SOUTH KOREA = MIGRATION IN 1998

The fall of the Korean economy in late 1997 directly hit foreign workers in the country’s manufacturing sector. The government immediately called for the repatriation of foreign workers. The first quarter of 1998 witnessed the voluntary departure of irregular foreign workers under the amnesty program which began on 27 December 1997. When the program ended on 31 March 1998, 46,569 have left the country. Many workers found themselves stranded for sometime because they had not been paid by their employers: about 60 percent of some 150,000 irregular foreign workers were in this predicament. The government extended the deadline to 30 April. A total of 61,886 foreign workers left the country under the first two programs. A third amnesty program was offered from 15 to 30 October to encourage more voluntary repatriation. Authorities warned of a crackdown after 30 October and errant workers would then be subjected to a fine of up to 10 million won or at least three years in jail. With fewer job opportunities in the urban areas, foreign workers remaining in Korea may have moved to rural areas where job opportunities are more plentiful. However, because of their legal status, there are concerns that they could be vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. As of 31 August, the Justice Ministry reported there were 291,816 foreigners in the country, of whom the largest groups come from China (84,637, mostly ethnic Koreans under a government employment program); the U.S. (51,579, excluding members of the U.S. forces based in Korea); Japan(27,235); and Taiwan (24,182, mostly those who came before 1949). The Ministry noted a decline in the number of irregular migrants, from 143,118 in 1997 to 92,688. The major countries of origin are: China, 52,729; Bangladesh, 6,656; Philippines, 6,080; Pakistan, 3,136; and Thailand, 2,245.

The crisis revived an interest in overseas employment, and the government provided some assistance to those who considered working abroad. The government financed foreign language studies by computer programmers and other trained Korean workers to prepare them for overseas placement. Anticipating dim employment prospects for incoming entrants to the labor force, the government also explored overseas internship programs for college graduates.

More than five million overseas Koreans will be granted voting rights, property rights and the right to assume official posts in Korea beginning July 1999. A lot more is in store for overseas Koreans. A special law providing overseas Koreans legal status equivalent to that of local Koreans will soon be referred to the National Assembly. According to the Ministry, "the new law is aimed at enabling competent overseas Koreans to take part in the economic development of their mother country at this time of globalization." The law, however, does not allow dual nationality for overseas Koreans. Of 5.2 million Koreans (5.5 million, according to another source), 2.1 million have kept their Korean citizenship, while the rest have acquired foreign citizenship. Countries or regions hosting a large Korean population include China, 1.96 million; U.S., 1.86 million; Japan, 660,000; Russian republics, 450,000; Canada, 90,000; and Central and South America, 90,000. As of the last report, the Justice Ministry was asked to submit a modified "Overseas Koreans Bill" to the National Assembly in October. Interestingly, Koreans in Japan are reported to receive the largest share — 80 percent of the 7.5 billion won — of the total budget for overseas Korean communities.

In 1998, the first batch of 100 ethnic Korean returned from Sakhalin, Russia. Their return is part of a government pilot project aimed at facilitating their return and reintegration in Korean society. During World War II, the Japanese recruited Koreans to render forced labor in Sakhalin. There are about 40,000 ethnic Koreans in Sakhalin, including 7,000 first-generation Koreans.