Essay Contest Result

When a state deals with low birthrate and an aging population, the labor force shrinks as well, and economic issues end up arising unless the government does its best to attract migrants that could help balance the necessity of workers and repopulate the country artificially. Higher efforts need to be made especially when foreign skilled workers are in demand, as the receiving country must be highly attractive. Besides a good salary and workplace conditions, an attractive point in foreign work immigration is a well implemented immigration system and clear ways of obtaining a work permit or visa in the country of work. While the Republic of Korea is attracting a lot of foreign students and tourists, few skilled workers end up staying long-term or even choosing to pursue a career in Korea. The stringent visa requirements and the local companies' lack of knowledge regarding the rights and obligations of foreigners in Korea keep foreign skilled workers away even though they might be interested in trying to accommodate the Korean society by learning the language or local social customs. Thus, I believe that South Korea can present itself as a more attractive destination for skilled workers by domestically implementing some core changes.

This essay represents an overview of my own opinions and ideas on how to improve the image of "employer" Korea abroad by making changes at the domestic level, based on my life in Korea and observations of dozens of foreigners and their opinions regarding work in Korea, as well as the public opinions of potential skilled workers coming to Korea, as found on various forums and dedicated internet groups.

Starting from the first steps of legal work, any Korean company looking to employ foreign labor force must sponsor the workers' visas. There are about ten work-related visas, each dedicated to a specific working sector or position, from university professors, foreign language instructors and special professions, to journalists and artists. The complexity of each specific visa makes it hard for both the employers and the employees to know which visa to target, and the disorganized and highly inaccessible online immigration information is a headache to navigate. Of course, if the foreign worker has a permanent residency visa, the process is less complicated, as companies do not need to sponsor their visa, but newcomers deal with complications that do not help with the general image of Korea as a friendly skilled worker migrant destination. Many times, companies are unaware of the fact that foreign workers also need to receive and pay for the four major insurances, and end up wrongly filing taxes, which leads to further future legal problems for the foreign workers. One may argue that the foreign workers need to know their rights and obligations and fight for them, but not all foreign workers have the necessary Korean linguistic capacity to deal with these specific issues in Korean and argue with their employer. At best, when a legal problem arises and the foreign worker confronts their superiors, they are told that they must understand the situation and the company did not know that foreign workers have the same rights and obligations as Korean ones. At worst, they would be told they do not understand the Korean working culture and that they should not confront their superiors, as this is a special situation triggered by their "foreignness", and if they are dissatisfied, they can go back to their home country. Thus, it is inevitable that skilled workers, who deserve not only an attractive salary but a positively competitive and challenging working environment, choose not to get a job in Korea.

Fixing these issues is complicated, and the Korean government is making efforts now to attract foreign work force by implementing a region-specific permanent residency visa to help depopulated areas. However, skilled workers are hard to convince to move to rural areas, as their education and expectations strive higher. I believe that the image of Korea as an attractive destination for skilled workers can be improved domestically through two ways: firstly making sure that all information regarding immigration is easily accessible and clear on dedicated websites (including news and sudden changes which now can only be found in Korean language and they are not advertised in any way, making it a nightmare for potential permanent residents to navigate their way legally through the visa changing process), and an obligatory governmental education on foreign laborers' rights and obligations for companies which want to employ foreign workers. Since it is utopic to think that all foreign workers in Korea will become proficient in Korean, the immigration office must become more foreignerfriendly, both online and offline, to boost their image abroad and help foreigners feel welcomed and wanted in the Korean society, as foreign workers represent an important part of the future national economy.

Too many people misunderstand that Korean companies which hire foreigners (in skilled work jobs) do it to PR themselves as foreigner friendly and treat foreign workers as disposables and never a part of Korean society. However, when a skilled foreign worker decides to reside in Korea, they do it with the intent of becoming part of the community, building a family in Korea, paying taxes in Korea, basically doing everything that a Korean national does. Companies need to stop treating foreigner workers as a different type of workforce and consider them on par with Korean workers. Therefore, I propose the implementation of an obligatory education program for Korean companies looking into employing foreign workers. They need to understand that foreign workers possess the same rights and obligations as their Korean peers, and also that if they aspire to grab hold of a skilled foreign worker to work long-term in the company, they need to treat that foreigner with the same amount of respect and understanding as they do with all other workers.

The previously mentioned points go hand in hand with one of Korea's greatest image flaws abroad – the lack of an anti-discrimination law. It has been years since South Korea has been going back and forth when it comes to implementing an anti-discrimination law, and in 2022 this represents a major drawback as the world is highly focused on human rights and anti-discrimination. Skilled workers especially expect an environment where they would not face discrimination, and unfortunately Korea does not offer them protection in this sense. Whether the government tries to fast track foreign workers to permanent residency does not matter on the long term, as discrimination drives many away later. When a potential foreign skilled worker sees the news of Korean parents protesting against a handful of foreign refugee children entering the same school as their kids, with no consequences against their clear discriminatory scope, they will think twice before entering the Korean society and bringing their family or building one in Korea.

Once an anti-discrimination law would be passed, people would be more careful and would reflect on their actions, and citizens would be protected from unrightful discrimination. South Korea developed very fast, reaching a top economic position worldwide in just a few decades, so it is normal to deal with some social issues since change came so fast. However, it is time to implement the same spirit into making Korean society safer for everyone, ensuring thus a more balanced life for all citizens of Korea, Korean and foreigners as well. In order to compete with other popular destinations for foreign skilled-workers, South Korea needs not only to match the attractiveness of those other countries, but it needs to clearly show why and how it is more welcoming and better prepared for foreign skilled workers to enter the country and settle comfortably in the society, especially showing that discrimination is punished and their futures are secured in Korea as important parts of the economy and future of Korea. I must once again mention that foreign skilled workers are not disposables, and even if they expect to return to their home countries later, they must be treated in the same manner as all other workers. It is normal to voice unpleasant situations and ask for help, so Korean employers need to learn how to not get annoyed and legally have the know-how of grasping foreign talents and motivating them to continue their stay in Korea.

Lastly, going back to the visa limitations, many companies avoid foreign skilledworkers due to the bureaucratic efforts they need to implement to sponsor their work visas. That is why they either look only into employing permanent residency visa holders or they completely deny foreign applicants, although they fit the job descriptions. This is a major drawback, as in the companies' eyes foreign workers represent a paperwork hassle, and in the foreign worker's eyes it represents a clear message of not being wanted. I am not a legal expert, so it is hard to give a clear solution, but after looking into the immigration policies of other countries, I found out that a good solution would be the implementation of work permits, thus the visa sponsorship not falling on the company itself, but a third party dedicated institution designated by the government to overview foreign employment. This would lift the burden from the shoulders of Korean companies, leaving them only the role of employer in the same way it goes for domestic workers, and foreign skilled workers would have an officially organized framework to refer to when searching for a job in Korea.

In conclusion, Korea needs to work on their internal issue to become an attractive destination for foreign skilled workers. It must replace the unremarkable image of a stressful rigid immigration process and unfitness of foreigners in Korean society with a welcoming and anti-discriminatory vibe, placing it on par with other great destinations for foreign skilled workers, such as Switzerland, Singapore, or Australia. The process of acquiring a visa needs to become clearer, and Korean companies need to be prepared to understand and implement the rights and obligations of foreign workers the same way they do with local ones. Maybe the most important point of this essay was highlighted by the necessity of an antidiscrimination law, as it would definitely help in building a better image of Korea abroad, the image of a country that values human rights and every individual. As a future skilled worker in Korea, I hope good changes will come soon, and my new home would become a more attractive destination for skilled workers, bringing once again the power of example by becoming not only an economic development model, but also one of social development.