From a Workforce to Neighbors: “Coexistence” with Foreign Workers

【Financial News, Gyeonggi—Reporter Kim Kyung-soo】 Foreign workers have become indispensable at industrial sites in Gyeonggi Province. In addition to staffing manufacturing production lines and filling labor shortages in rural areas, they live and spend money locally, becoming one of the pillars of the regional economy. As their numbers increase, local communities are facing more complex challenges. The new task is to create an environment where foreign workers can live stably, interact with local residents, and become part of the community.
On the 21st, Gyeonggi Province said it was taking proactive steps to address these changes. In July 2024, the province became the first metropolitan local government in the country to establish the Immigrant Society Bureau, a dedicated immigration policy organization, and formulated the Gyeonggi Province Comprehensive Plan for an Immigrant Society (2025–2027). Through 33 detailed initiatives in four areas—governance, immigration policy and settlement conditions, social integration, and human rights protection—it established a systematic response to an immigrant society.
In July 2025, the province opened the Gyeonggi Immigrant Society Integration Support Center to systematically address the labor, housing, and everyday difficulties foreign workers face in Korea and help them settle stably as members of local communities.
The Center provides foreign workers with counseling on labor and daily-life matters, as well as interpretation and administrative assistance. It also offers Korean-language education and counseling services in 12 languages, including Vietnamese. The Center helps workers settle in during their early period through lifestyle information, local adaptation programs, and community exchange activities. It also conducts research aimed at expanding mutual understanding and communication between local residents so that foreign workers can establish themselves as stable members of the community.
Gyeonggi Province views foreign workers as members of local communities and is expanding policies to protect their rights and support their stable settlement. In October last year, it established the nation’s first system for guaranteeing foreign workers’ human rights. It also became the first in the country to legislate three human-rights protection ordinances: banning racial discrimination and guaranteeing human rights; protecting refugees’ human rights and guaranteeing basic living conditions; and identifying and supporting foreign children whose births have not been registered.

Gyeonggi Province also held the Gyeonggi Home Festival on September 21, 2025, to broaden cultural understanding between foreign workers and local communities. The event featured a range of programs, including Korean traditional culture experiences, club activities, cooking, and performances. A total of 64 booths were operated, including promotional and hands-on experiences introducing the food and cultures of 17 countries. A K-pop competition involving youth from immigrant backgrounds and an “Immigrant Society Community Declaration” were also held. Approximately 5,000 people attended, sharing time to understand and exchange one another’s cultures.
Efforts are also continuing to prevent safety accidents at industrial sites and create safer working environments for foreign workers. In particular, the Safety Dream Project for foreign workers is providing on-site support to prevent industrial accidents and raise safety awareness.
Yoon Hyun-ok, head of the Immigrant Society Policy Division at Gyeonggi Provincial Office, said, “Foreign workers already perform an indispensable role at our industrial sites. The province has consistently pursued policies to protect their safety and rights, including labor and legal counseling, multilingual occupational safety training, and improvements to working conditions.” She explained, “The Gyeonggi Immigrant Society Integration Support Center is providing close, hands-on support for the difficulties they face.”
Yoon added, “The role and share of foreign workers will continue to grow. Rather than simply filling labor shortages, they are full-fledged members who are building our industries and local communities together. I will pay even closer attention to the voices from the field so that they can work and live safely.”
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