Government tries for foreign talent - INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

The government is hoping to expand the foreign population even further by amending the nationality law to allow dual citizenship to bring “talented people” to Korea. But with guidelines that are vague at best, it remains to be seen whether these efforts will succeed. According to the government, the measure is geared toward attracting professionals with a proven track record in their respective fields. (Hint: Having a Nobel Prize would certainly help, for example.) But unlike the country’s permanent residency system - for which people qualify by meeting specific conditions such as employment, business ownership or marriage to a Korean citizen - it has not yet provided details on what will distinguish someone who is a “professional” from someone who is not.
Chu Kyu-ho, head of the Korea Immigration Service, hopes that the Justice Ministry will submit to the National Assembly a bill to revise the nationality law next month, after a consultative meeting between the government and ruling Grand National Party.

Recent studies have suggested that the country needs a population influx of between 1 million to 3 million people per year for the next several decades to maintain a workforce capable of supporting the economy.
“We are late in the game when it comes to attracting foreigners to the country,” said Jeon Gwang-hui, a professor of sociology at Chungnam National University. “On top of that, Korean society is very closed, which makes it harder for outsiders to get accepted.” He attributes prevailing attitudes against the foreign population to the country’s history of invasion.

“This country was invaded many times in the past and it is surrounded by large countries even today, so there is always this feeling that Koreans have to close ranks,” the professor said.

Few Achievements of the government in recent years include:

1. The Seoul Global Center was established in January 2008, to provide services such as help with housing, medical and legal issues. Other city districts and provinces have recently followed suit;
2. In May 2007, the government established a basic law regarding the treatment of foreigners;
3. May 20 is celebrated as “Together Day,” the centerpiece of which is a ceremony honoring foreigners;
4. All Korean English teachers will hold classes wholly in English by 2012, provided that a scheme announced by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is implemented successfully. Under the government plan, more classroom time will be devoted to English education and more native-speaker teachers will be placed into the education system.

Problem to address are:

1. 20,000 children from multiracial families in the country’s educational system from elementary to high school have not integrated into the country’s education system;
2. Lee Cham, a naturalized Korean of German descent who became a Korean citizen 31 years ago, says Korean society still has a long way to go before it will accept Koreans who don’t look physically Korean.

Read this in detail (pulished in June,2009) here: Government tries for foreign talent - INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily