable direction of Korea's immigration policies.
ISSN:1362-1025
1469-3593
DOI:10.1080/13621025.2012.651408