The Immigration Control Act of the Republic of Korea (RoK) puts restraints on the flow of foreigners into South Korea with documentation and other procedural requirements. A proposal to further amend this act is being floated and will be debated in the Korean National Assembly within the next few weeks.
The basis for this amendment is the slanderous stance of certain officials and news media personnel who spread ugly rumours that "most foreigners use drugs, commit crimes and have diseases". TEA-KOR denounces this shameful anti-foreigner campaign.
At the end of 2007, the law was changed regarding applications for English teacher visas. The requirements are ridiculous. For example, it may be acceptable that prospective employees being hired to work with children be subjected to criminal record screening. However, not all teachers are employed to work with children. Also, TEA-KOR objects to the requirement that foreign teachers being rehired or otherwise continuing to get contracts to teach in Korea should have to file new criminal record checks, as well as fresh university transcripts. These documents remain on file in the Korean immigration offices. The history in the home country does not change when the employee stays in Korea and keeps working there. The updated history would come from communities in Korea! If there is no incident in Korea and the teacher already qualifies as a paid teacher, why should the teacher file fresh copies of the same documents!? Requiring them to do so is harassment, pure and simple.
Teachers and other foreigners in South Korea are constantly subjected to the indignity and humiliation of vilifying commentary against them. Articles claiming that foreigners are drug addicted criminals carrying dangerous infectious diseases pop up in the news media all the time. The government makes such assertions, as have certain Assembly representatives in putting forward this Amendment to the above act.
TEA-KOR points to the daily appearance of articles citing criminal behaviour and corruption in business and government in Korea. This should be the main preoccupation of government officials and journalists.
What is the basis for the wild and irresponsible claims against teachers and other foreigners in Korea? The newly forming Association of Teachers of English in Korea (ATEK) has researched this question and can find no substantiation. As for the issue of foreigners in Korea without proper documentation, the alleged reason for the ongoing crackdown against foreign workers in the RoP, ATEK found that most of the existing cases of undocumented workers or with a criminal background involve Koreans with Chinese citizenship! In fact, the vast majority of "foreigners" working in South Korea are Koreans who have been living in China!
Now, the RoK wants to expand the regulations government visa applications to cover all foreigners applying for any kind of employment visas. This is absurd and offensive!
The slanders and rumours colour the attitude of Koreans toward foreigners and create fear and doubt. It is bad for international relations. TEA-KOR calls on Koreans and foreigners in Korea to resist this wave of anti-foreigner propaganda.