Gyeonggi Provincial Assemblyman Lee Ho-dong “We must lead the government-type multicultural society policy” < Incheon/Gyeonggi < Nationwide < Text of article

[천지일보 경기=이성애 기자] A discussion session on ‘How to achieve a multicultural society in Gyeonggi-do’, chaired by Lee Ho-dong, member of the Education Planning Committee of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council (People Power Party, Suwon 8), was held on the 26th in the Gyeonggi Provincial Council’s Medium Conference Room 1.

This debate was held as part of the ‘2024 Gyeonggi Province-Gyeonggi Provincial Council Policy Debate Festival’ jointly hosted by Gyeonggi Province and Gyeonggi Provincial Council.

Professor Ha Jeong-bong of Suncheon National University, who was in charge of presenting the topic, said, “It is our job to make choices by referring to Japan’s ‘multicultural symbiosis policy’ which accepted multicultural families before Korea. In addition, in order to fully settle in the country, foreigners who have settled in the country will also have to learn language, culture, etc. He suggested “the necessity of education for learning.”

Kim Ok-nyeo, a professor at Sookmyung Women’s University who was in charge of the first discussion, suggested “the need to provide efficient support by improving multicultural social policies, guaranteeing the rights of immigrants, and improving the service delivery system to prevent social conflict due to lack of racial and cultural understanding.”

Do Hanna, a multicultural family member in charge of the second discussion, said, “The need for language education to solve communication problems caused by different languages, the need for customized support services such as private education and school career issues for children and adolescents with immigrant backgrounds, and the need to address issues that arise in Korean society. “The need to revise the ordinance to prevent discrimination against foreigners was emphasized.”

Kang Hee-jung, head of the Gyeonggi-do Foreign Policy Department, who was in charge of the third discussion, said, “The proportion of foreigners in Gyeonggi-do has exceeded 5.5%, so it can be said that we have entered a multi-racial society, so awareness of foreigners is improving, and this is happening because the central government is currently monopolizing foreigner-related department work. He suggested “the need for institutional reform that must work together with local governments to resolve the difficulties in understanding the current situation.”

Reporter Myung Jong-won, who was in charge of the fourth discussion, suggested “the need to increase job matching for multicultural families, provide psychological support, and produce statistics on the literacy rate of multicultural children, which Gyeonggi Province, the largest foreign residential area in Korea, is leading.”

Professor Moon Byeong-ki of Korea Open University, who was in charge of the fifth discussion, said, “The need to improve public awareness has increased as a multicultural society is essential due to the current population decline and the need for foreign workers to solve the low birth rate problem, and the current emphasis only on ‘multiculturalism’. He suggested “the need for the basic ordinance to be oriented towards ‘interculturalism’ and to supplement the policy framework based on this.”

Lee Seung-mi, director of the Ansan City Global Youth Center, who was in charge of the sixth discussion, said, “Appropriate support should be provided according to the type of youth with immigrant backgrounds, and the need to prepare and provide appropriate support according to the period. ‘One-stop’ to support youth with immigrant backgrounds without blind spots. He suggested “the need to establish an integrated support system.”

Lee Ho-dong, a member of the Education Planning Committee of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, who served as moderator, said, “It is our duty to collect various opinions from the discussion and ensure that they are reflected in practice rather than simply ending in discussion. He emphasized that “attention is needed.”

At the debate on this day, congratulatory remarks were delivered by Yeom Jong-hyun, Chairman of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, Hwang Jin-hee, Chairman of the Education Planning Committee of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, Wan-gyu Kim, Chairman of the Economic and Labor Committee of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, and Byeong-gi Moon, professor at Korea Open University and President of the Korean Immigration Policy Society.