Meeting to discuss quality of life for ethnic Korean Chinese

Policymakers, lawmakers, law enforcement officials and citizen representatives in Seoul will meet on Friday to discuss issues of ethnic Korean Chinese living in southwestern Seoul.

Seoul Metropolitan Government is hosting the meeting at the National Assembly. It said the meeting will aim at reviewing and discovering common problems that affect life in five districts — Guro, Geumgcheon, Yeongdeungpo, Dongjak and Gwanak — and finding solutions.

“The population of ethnic Korean Chinese in Seoul is concentrated in those five districts and they are generating problems in terms of social adaptation, education and integration with local populations,” the office handling foreign residents said in a statement.

Ethnic Korean Chinese began to come to Seoul beginning in 1992 after China and South Korea opened diplomatic relations. They’re considered as Koreans by law and receive working permits upon arrival.

According to statistics, 222,000 are currently living in Seoul, with 139,000 or 63 percent staying in five districts.

Economic opportunity and transportation were the main points to attract them to the area. It had affordable housing and many factories which meant potential jobs for them.

However, the immigrant population contributed to a worsening stigma in the area. Many locals see the area as a less safe place, with frequent crime. Social integration between immigrants and natives has been a tall order. When the news of a murder involving a Chinese suspect was reported a few years ago, the native residents of the area were fearful and perceived it as a discriminatory crime.

Friday’s meeting isn’t the first of its kind.

Previous meetings generated projects such as a neighborhood patrol, installing safety lights on the streets, providing Korean language classes and vocational training to the immigrant population and supporting community meetings. The city said it’s currently working on revitalizing the neighborhood streets in Daerimdong with an aim to attract tourists to the area as well.

“We are confident that the meeting will make these neighborhoods good places so everyone can live together harmoniously,” said a city official.