윤석열 정부의 외국인정책 현황 및 추진 방향

The number of foreigners residing in Korea has also been on a continuous upward trend since exceeding 1 million in 2007, with more than 2.25 million foreigners residing in the country at the end of December 2022. Since 2018, as the demographic structure has changed due to the declining birthrate and aging trend, and the industrial structure has been reorganized according to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the demand for the use of various human resources has increased, and the influx of foreigners is expected to steadily increase in the future. Accordingly, the government is promoting the revitalization of immigration policy as a solution to the rapid population decline, and is trying to change the foreign inflow policy, which currently focuses only on short-term labor supply through the employment permit system, to the introduction of skilled and permanent manpower. The government is about to establish and implement the 4th Basic Plan for Foreign Policy(2023~2027). Local governments have enacted and implemented ordinances to support foreign residents in order to promote customized foreign policies that meet the reality, such as coexistence and cooperation with local residents and immigrants, providing high-quality jobs to foreigners, education, and welfare. The Ministry of Justice aims to systematically respond to changes in demographic structure through the establishment of the provisional "Immigration Agency" to oversee immigration and immigration policies, and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family supports multicultural families, the Ministry of Employment and Labor provides support for foreigners, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Overseas Koreans Administration) is in charge of supporting overseas Koreans and promoting the benefits of overseas Koreans, the Ministry of Education is in charge of managing foreign students, and the Ministry of Public Administration and Security is in charge of housing and policing foreigners. The multi-ministerial policy committee under the Prime Minister's Office is also divided into the Foreign Policy Committee of the Ministry of Justice, the Multicultural Family Policy Committee under the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Foreign Power Policy Committee under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and the Policy Committee for Overseas Koreans under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Due to the lack of government organization for the promotion and implementation of such foreign policies and the lack of administrative systems of local governments, comprehensive and systematic policy formulation has not been achieved. In addition, the current policy for the influx and settlement of foreign workers is rigid, so it is necessary to establish a flexible visa system for the expansion of permanent immigrant visas, identify the needs of foreign manpower, and implement an inclusive policy that allows foreign migrants to live in cooperation and harmony with local residents.