The Asan Institute for Policy Studies invited Professor Choi Wongi of the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security for a discussion on the topic of “G20 Seoul Summit: Prospects and Future Challenges” on November 10, 2010.
In South Korea, foreign immigrants have surpassed 1% of the population, and the number of South Korean citizens who are not ethnically Korean is also rising. Beginning in the 21st century, the percentage of women among foreign immigrants has been rising, and because these female immigrants are coming to South Korea to reside on a long-term basis, policies geared toward them are becoming ever more necessary. Although the immigrants are of various ethnicities, they are a part of the Korean society, and issues of their integration and identity are arising. The goal of the roundtable was to understand what other countries, which have a longer history of addressing such issues, have done to successfully integrate female immigrants into their own societies.
Hosted by the Asan Institute’s Director Hahm Chaibong, the roundtable featured presentations by Professor Kim Min Jung (University of Seoul), Professor Kim Sung Jin (Duksung Women’s University) and Professor Lee Ji Young (Hanyang University) on France, Russia, Scandinavia and Japan, respectively.