By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
The government has launched a bill that would amend the Immigration Law to allow the fingerprints and photos of tourists visiting South Korea, as well as foreign residents, to be taken during the immigration process.
The Ministry of Justice said Tuesday the move is part of efforts to standardize the method of collecting information needed to identify inbound foreigners and prevent those suspected of being involved in international crime from entering Korea.
Foreign civil servants, including diplomats and children under the age of 17, will be exempt.
``A bill including the amendment will be submitted to the National Assembly by June, and, if enacted, will take effect as early as 2010,'' the ministry said in a statement.
Under the bill, the entry of non-Koreans who refuse to provide biometric information will be denied.
Up to 2003, Korean immigration offices fingerprinted long-term foreign residents who stayed for more than a year when they issued alien registration numbers. But former President Roh Moo-hyun scrapped the process, citing possible human rights infringements.
The bill also aims to ease the regulations governing foreign workers.
Under the current law, all foreign workers are required to gain approval from the immigration authorities before they can make any change to their employment status. The bill is seeking to allow foreigners staying on E-1, E-3, E-4 and E-5 visas to alter their status without prior authorization, though they will still have to report the amendment.