sehee

1.  What is it like to live as a foreigner in South Korea?

Going by the OECD's definition, a "multi-cultural society" is a country where more than five percent of its population are foreigners, second-generation immigrants, and naturalized citizens.
That term does not describe South Korea yet, but it likely will soon.
Our Song Yoo-jin went out to find more about what life in Korea is like for people from other cultures, and how they're being integrated into society.

Two million.
Accounting for almost 5 percent of the population, that's the number of foreign residents living in South Korea.
The figure had been steadily rising, but dropped during the pandemic.
Now, it's rebounding again and is expected to grow.

"In five years, the number of foreign residents will reach three million and in the long run, will make up 10 percent of the population.
Every year, South Korea's economically active population declines by 3-hundred to 5-hundred-thousand.
Attracting more foreigners will help solve this labor shortage and population decline."

But starting a new life in a brand new country isn't easy.
The biggest obstacles are language and social perception.

"I live in Dobong-gu and there a lot of people don't speak English."

"If I'm in the subway, all the people look at me like how she is a foreigner."

It's even harder if you're planning to stay long term.

"I've never seen a person who moved here because the Korean society is welcoming.
It's been really exclusive to foreigners as it has a long history of cultural, ethnic homogeneity."


"Then what kind of efforts are being made in South Korea to help foreign residents adapt to the country?

One of them is the justice ministry's Korea Immigration and Integration Program.
Designated institutions offer free classes to help foreigners become self-reliant members of society.

"The program has seven levels.
Korean language is taught from level zero to four and those who complete level four have no problem communicating in Korean.
Levels five and six teach Korean culture and society.
Students can apply for permanent residency after level five and naturalization after level six."

But there's still room for improvement.

"When I first came to Korea in the early 2000s, there were very few foreigners living here, so there were barely any relevant laws or policies.
It's been less than two decades since they started developing them, so right now, they're too complicated and all over the place."

To solve this, the government is pushing to launch an immigration agency.

"There's no single, designated body that's in charge of immigration and foreign resident-related affairs.
Installing an agency that's solely in charge will not only increase the efficiency of the immigration and visa process, but also help the country attract more foreign talent into the country."

With South Korea looking to become a more multi-cultural society, relevant efforts should be made to embrace and support those who come here.
Song Yoo-jin, Arirang News.

2. Gov't and DP clash over latest plans to cut income and corporation taxes

On the second day of the National Assembly's three-day questioning session of Yoon administration officials Tuesday, lawmakers zeroed in on officials from ministries related to economic affairs.
Administration officials and the opposition bloc clashed over proposed income and corporate tax cuts.
Lee Kyung-eun has the details.

Among the most hotly debated topics during the parliamentary hearing on economy-related ministries on Tuesday was the government's latest tax cut plans.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo called them "inevitable" in order to keep South Korea's growth momentum.
His remarks came in response to criticism from the Democratic Party who said that tax cuts will lead to fewer welfare benefits for the general public.


"If you cut corporation taxes what will happen to public spending for the people who need it?"

"The government has no other option but to take action and reduce business tax burdens especially at a time of high interest and currency rate."

The PM added that tax cuts on corporations had always brought a "trickle down effect" in the country where the prosperity of big companies leads to the growth of small firms and, therefore, more jobs.

Also put under fire was the governmenet's plan to cut income taxes which the DP lawmakers claimed would only benefit the wealthy.
President Yoon's People Power Party gave the finance minister a chance to refute such claims.

"The taxation scheme is designed to bring relatively bigger tax cuts for those in the low to middle income brackets."


Regarding the easing of real estate taxes in a major reversal of the previous administration's policy the PM said it is the most ideal way to normalize the market.


"The key to the housing policy is making sure that homeowners don't become the public enemy.
And the direction should be increasing supply not reducing the demand through excessive taxes."

Despite cuts in tax revenues which some lawmakers raise concerns about the PM said the budget is all precisely calculated in a way that would enable the government to carry out its plans.

"The PM added one of the key top priorities is maintaining financial soundness.
While the national debt to GDP ratio is projected to hit 68 percent at the current pace, but the government's plan is to keep in at 55 percent.
Lee Kyung-eun, Arirang News. "

1. Do you think that tax cut really leads "reduced welfare benefits" ? If so, What do you think about the reduced welfare benefits due to the tax cut? 

2. Have you ever heard of a country with many welfare benefits? 

3.  There is a debate about the billionaire tax in the United States.  Do you think a billionaire or millionaire tax should be introduced in Korea too?

"The Billionaire Minimum Income Tax will require America’s wealthiest households to pay as they go, just like everyone else:

The Billionaire Minimum Income Tax will ensure that the very wealthiest Americans pay a tax rate of at least 20 percent on their full income, including unrealized appreciation." 

(Referred from White House homepage.)

본 저작물은 아리랑 TV에서 2022년 작성하여 공공누리 제1유형으로 개방한

Life/Culture, Nat'l/Politics News(작성자: yjsong@arirang.com, kelee@arirang.com)을 이용하였으며,
해당 저작물은 'Arirang TV, https://www.arirang.com/index.asp'에서 무료로 다운받으실 수 있습니다.