South Korea is steadily moving toward a multicultural society. The number of foreign residents surpassed 1 million in 2007, accounting for over 2 percent of the nation's entire population. The number of Koreans marrying foreigners last year reached 36,204, 11 percent of the total. In rural areas, the ratio was estimated to be far higher at around 40 percent. The number of foreign workers _ documented and undocumented _ stood at 720,000. These figures show that foreigners are no longer strangers. They are increasingly becoming our neighbors.
But it is disappointing to see that foreign residents are still leading a difficult life here because of a lack of legislation and institutions to protect their rights and ban discrimination against them. A considerable number of foreign spouses, especially brides from Southeast Asian countries, are reportedly suffering from spousal abuse and domestic violence. Many foreign workers _ illegal laborers in particular _ have continued to complain about lower wages, bad working conditions, inhumane treatment and other discrimination in the workplace.
It is urgent for the nation to lay firm legal groundwork to eliminate any form of discrimination against foreign residents, ensure equal opportunities and promote human rights. For this, 37 lawmakers from governing and opposition parties launched a forum last week to discuss and draw up steps to promote a multicultural society. They have agreed to push for a basic law covering a multicultural society by integrating the existing laws concerning foreign residents.
It is worth noting that lawmakers have formed a bipartisan partnership to speed up the legislation and take additional measures to provide support for migrant workers, foreign spouses and their children. In fact, the nation is suffering two key thorny demographic issues: a record low birthrate and the rapidly growing number of senior citizens. The birth rate stood at 1.19, the lowest in the world. The number of those aged 65 and older exceeded 10 percent of the total population last year, after the ratio reached 7 percent in 2000. The figure is predicted to surpass 14 percent in 2018.
Therefore, it is inevitable to bring more immigrants into the country in a move to solve the serious problems. Rep. Chin Young of the majority Grand National Party, who has spearheaded the forum, stressed that how to deal with multicultural issues will be one of the key factors determining the future of the country. ``Taking immigrants as our true neighbors will be a key solution for the shrinking population,'' he said.
Some demographers predict that the foreigners' ratio will climb as high as 5 percent in 2020. But the country still has a long way to go to realize a better multicultural society, considering the stark reality, including xenophobic sentiment among many South Koreans. Not only lawmakers and politicians but also every member of society are required to join hands to work and live together with foreign residents who are an integral part of our society.