Challenging migrant worker policies in Korea: Settlement and local citizenship.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to examine the processes of the settlement of migrant workers in Korea and their acquisition of local citizenship. Since the early 1990s, when migrant workers from neighboring Asian countries began to be officially admitted to Korea, the Korean government has upheld a temporary rotation policy for migrant labor. Concerned about potential socio-economic burdens that the settlement of unskilled migrant workers might bring to the society, the government has maintained a restrictive immigration policy while limiting the rights of migrant workers. Nevertheless, a large number of migrant workers have prolonged their stay and have become long-term settlers despite the lack of permanent residence and formal citizenship. Focusing on how they have challenged the nation's policies on migrant workers, this study looked into the lives and experiences of long-term migrant workers in Korea.;Both policy analysis and ethnographic field research were employed in this study. The policy analysis, which was based on data from various sources, showed how the Korean government's migrant workers policies have evolved over time and changed under which circumstances. Twenty month-long ethnographic field research in Kyoˇnggi province, Korea, including participant observation in migrant communities and in-depth interviews with forty-three migrant workers, provided detailed explanations on how migrant workers survived crackdowns and the repatriation policy, brought in or formed families, and built communities while making claims for their rights to work and stay in Korea. Additional interviews with two government officials and six migrant human rights activists were also conducted.;The findings of this study revealed that the settlement of migrant workers has proceeded with the enhancement of their rights. With the support of migrant advocacy organizations, migrant workers have fought for their rights and demanded the Korean government improve its migrant workers policies. They have also appealed to the international organizations while taking advantage of the desire of the Korean government to be recognized as human rights country. As a result, they have achieved the reform of labor migration system, the amendment of the nationality law, the right to get public education for their children, and several amnesties although temporarily, all of which have facilitated their settlement. Furthermore, long-term migrant workers have become a part of their local communities by increasing their presence through the formation of grassroots organizations and the establishment of migrant communities. Their entitlement of various social rights, mainly provided by local migrant advocacy organizations in collaboration with local governments, has even granted them local citizenship that challenges the traditional notion of formal citizenship.;In conclusion, this study suggests that planners and policymakers in local governments should take a more active role in improving migrant workers policies in Korea than those in the national government who put control and regulation over social integration. By understanding the realities of migrant workers and hearing their voices, local governments should acknowledge the contributions of migrant workers to their localities' cultural and economic vitality and embrace long-term migrant workers who have already settled in to be incorporated as members of the society.