Uzbek expat and mentor Luiza Zoirovna Sakhabutdinova on July 16 discusses the need to study Korean at a classroom of Gonjiam Middle School in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do Province. (Charles Audouin)

By Charles Audouin

Mentoring on life in Korea from long-term expats

At Gonjiam Middle School in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do Province, a teacher on July 16 asked a class in Russian, "Do you know why the Korean language is important in Korea?"

Fifteen students from immigrant families, sitting at their desks and listening attentively, gave their opinions. This class was part of a program under the Social Integration Immigrant Mentor Group of the Ministry of Justice.

The mentors recounted their experiences in settling in Korea and the need to study Korean and gave advice on careers. Park Chang-hyun, an official from the ministry's Immigration Integration Division, called the program "education provided to students in a familiar language and the perspective of a senior from their home country."

The student response was also enthusiastic. "It helped a lot in understanding Korean culture," Aleksi from Russia said. "I hope that this special lecture is offered more because it is helpful to students."

Of the approximately 450 students attending Gonjiam, 50 are from multicultural families.

A combined 260 students last year received mentoring, a figure that is expected to skyrocket to 1,000 this year.

"When I first arrived in Korea 17 years ago, I met many wonderful people," Uzbek lecturer Luiza Zoirovna Sakhabutdinova said. "I also want to help other expats live in Korea happily, safely and comfortably.

"I hope that my young friends enjoy life in Korea."

This multicultural district is in the Wongok-dong neighborhood of Danwon-gu District in Ansan, Gyeonggi-do Province. (Ansan City Hall)

Ansan: nation's expat capital

Ansan, located about 40 km away from Seoul, has the highest percentage of expats of any city in the country. Its number jumped from 33,052 in 2008 to 100,519 as of late June this year, or 14% of the suburb's population.

In 2005, the Foreign Resident Support Headquarters was launched there to systematically help expats settle there through services like a foreign resident consultation center, counseling, and interpretation in 11 languages for immigration, industrial accident and home life affairs. A public health center also offers free medical treatment to expats.

The city's institutional foundation for protecting the human rights of foreign residents is solid, as Ansan was the first in the nation to enact an ordinance for that purpose. Its committee for promoting the human rights of foreign residents and an expat council seek to expand such residents' participation in municipal administration.

Through such efforts, Ansan in 2020 was designated an intercultural city by the Council of Europe, gaining global recognition for its cultural diversity policies.

Lee Eok Bae, director general of the Foreign Resident Support Headquarters, said, "We were the first to devise a multicultural city policy solely with a local government budget and no central government funds."

Representatives from civic organizations designated compatriot resident support centers on July 29 take a group photo after a meeting at Government-Complex Gwacheon in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do Province. (Ministry of Justice)

Compatriot resident support centers: helping ethnic Koreans live in Korea

Since 2008, the Ministry of Justice has designated every two years non-profit organizations in areas with high populations of ethnic Koreans from overseas as compatriot resident support centers. The facilities help such residents adapt to and integrate with society through guidance on immigration, residence, citizenship, basic legal and social education, and consultations. The country has 23 such centers nationwide this year.

Hope 365 in the Wongok-dong neighborhood of Ansan's Danwon-gu District received the designation this year.

Choi Melis, a Goryeoin, or ethnic Korean from the former Soviet Union and Central Asia, received help from this organization and is now a counselor there. "Many Goryeoin who arrived in Korea are successfully settling here through Korean-language education and interpretation support after enduring great difficulties (due to the language barrier)," she said.

Kim Myeong Soon, an ethnic Korean from China who moved to Korea 24 years ago, added, "In the past, I only mingled with people of the same ethnicity but since I attend these centers, I'm interacting with people from various countries. I truly feel that Korea is turning into a society of coexistence."

caudouin@korea.kr