The Ministry of Justice announced on the 9th that it will operate a dedicated reporting channel to secure stable residency for foreign residents and ethnic Korean compatriots following a series of human-rights violations.
The ministry said it will designate 19 immigrant-rights protection officers across the immigration service, the Foreigner Affairs Office, and immigration detention centers, institutionalizing permanent reporting desks.
It will also permit reports to be filed through representatives, including organizations that support foreign residents and ethnic Koreans.
Reports received will be referred to the Consultative Council for the Protection and Promotion of Foreigners’ Rights, a consultative body that has been in place since 2006.
The public–private council will establish a new Compatriot Rights subcommittee composed of civilian experts on compatriot policy to strengthen human-rights oversight.
The ministry cited recent incidents—among them alleged wage exploitation of seasonal workers in Yanggu County, Gangwon Province, in 2023–2024, and an episode last July in which a foreign worker at a brick factory in Naju, South Jeolla, was assaulted with a forklift—saying effective remedies have been lacking.
A ministry official said the ministry will actively listen to complaints from foreign residents and compatriots who have experienced discrimination or human-rights abuses at workplaces and elsewhere, and will work proactively to prevent abuses and provide relief to victims.
